At first glance, it sounds incredibly tempting! Who wants to unplug heavy appliances or wait hours for the ice to melt?
But – and I have to be a little indulgent here – defrosting your freezer without turning it off is not a neat trick, but more of a myth. It’s not good for your appliance or your wallet.
Below we explain why you should always unplug it and how you can significantly speed up this process:
Why does the “pull-out” backfire:
If you try to remove ice while the freezer is running (for example, with hot water or by scraping), the following will happen:
The compressor fails: the freezer thermostat detects a sudden increase in temperature. The appliance tries to compensate for this and continuously cools at maximum power. This consumes a lot of electricity.
Risk of overheating: The compressor can overheat and be damaged by this constant load.
Fast ice formation: As the cooling system works, the warm, humid air that enters condenses directly on the walls. So you create new ice practically instantly.
Risk of death due to scratches: If you use a knife or scraper while the appliance is in operation, you may pierce the cooling pipes. The housing will then be energized and the coolant will leak out – the appliance will usually be irreparably damaged.
A really “smart and quick” trick (with the plug unplugged):
But you don’t have to spend an entire day on it. Once you’ve unplugged your devices, you can speed up the process significantly with this simple physical trick:
The bowl method:
