Why Is There Ice Build Up In My Wine Fridge? (Fix Freezing Up)

Ice build up in a wine fridge is a common problem. 

Ice can form in wine coolers when moist air enters the appliance in the cooling cycle.

Moisture can enter the wine fridge, condense and cause the back wall of the fridge to freeze causing an ice build up. 

In the worst case scenario, if the ice in the wine fridge if left for a long time this can cause your wine to freeze along with the freezing bottles!

If the fixes below don't solve the issue, and a repairer isn't able to fix it either, you can buy a new wine cooler online here.

Why Does My Wine Fridge Keep Icing Up? 

Most of the time any ice forming will melt away when the temperature inside the wine cooler is stable and the cooling system switches off.

Then the ice will gradually melt and in the majority of compressor or thermoelectric cooled wine fridges an in built tray will safely capture any water which will slowing evaporate once the humidity in the wine cooler is at 50-80%.

Using a wine fridge allows your wine collection to benefit from stable conditions with accurate temperature, no vibration and they are odourless inside due to charcoal filters used.

But ice build up at the rear of a stand alone wine fridge can cause appliance to stop working.

Here are 3 reasons why you have ice build up in your wine fridge or beverage cooler...

1. Faulty Wine Fridge Door Seal

Faulty seals on the door of your wine fridge could be letting moist air into the interior of your wine fridge.

This moist air can build up and condense on the back of the wine cooler.

Couple this moist air with the controlled temperatures found within wine fridges and you have the recipe for ice to begin to form.  

Naturally, a faulty door seal can contribute to the amount of moist air entering your wine fridge but is not the only reason why the door might not be closing properly. 

2. Exceeding Maximum Capacity  

Ensure that you store the correct amount of wine bottles in your cooler to make sure that the door can close properly.  

If you find you have excess wine and nowhere to store it, consider investing in a built in wine refrigerator that can hold a more significant number of bottles or storing them in a wine cooler than is in your garage or basement.  

3. Opening And Closing The Wine Fridge Door

Opening and closing the wine cooler door can contribute to a build up of ice. 

Just like a faulty door seal mentioned previously, opening the wine fridge door for long periods of time allows excess moist air to enter the wine cooler. When 

Minimising the amount that you open and close the door will reduce the chance of ice build up.

When you first install a wine fridge you will likely open and close the door frequently whilst loading wine bottles into the fridge. 

This allow moist air from outside the cooler to become trapped inside the appliance when the door is closed - raising the humidity inside the appliance.

This is especially important to be careful of if you are looking to purchase a large wine fridge as there is a big volume of air entering the fridge when it's opened and closed.

Do Wine Coolers Need Defrosting?

If your wine / beverage cooler is operating correctly you will not need to manually defrost the appliance as your wine cooler won't freeze in the first place. 

If ice builds up in the appliance and doesn't disappear in 24-48 hours it's likely there is a problem with excess moisture entering the unit.

How Do You Get Ice Out Of A Wine Fridge? (Defrost)

If you need to remove ice from your wine cooler (defrost it essentially) it's important to minimise the risk of permanent damage to the appliance due to water ingress in the electrical components.

• First you should empty the fridge
• Then switch off the power
• And finally start removing the ice, frost and water with a towel

Brands These Steps Work With

• Newair

• Edgestar

• Danby

• Wine Enthausiast

• Uline

• Frigidaire

• Avanti

• Koolatron

• Lamona

Problem Not Fixed? Get the help of a Repair Engineer 

• Finally, if none of the above points resolve the issue then contact a local refrigeration engineer or the manufacturer helpline. The problem and fix can then be identified during a repair visit.

• This maybe included as part of your products warranty but you'll need to check this with the manufacturer. 

Related:

• Wine Cooler Not Turning On
• How Long Does Wine Last
• How Noisy Is A Wine Cooler
• What Is A Wine Cooler
• Wine Fridge Leaking Water

Summary of Wine Fridges With Ice On The Back Wall

While this piece has only detailed a few reasons why ice could be building up in your compressor or thermoelectric cooled wine cooler or beverage cooler, we hope it has helped to establish what might be causing ice to form in your wine fridge.

Usually it's a simple fix when you identify the cause but if you can't solve the issue contact the manufacturer.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments, or email us at info@expertwinestorage.co.uk

You can browse more posts on Wine Storage here.