LG [FF] fault codewhat it means and how to fix it

FF is the freezer fan error, and LG describe what that fan does in a way that explains why the code matters: it circulates cold air throughout the freezer compartment, and if the fan is blocked the compressor will overwork. So the symptom is often not a dead freezer but a freezer that is not cold enough while the compressor runs constantly, which is both bad for the appliance and expensive. The same article covers rF, which is the refrigerator compartment fan rather than the freezer fan, and on some displays the code shows as a single F; the fault is the same kind of thing in a different compartment and LG give it the same first step. LG give two answers to this code in two different places, and the difference is worth knowing. Their master code list puts FF in the blanket category with the note that for the following error codes, please request service. Their dedicated article for the code says something more useful. It starts with a reset: unplug the power cord or trip the circuit breaker, and reuse the appliance after about five minutes.

Then it names the common cause — frost accumulation around the fan motor, which can impede its operation — and says that to resolve this the refrigerator will need to be defrosted. Their published method is to unplug the power cord, open both the refrigerator and freezer doors, and leave them open for at least eight hours. For a fan that has become properly ice-locked they publish longer figures — unplug, open the freezer or refrigerator door wide, and wait one day during summer and three days during winter to melt the ice around the fan motor. Those numbers are worth taking at face value rather than deciding four hours will do, because a fan encased in ice at the back of a compartment is a long way from the open door.

Two things follow from this. First, LG say that if the same symptom and the same code are repeated it needs an LG service technician for an accurate diagnosis; the reasoning this page adds is that frost which comes back after a full defrost points at the defrost system that should have prevented it rather than at the fan. Second, LG attach a sensible caveat of their own: if you are concerned about the food items inside the fridge, contact LG support. Eight hours with the doors open is a long time for a freezer full of food, and the food decision is separate from the appliance decision.

1. 1

   Look into the freezer compartment for frost building up at the back, particularly around the vents where cold air comes in. That is where the fan lives.

2. 2

   Take out anything pushed hard against the back wall. A packet against the vent is enough to stop airflow and it is the easiest thing to rule out.

3. 3

   Reset it the way LG publish for this code: unplug the power cord or trip the breaker, and restore power after about five minutes. If the code stays away, that was a one-off.

4. 4

   If it comes straight back, deal with the food before you defrost. Eight hours with the doors open will thaw a freezer, and LG themselves suggest contacting support if you are worried about the contents.

5. 5

   Unplug the appliance, open both the fridge and freezer doors, and leave them open for at least eight hours. That is LG’s published figure.

6. 6

   If the fan is properly ice-locked, allow longer — LG publish one day in summer and three days in winter for that case.

   Do not speed this up with a hairdryer, hot water or anything you can chip ice with. The evaporator pipework runs through the walls of the compartment and carries flammable refrigerant on any modern appliance.
7. 7

   If the same code returns, book an engineer and say that a reset or a defrost cleared it once. LG’s instruction for a repeated code is a service technician, and that history saves diagnostic time.