An LG upright freezer installation comes down to four things: a spot that is not too hot, a floor and cabinet that are level so the door swings shut by itself, room around the cabinet as your owner’s manual specifies, and a first start that you check rather than assume. Both upright freezers listed on this site, the LROFC1104V (11.4 cu ft column) and the LROFC0605V (6.0 cu ft), are 24 inches wide, free-standing, frost-free and fitted with a reversible door, so the same steps apply to each.
Where should an LG upright freezer go?
Choose a spot with a solid, flat floor, a grounded outlet within reach of the cord and enough room for the door to open fully, which matters because the reversible door can be set to hinge on either side. Think about heat as well as space. A freezer in a garage works harder in summer, and our LG freezer tips note that a cabinet in a hot garage in July runs far longer than the same one indoors. That is normal rather than a fault, but it is a reason to keep the freezer out of direct sun and away from other heat sources.
Do not guess at clearance. The distance the cabinet needs at the back, sides and top depends on the model, so use the figures in your owner’s manual or the model’s spec sheet. Leave room for air to move around the base, because the condenser fan cools the compressor and the coils near the bottom of the cabinet.
How do you level an upright freezer?
Level the cabinet before you load it. The goal is not a perfect bubble but a door that swings shut on its own. A cabinet that tilts forward or leans back leaves the door hanging slightly open, and an open door lets humid air in, which turns into frost. Our guide to LG freezer frost buildup lists a poor door seal first among the causes.
Whether your freezer has adjustable feet, and how to adjust them, differs by model, so check the owner’s manual rather than forcing anything. Make small adjustments, check the cabinet with a level on top, then open the door about halfway and let go: it should close by itself. Do not tip the cabinet back to reach the feet unless the manual says how; a heavy column is easy to drop and easy to damage.
What should you check before plugging it in?
Look at the door gasket and wipe it with warm water, because a film of dirt keeps it from sealing. Then check that the door closes against the gasket all the way around, with no gap. Check that the shelves and bins are seated, and that no packing material is blocking an inside vent. If the unit was transported on its side or moved on a truck, follow the owner’s manual on whether and how long to let it stand before starting it. This site does not give a waiting time, so do not rely on a number from memory.
Use a grounded outlet, and follow your owner’s manual on cords and outlet sharing. Route the cord so it does not touch the back of the cabinet. If you are not sure the outlet is wired correctly, have an electrician check it. Do not open panels or work on the wiring yourself.
What does the display show on a new LG freezer?
If a new or moved freezer shows OFF and the shelves stay at room temperature, you are most likely looking at demonstration mode. According to our LG upright freezer error codes guide, in this mode the lights and display work but the compressor is held off, which is what a showroom model needs. It is the most common reason a brand-new LG upright freezer seems not to freeze. The button combination to leave demo mode differs between control layouts, so look it up in your owner’s manual. Once demo mode is off the compressor can run and the cabinet begins to cool. Give it time before you judge the result, and keep the door closed.
The same page lists Sb as Sabbath mode, a setting rather than a fault. Other codes, such as FS, dS, dH, CF, FF and CL E, name a fault and belong in a technician’s hands.
How should you load the freezer for the first time?
Once the cabinet is cold, set it to 0 degrees F, which is the figure our tips page gives for long-term storage, and check it with an independent thermometer between packages. Fill the freezer comfortably rather than solidly, and never block the vents, so air can reach the whole cabinet. Our tips page explains why: a freezer works by circulating cold air, and stacking boxes against the back wall seals off the vents.
Put the thermometer in place before the first big load of food and read it the next morning. If the freezer cannot get down to temperature, or a code stays on the display after a power reset, stop loading it and call. Read about our LG freezer repair service to see what a visit covers.
