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The back panel inside a refrigerator freezer covered in an even layer of white frost, an empty wire shelf sharp across the foreground.

LG refrigerator
showing dH

A defrost cycle did not finish in time: the coil did not warm to its target within the period the board allows.

(844) 681-4650

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Defrost
  • Defrost system repair
  • Source: LG

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 681-4650

What dH
actually means.

A defrost cycle did not finish in time: the coil did not warm to its target within the period the board allows. LG lists the usual causes as ice that has built up, a blocked drain, an open thermal fuse, a failed heater or a failed main board. F dH points at the freezer, r dH at the fresh-food section.

LG refrigerator display · also shown as F dH, r dH, ER dH

What to do when dH shows on the refrigerator

Kind of codeDefrost

The defrost cycle did not finish in the time the board allows. A heater, its thermostat or the sensor that ends the cycle.

Usually leads toDefrost system repair

The failure behind most slow, gradual losses of cooling — and behind most visible frost.

Shows up asFrost Building Up in the Refrigerator

Ice on the back wall, around the door, or over the whole freezer — and each location means something different.

MakeLG

French door refrigeration with linear compressors and heavily instrumented controls.

SourceLG US support: F dH or r dH error code

LG shows it three ways depending on the model: F dH, r dH or plain dH, sometimes with an Er or E in front.

Before you book,
in this order.

Each step comes from LG's own guidance for dH on its refrigerators. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.

01

Unplug the unit and leave the doors open so the ice can melt and the drain can clear — LG suggests about a day in summer and up to three in winter.

02

Move food that matters somewhere cold while it defrosts.

03

If the code comes back once it is running again, book a visit: the cycle itself is failing.

Still there?

It usually turns into defrost system repair. Book with the code and the model number.

What not to do

Do not read dH as a normal defrost message. On LG it is a failure code — the cycle did not complete — and it needs an inspection if it returns.

What you may
notice with it.

The refrigerator problems dH tends to arrive with. Answer these at the refrigerator before anyone is booked.

All problems

Before you call

Frost Building Up in the Refrigerator

All 4 causes, cheapest first

It also comes with

Thick white frost covering the rear panel and the shelf edges inside an open freezer compartment. Problem

Frost Building Up in the Refrigerator

4 causes, cheapest first

Where dH usually leads

Defrost system repair.

Defrost heater, thermostat or sensor · low.
Book a visit What the job involves

Read these
before the visit.

Short guides that make the call quicker and the diagnosis cheaper.

All guides
How not to need us

Keeping the defrost drain clear before it floods

 Why it is doing that

Why refrigerators stop cooling, in order of likelihood

 Error codes

All 247 codes, by make

LG
refrigerators.

French door refrigeration with linear compressors and heavily instrumented controls.

LG refrigerator repair

More LG codes

ER IFER FFER rFER COOF FER rSCFFSdSrTSbC1
All 14 LG codes

Defrost on other makes

GE dESub-Zero 20 2 00Café dEMonogram dEKenmore F dHGE Profile dE
All 11 codes of this kind
A French door refrigerator with both upper doors swung open and the lower freezer drawer pulled out. LG builds this

French door refrigerator

Two fresh-food doors over a freezer drawer — the most common premium layout, and the one with the most to go wrong at the door line.

 A side-by-side refrigerator with a tall freezer door on the left carrying an ice and water dispenser recess. LG builds this

Side-by-side refrigerator

Full-height freezer beside full-height fresh food, with the ice maker and dispenser built into the freezer door.

In LG's own words

An [F(r) dH] appearing on the LED lamp display is a defrosting (frost removal) failure error code that requires a product inspection.
LG US support: F dH or r dH error code

Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. LG shows it three ways depending on the model: F dH, r dH or plain dH, sometimes with an Er or E in front.

LG dH refrigerator repair,
where we come out.

The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A family preparing a meal together in their kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions
about dH.

Can I clear dH myself?
Unplug the unit and leave the doors open so the ice can melt and the drain can clear — LG suggests about a day in summer and up to three in winter. If it comes back, it needs a visit.
Is dH on my LG refrigerator just a normal defrost notice?
No, LG uses dH to report that a defrost cycle ran out of time before the coil warmed up. It is a request for inspection, especially if it reappears after the unit has been running again.
Why does LG say a dH defrost takes longer in winter?
LG allows roughly a day in summer and up to three in winter for the ice to melt and the drain to clear with the doors open. A cold room simply melts the buildup more slowly, so keep valuable food somewhere cold meanwhile.

Back to your everyday

Still showing dH?

Book with the exact characters, the full model number, and whether it is still cooling — on a code, that is the whole starting point.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 681-4650
(844) 681-4650 Schedule a repair