On-again, off-again.
This is worse than my last relationship!
Anyway, we can’t mend a broken heart…
But we can fix a broken TV.
And this is how…
Keep reading to discover:
- What’s firmware, and how it can turn your TV off.
- Why power cycling your TV fixes almost all of its problems.
- How to free up space for your TV so it can’t shut your TV down.
- And so much more…
Why does my LG TV keep turning off?
Your LG TV keeps turning off because of a problem with its power management. If not, it’s most likely because of settings like a set timer. Full memory space is also enough to force a reboot of your TV. Outdated firmware can also turn your LG TV off.
LG TV keeps turning off: 9 ways to fix it
#1: Memory overload fix
Your smart TV has a limited amount of storage.
When you’re nearing this limit or surpassing it, your TV can turn off by itself.
To avoid memory overload, you’ll need to create space on your TV.
You can do this by either clearing cache or deleting apps.
Clear cache on web browser
- Go to the web browser on your LG TV.
- Select ‘Menu’.
- Press ‘Settings’.
- Toggle ‘Private Browsing’ on.
- Next, press ‘Clear Browsing Data’.
- Press ‘OK’.
Delete apps
- Press the ‘Home’ button on your remote.
- Go to the app you want to delete.
- On your navigational button pad, press ‘Up’.
- Press ‘X’ if you want to delete the app.
- Confirm your action by pressing ‘OK’ and then ‘Yes’.
#2: Edit timer settings
LG TVs have a timer setting. This enables your TV to turn on or off by itself by setting a timer.
If you have this enabled for some reason, you can easily turn the timer off using your remote.
But first, you need to disable ‘Store Mode’ on your TV.
Before buying your TV, it needs to be put on ‘Store Mode’ so that it can factory reset after every reboot.
Manufacturers do this to ensure that it remains swift and clear while it’s on display at the store.
However, this also means that your TV can’t save any changes to its settings.
To enable ‘Home Mode’, you should:
- Go to your ‘Settings’.
- Select ‘General’.
- Press ‘TV’.
- Under ‘Home/Store Mode’, choose ‘Home Mode’.
Once that’s done, you can proceed to turn off your timers.
Older models
- Press the ‘Smart’ or ‘Home’ button on your remote.
- Go to ‘Settings’.
- Choose ‘Time’.
- Select ‘Off Time’ and ‘Sleep Timer’, and turn them both off.
Newer models
- Go to ‘All Settings’.
- Select ‘General’.
- Press ‘System’.
- Under ‘Time & Timers’, go to ‘Timers’.
- Select ‘Power Off Timer’, and turn it off.
#3: Fix power issues
When a TV turns off by itself, chances are it’s receiving too much or too little power.
Usually, this problem can stem from 3 different sources. These are your power source, your cord, or your power board.
Power source
Do you have a surge protector?
If so, your problem may be that it’s giving too much power to your TV.
Surge protectors are power strips that are designed to fight a power surge.
But, when it’s broken, it can have the opposite effect.
Instead of removing excess power, it can direct more power from the outlet to your device.
When this happens, you can either buy a replacement surge protector.
Or just plug your TV directly into the outlet.
Power cord
If you happen to live in a house with pets or with rodents, don’t be shocked if your cord is suddenly exposed.
Don’t panic. A broken cord is the easiest part of your TV to fix.
You can always buy a replacement cord or, if you’re stingy like me, simply splice your old cord.
Step 1: Find the broken part of your cord.
Step 2: Measure one inch from both the left and the right part of the damaged cord:
- Cut the measured parts.
- Unsheath the main wire one inch in. There should be 2 to 4 smaller wires inside.
- Repeat step #4 for the smaller wires.
- Using their color as a reference, partner the wires over a heat shrink tubing.
- Bind the wires by blowing hot air over the tubing using a heat gun.
- Repeat steps #6 and #7 for the main wire.
- To make sure that the bind holds, put an electrical tape at each end of the tubing.
Power board
Most likely, if both the source and cord are okay, the problem is your power board.
Your power board is responsible for distributing electricity throughout your system.
Due to frequent use or age, capacitors on your power board can start leaking.
If this is the case, you have no choice but to replace your power board. And here’s how to do so:
Step 1: Unplug your cord from both the TV and the outlet.
Step 2: Leave it alone for a minute then remove the back of your TV:
- Find the reference model number of your power board.
- Buy a replacement board that is compatible with your TV.
- Unscrew your power board.
- Place the new power board where the old one was.
- Put everything back together.
You might also be interested in: Why Is My TV Screen White? 5 Causes & Fixes
#4: Power cycle your TV
Glitches and internal errors happen all the time. Even when you don’t notice it.
Sometimes, a process on your TV can get stuck, causing it to turn off unexpectedly.
The most common solution is to turn it off and on again.
However, a simple restart won’t do the trick.
You have to power cycle your TV:
- Unplug the TV from your outlet.
- Leave it out for 60 seconds.
- Plug it back in.
#5: Factory reset your TV
Perhaps there’s a setting on your TV that interferes with the booting process.
But you just can’t figure out which one.
When power cycling doesn’t do the trick, it’s better to give your TV a clean slate.
How?
By resetting it to its factory settings.
Warning: A factory reset will remove all changes you’ve done to your software. Do this at your own risk.
- Press the ‘Smart’ button on your remote.
- Click the gear icon on the top-left.
- Go to ‘General’.
- Select ‘Reset to Initial Settings’.
#6: Clean air ventilation
According to experts, electronics attract dust particles because they create a static charge around themselves.
And your TV is not immune to this.
While you may notice dust more on your screen, it’s actually at the back of your TV where most of it resides.
And years worth of dust can block your TV’s ventilation.
Not enough to break it fully, but enough to turn it off by overheating.
Note: Do not use any form of liquid in cleaning your TV.
And for more guidance, here’s how to clean your TV’s air vent properly:
- Turn off your TV.
- Wait for everything to cool down for about 15 minutes.
- Locate your TV’s air vents. This should be a small exposed area at the back of your TV.
- Using a shop vacuum, clean all dust and dirt from your air vents.
#7: Update firmware
Think of firmware as your TV’s instruction manual for itself.
It tells your hardware what to do and when to do it.
But, sometimes, your TV can receive bad instructions or no instruction at all.
And if you have faulty or outdated firmware, it can sometimes tell your TV to turn itself off.
You can update modern LG TVs either by their settings menu or a flash drive.
Via settings
To update firmware using your settings menu, you should:
Step 1: Press the ‘Home’ button on your TV:
- Select ‘All Settings’.
- Scroll down to ‘General’.
- Go to ‘About this TV’.
- Toggle ‘Allow Automatic Updates’ on so that it can update by itself.
- If you want to do this manually, select ‘Check for Updates’.
- If an update is available, press ‘Yes’.
Via flash drive
This is how you can update your firmware using a flash drive:
Step 1: Using a laptop or a desktop, go to LG’s ‘Support Home Page’. This page differs depending on which region you’re in:
- Look for your TV’s model number and input it in the search box.
- Choose your TV from the dropdown menu.
- Once finished downloading, go to the file.
- Right-click and select ‘Extract All’.
- On your flash drive, create an empty folder called ‘LG_DTV’.
- Paste your extracted file into that folder.
- Plug the flash drive into your LG TV.
- Open the TV. There should be a prompt here asking you if you want to update your TV.
- Select ‘OK’.
For the visual learners out there, you can also watch this video for a clearer demonstration:
#8: Let it rest
Have you been watching for a long time?
If so, your eyes need rest…
And so does your TV.
When your TV is open for a long time, it tends to overheat.
You can remedy this by simply letting your TV rest for a couple of hours.
Furthermore, you can also prevent overheating by:
- Remove external heat sources.
- Don’t use it at 100% brightness.
- Place it away from a window to avoid sunlight.
- Improve its airflow by placing it away from a wall.
#9: Contact LG support
If you’re having trouble fixing your own TV, you’re not alone.
Under these circumstances, it’s best just to contact LG’s customer service.