Fridge freezer that doesn't

BogMonster · 07 June 2010, 00:26

Long shot but you never know what folks carrying hidden information lurk on forums... perhaps there is a freezer tech somewhere!

We have a Lec TF3604W fridge-freezer (free standing type about 6' tall) which is about three years old and has developed some sort of a problem. We normally have the fridge on 4 deg and the freezer on -25 deg (it has two separate temp settings on the panel) and it never moves off these temps, the other day I noticed it was up to about 7 and -15 and as it was very iced up in the freezer compartment I decided to defrost it very thoroughly so left it off all day and dried it right out. Now the bloody thing is struggling to hold minus anything on the freezer (managed to get -16 and is now warming up again currently only -9) and the fridge part is still on +17. It isn't a dodgy gauge as it feels like ambient temp in the fridge, it is definitely not being cooled at all. There is a compressor (or a motor of some sort) running in the guts of it and the side is getting slightly warm as it normally does but no coldness is appearing inside even with superfreeze switched on

Does anybody have any ideas about whether this is likely to be something simple or whether it is terminal? We live right out in the sticks so getting somebody to come out and look at it is likely to attract £££ even if they do nothing to it.

I'm a bit p^ssed off as it is only three years old and every other fridge and freezer I have ever owned is still going strong, my old freezer is 15 years old, the fridge freezer in the other house is about the same (bought second hand for £40 about six years ago) and I have an old fridge in the portakabin that is 20+ and still going strong, so for the newest and most expensive one to blow up is a PITA.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated - ta

neilda · 07 June 2010, 08:03

We had a freezer 're-charged' and a new compressor put on it recently, it was done under guarantee which doesn't really help in your quest for knowledge. However it was done in around 30 minutes....

Double check your paperwork (if you still have it), you might get lucky on the warranty, if not, I doubt it's going to be hideously expensive.

bazza · 07 June 2010, 08:36

Post your question here.

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums

chewy · 07 June 2010, 09:22

My freezer had a similar problem as the fan wasn't kicking in to keep it frost free. Turns out a circuit board had gone on it.
I ended up buying a new one.

Tim M · 07 June 2010, 09:37

I had a new compressor fitted and the system re gassed on a big old industrial ice-cream freezer I used to have. From memory cost me about £300. Worked wonderfully after that.

BogMonster · 07 June 2010, 10:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by chewy

My freezer had a similar problem as the fan wasn't kicking in to keep it frost free. Turns out a circuit board had gone on it.
I ended up buying a new one.

A new circuit board or a new freezer?

Ta for the answers, will see if I can get somebody to look at it while maintaining arms and legs in their current numbers. It's too new to dump unless its going to be a few hundred quid to fix it. This morning having sat in a pantry overnight while the heating has been off, it's managed to get to -20 and +11 but probably only because the room was cold - it does seem to be freezing (i.e. not a total gas loss) but just not properly.

I've registered on that forum just waiting for the activation email, ta for the link

willk · 07 June 2010, 12:19

I'm gonna go with gas on this guess!

In fact I'm going to go further out on the limb and guess a tiny leak on the low-pressure side of the system. When you switched her off, the gas equalised either side of the compressor and then the leak was on a "medium pressure" area with a hole and legged it.

If correct, you'll need a bloke who can pinpoint a refrigerant leak, braze it and refill with the APPROPRIATE gas (you'll be acutely aware of the ozone holey thing, way down there).

My second guess is crud in the inline gas filter/cleaner. If it's that, you may see condensation/icing on it during operation. Same cure, I'm afraid.

bazza · 07 June 2010, 15:53

I would say it's more electrical than system.
Dodgy thermostat or defrost sensor probably. If it's ran for 3 years without trouble then it's unlikely to be a system fault. Give the experts on the other forum a bit of time as most of them are working during the day and look at the posts in the evening.

Hightower · 07 June 2010, 17:10

Is it located inside or outside the main house? ie what is the ambient temp of the room it's in?

BogMonster · 07 June 2010, 21:33

Oddly, tonight it is back down to +4 on the fridge and -20 on the freezer, not quite target temp on the freezer compartment but getting close. Now I'm really confused

It's in the pantry, which is a little cooler than the rest of the house - probably about 15 degrees C or so during the day, and I would guess maybe drops to 10C at night.

willk · 07 June 2010, 21:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

Oddly, tonight it is back down to +4 on the fridge and -20 on the freezer, not quite target temp on the freezer compartment but getting close. Now I'm really confused

Ok so, I fold!

BogMonster · 08 June 2010, 00:28

I spoke too soon, now back up to +7 and -13.... grrrrr

markymarkP · 08 June 2010, 07:13

sounds like thermostat issue to me.

is the compressor: running and cutting out, or running all the time?

is the back condensor foil (on the rear of the fridge, usually grey in colour or black, big wire thing) covered in dirt/cobwebs and dust? if so, hover it off.

make sure there is enough clearence so its not touch the wall behind. to allow air flow.

put you hand on it, is it hot, warm or cold?

put your hand on the compressor, is it warm, hot or cold?

is there any oily residue on the floor at the back of the fridge, or seeping from the pipework?

answers on a postcard....

BogMonster · 08 June 2010, 11:05

Can't see any of the gubbins so it must be all inside the machine, the side of the fridge gets warm as it always has done, but that's all. The compressor runs pretty much continuously now.

markymarkP · 08 June 2010, 11:16

if it were the thermostat, and its running all the time, i would expect the fridge to be freezing stuff.

so from what you say, i suspect you have lost some gas from it. small leak somewhere.

you need an engineer. i would expect its running on 134a, so not expensive on gas, maybe as little as 1/2kg required.

however, a lot of these fridges are made from tissue paper type alloy pipes. so unless the hole is easily brasied, or plugged they are considered (tragically) as chuck away. even at three years old.

Shame your not closer, although not an engineer as such, i have worked on these for years, and still have the gas and so on.

willk · 08 June 2010, 11:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by markymarkP

so from what you say, i suspect you have lost some gas from it. small leak somewhere.

and I'm back in the game

Hightower · 08 June 2010, 17:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

Oddly, tonight it is back down to +4 on the fridge and -20 on the freezer, not quite target temp on the freezer compartment but getting close. Now I'm really confused

It's in the pantry, which is a little cooler than the rest of the house - probably about 15 degrees C or so during the day, and I would guess maybe drops to 10C at night.

The only reason I was asking about ambient temp is because fridge freezer operation gets unreliable the colder the room it's situated in. There are fridge freezers designed for colder climates and some that guarantee to freeze food in -10C. It seems funny doesn't it! But the Freezing process needs heat to work properly.

bazza · 08 June 2010, 18:02

The main reason for this is because most fridge freezers only have a thermostst in the fridge compartment. They are manufactured so as when the fridge is at 5oC then the freezer will be -18oC to -24oC.

However if the ambient temp was not high enough for the fridge to heat up then the thermostat would never switch on and the freezer would defrost.

.... and there ends today's lesson

Bigmuz7 · 08 June 2010, 20:44

Get it f*cked over the cliff and just put your beers in the sea

BogMonster · 08 June 2010, 21:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigmuz7

Get it f*cked over the cliff and just put your beers in the sea

It's too far to carry it to the cliff

and anyway the missus keeps green stuff in there which goes soggy in salt water, apparently.

I upped the freezer temp after reading the posts on the other forum and it seems to have settled at +4/-18 happily this evening so I don't know what to make of it, I would have thought if there was a leak the problem would get progressively worse rather than going up and down. I'll give it a few days and see what happens.