I looked into having a new compressor fitted to my freezer. The cost was simply not worth it, the compressor would cost 2/3rds price of freezer and then it needed fitting so likely cost more to repair than buy new.
There are in the main three sections to a freezer or fridge/freezer. One the compressor, two the defrost heater, three the control circuits. When either the heater or control go it may stop the unit working and may trip a RCD but unlikely to blow the fuse. Even a stalled motor unlikely on it's own to blow a 13A fuse but could blow a 5A fuse.
The units are improving and today they use less power than 5 years ago although never worth changing just because new ones use less power. The stall problem which was linked to is more of a problem where there is a volt drop. As a result most manufacturers say don't use an extension lead with refrigeration devices. However this has also improved with the use of inverter control and three phase motors the start amps is really reduced and the guarantee period on motor and inverter has gone from around 3 years to 10 years although the rest of the fridge/freezer is not guaranteed for that long. Also new fridge/freezers have solenoids which control fridge and freezer independent even allowing a holiday mode when fridge temperature is allowed to raise to around 12°C seems they assume fridge is empty when you go on holiday clearly they have not met my wife! But it does again mean it uses less power freezer held at -18°C freezing point of brine and fridge at 5°C rather than simply using a percentage of the freeze power to the fridge.
The problem when a freezer motor fails rather than simply a power failure is the heat cycle for de-frost is still active. So the idea that door closed it will keep food frozen for 8 hours does not work the de-frost heater starts to cook the food. Motor failure often means food completely defrosted in 4 hours, I found this when mine failed had a spare freezer and waited for it's temperature to drop first when I came to transfer food stuff at top had de-frosted.
I had two go within the year. First my fridge/freezer which was insured so simply called the insurance when the light started to flash when door opened and the motor could be heard to be trying to start again and again although it would in the end run and nothing de-frosted. When guy from Hoover arrived he condemned the unit he said the build up of ice in the fridge compartment showed the insulation had gone and that was beyond economic repair so I moved it to garage to brew beer in and new fridge/freezer was bought with large fridge but small freezer as we had a second freezer so did not need large freezer compartment. Then the freezer motor went I could hear it was faulty no need to investigate. So temporary the old fridge/freezer was pressed back into service this time total bill for new one was mine. Since the fridge/freezer had a small freezer a replacement freezer was required. In both cases a inverter drive was used with replacements having a 10 year guarantee on motor and drive.
When this happened I looked hard at freezers and I found there was a huge difference between frost free and standard types. With frost free the active parts are behind a panel and a fan circulates the cold air when in freezer mode but not when in defrost mode. This means the freezer compartment is all at the same temperature and it will freeze food far faster than non frost free and draws can be removed to accommodate the Christmas turkey if required. Also draws tend to be deeper than non frost free. The non frost free has the active parts between each draw so removing a draw does not give extra room and food temperature can vary through the freezer. It's not as simple as just being frost free.
Getting frost free freezer is a problem as only the larger units tend to be frost free there was one odd Turkish manufacturer who made small ones but it was that make which had failed on us.
It seems we have something called "standard annual energy consumption (SAEc)" which is odd since today nothing using that much power is allowed to be sold unless duel power gas/electric or 12 volt powered. I used Java Script to work out energy ratings
here and it was found that all freezers and fridges are not compared using the same standard chest, fridge/freezer, freezer, fridge all have different allowance and also climate alters the allowance.
So an American fridge freezer may not actually be allowed to be offered for sale in UK if it were rated at climate class required for UK they only get away with it because climate class is +16 ~ +43°C given the letter T. Built in do not have to be as efficient as non built in and it would seem to get the A++ rating the smaller the freezer the easier it is. So fridge/freezers tend today to have small freezers. Getting two matching units which can be placed side by side like an American fridge/freezer gets around the problem in complying with the required A++ ratting. What I am saying the rating system is only any good comparing like for like and better to use kWh/annum ratting and forget any A++ or A+++ rating.
