(UK) Whirlpool FF NOT cooling fridge - over-Freezing freezer

[cdg]

Hello,

I have a four year old Whirlpool FF which was not used for the first 2 years.

It worked fine (apart from gurgling a lot and forming a bit of an airloc in the fridge making it difficult to open soon after closing!) until just shortly after fully defrosting it a few weeks back, it then started to get warmer in the fridge compartment.

Having a fridge thermometer I noticed it was too high so measured the freezer temp and this was well below what it should be (about -24). I increased(?) the thermostat but the fridge temp continued to rise while the freezer went to more than -30.

The stat was now on max. A local firm recommended rebooting(!) the FF so we did. Afterwards, there was no cooling going on in the fridge yet the freezer was still super freezing.

The FF is kept in the (usually pretty warm) kitchen and I haven't noticed any leaks from the FF.

Any FF experts with any ideas? We've been without a fridge for weeks now and it will only stay cold in our garage for so long now Spring is upon us!

Thanks in advance,
CDG

 

[racket]

Is the FF a frost free type? or is there a plate at the back of the fridge that gets frost on it, or is sometimes wet?

 

[cdg]

Hi Racket

It's not the frost free type, it occasionally got wet on the interior back panel (not a plate as such) of the fridge compartment. There is also no fan in the fridge so nothing to go wrong there.

Tried it again last night, the compressor works and it efficiently freezes the freezer comp. - albeit the fridge is a nice warm cabinet! Couldn't notice anything untoward going on around the back.

 

[Sleepyhead]

Either a blockage in the system or short of gas.

 

[cdg]

Interesting. Repairable? Worth regassing or too expensive while out of warranty?

 

[Sleepyhead]

Blockage = possibly repairable.
Short on gas = repairable.
As to cost you'll have to discuss that with your local repairer. They'll also be able to give a definite answer as to the cause.

 

[racket]

Blockage unlikely as the freezer is working. It's short of gas, there is enough gas to do the freezer first but not enough for the fridge.

Cheers

 

[cdg]

I'm convinced! One last thing - since the problem, whether the freezer is set to 1 or 5, the freezer temp drops off the scale (which goes to -35ish). Would the gas situation explain this? Who's best to regas, Whirlpool or A.N. Other?

 

[JohnD]

Get some prices first. My chum in the a/c and commercial refrigeration trade tells me that because domestic appliances are sealed after build, they're unlilkely to leak, but also uneconomic to repair if they do.

He also opines that after you've opened up a system once, it is much more likely to go wrong again.

 

[racket]

The thermostat operates from the fridge temperature, so because the fridge isn't getting cold the thermostat will keep calling for cooling, so the compressor keeps running and the freezer keeps freezing, hence your
-35 degrees

Personally I wouldn't repair it

 

[cdg]

I was beginning to think along those lines. The FF is only 2 years old but it sort of came with the house. Think I'll go for a Miele!

 

[racket]

If you want my advice, stay away from "frost free", too many parts to go wrong.

 

[cdg]

You ARE not serious are you?

I was thinking of: Miele 8462

Opinion?

 

[racket]

Nice fridge and comes with a 2 year guarantee. My only opinion is that there are more things to go wrong ie: electronic boards, fan motors, heaters, and sensors, the non frost free just have a compressor and a thermostat anyway that's only my opinion I've only been fixing them for 20 years

 

[cdg]

You've been really helpful and I appreciate it. The missus has her heart set on the Miele though! The only reason this current one seems to have gone wrong is because we were defrosting it so that if this is frost free maybe we'll be luckier.

I'll strike a deal and let you know in 20 years

Thanks again.