Fridge problems

I am sure someone will be able to offer some useful thoughts...

We have had our fridge for about 6 years - its the variety that 'self defrosts' so you don't have to go through that old rigmarole of stopping it and removing the caked on ice. Except that it doesn't do anything of the sort - for the third time in as many months, I have had to attack the inch or so thick layer of ice on the back wall with a heat gun and a spatula.

Apart from the irritation and having to deal with a full sink of ice, we are working our way through spatulas as I chip away at the ice.

Sooooooo.....any thoughts on what may be wrong - I have a suspicion that my wife is over filling it but you didn't hear me say that!

The obvious things seem to be ok - door fits, drain hole at the back is ok, food remains cool (icy if its touching the back wall!). Our climate is very dry, low humidity and there seems to be no connection with the weather at all.

It seems to be getting worse - but we have only been in the house for less than a year so I am not sure if its this environment, more food being bought, or a general and steady failure...

Your thoughts (especially the learned ones) gratefully received.

Simon

Wikipedia explains how these work. From that it seems likely that either the small heater element or its controller has failed.

Not sure if its the same problem that I had but ours (a Fridge/Freezer) stopped defrosting which turned out to be an air circulating fan that had seized. The fan was located behind the rear panel of the freezer compartment.

Another point I should mention is that contents of the fridge are not meant to be in contact with the back of the compartment. Its in BOLD type in several places in our handbook.

Ian P

Has the thermostat sensor become unclipped from it's home?

It could be a couple of things, the phial on the end of the thermostat capillary tube has become detached as Dave points above, the thermostat is faulty, the type of fridge were the panel at the back can be seen to frost up and defrost and runs down to a drain at the bottom depends on the differential of the stat between cutting the compressor out and it restarting, it will not have a heater for defrosting, it cuts out below freezing point where the stat phial is attached and will start up again at some point above freezing so that any frost will have thawed and the phial has warmed.

It could also be loss of refrigerant, some loss will still allow it to freeze on the panel but not reach the stat phial which is usually at the last section, if you find where the phial is attached and seeif it is freezing at that point. If it is not it will never cut out. If it is short of gas what is left in will be running at a colder temperature than normal causing more frost than usual.

It is usually better to have the fridge full than empty as there is less air changed when the door is opened, and there will be less heat going, in unless your wife is putting a lot of very warm food in.

Listen for the compressor cutting in and out, if it just running continuous it will never defrost, that could be asymptom of being short of gas or a faulty stat.

One of the above learned suggestions being duff will certainly cause ice build up, faulty defrost heater is the most likely or the displaced thermostat phial, then faulty/stuck thermostat, too full is the cheapest possibility and the most obvious to diagnose (also cheaper just to buy less food).

Loss of refrigerant least likely on my list, dry and low humidity is a bonus as less moisture in the air to freeze.

Door, sorry you checked that first.

Hi Simon.

Another possibility is the pipe through which the water that is formed inside exhaust to the outside, to be evaporated, to be clogged. It has happened to me.

Best regards
Dias Costa

Hum,

I responded to this already but it seems to have disappeared into the ether...

Anyway, prompted by the comments about fans, I opened the freezer and discovered that the fan is functioning. However prising the cover off the fan in the fridge revealed a stationary fan - and this blows (sucks?) down a 100mm or so wide plastic cover that runs down the back wall of the fridge - which was as iced up as the rest of the back wall.

Not had an opportunity to absolutely confirm its not working but this looks like the fault - now the next problem is the root cause...whatever kicks the fan on if the fan itself is operational

I don't think the thermostat is failing since food is kept cool and the drains are clean (ish!) and unblocked - I had this problem in the past as well.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

Hi

Would it happen to be a Hotpoint Fridge Freezer with the fridge on top above the freezer by any chance?

regards

Steve

Had a similar problem a while ago with a big American type Samsung fridge freezer and a quick google showed that it wasn't just me.

Went onto You tube and found a video put there by a company that sold the repair kits on how to strip and replace. Bought the kit, fitted it and never looked back.

Depending on make Google and You Tube are your friends. I would never ask this question on a forum like this as from previous replies everyone is guessing. Mind you if you have named the make and model it would have helped.

Had a problem with a Miele fridge freezer but the symptoms were slightly different, the fridge was too warm, when the service guy came as it was under warranty he found the duct in the freezer where the fridge fan pulled the cool air from was iced up so could not pass air to fridge. Repair was to replace the sensors and control board, no testing just replace all possible parts, sounds like Johns solution is of a similar nature, just change everything which isn't actually very much.

Mike

'Stationary fan'?

Obviously there could be two reasons for this, it might be in meant to be off (not powered) or if it has power, the motor might be faulty.

Our fridge/freezer had a stationary fan. I found that it had power feeding it and it did not appear to be seized, I could turn it easily with my fingers and it only had a very slight drag. However the motor only is only very low power and it has so little starting torque it could not even overcome the smallest resistance.

Ian P

High humidity meant Ours did not have time to defrost the fan in the back, everything slowly turned to a block of ice.

I bought a auto defrost freezer in a moment of madness and had trouble from the get go.

It kept icing up and would not defrost.

I had three guys out to look at it, the first two faffed about but didn't fix it,

the third chap took one look at it , said " these auto freezers are useless, I would never buy one, the trouble is the drain pipe hole is too high"

he tipped it backwards, lowered the front feet so it was leaning back a few degrees and it's worked ever since.

Go figure.

Roy.