Freezer

[Robbo3]

Hotpoint FFA91P fridge freezer.
The freezer stopped getting cold enough - about minus 5. Everything seems to be working, eg fan blows cold air which circulates to the fridge.
Can't find anything other than generalisations on what the fault might be.
Any ideas?

 

[sunnybob]

If the fridge is working normally, then the only user available part is the thermostat. I dont know that model, it might even need an engineer to replace that. If the fridge has any age on it, buy another, because the service charge, parts, gas and call out is going to be in the low hundreds.

 

[AndyT]

There was a recent thread from Steve Maskrey about a fridge freezer problem. One point made in that discussion was that some better models have a switch to swap between settings for use in a warm kitchen or an unheated garage.
If your problem has suddenly started it's worth checking a) whether yours has a switch and b) whether it's been knocked into the wrong position.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I know that fridges (and I presume freezers) use a specific formulation of refrigerant chemical depending on the expected ambient temperature range in service (to maximise efficiency and get their 'A' rating or whatever). I suspect that it is the specific formulation of refrigerant chemicals which governs the feasible (and most efficient) operating temperature range - which is, I believe, why some freezers are explicitly not rated for use in an unheated space like a garage.

If your machine has suddenly stopped working, and the ambient temperature range hasn't changed substantially, the obvious first thing to check, as SunnyBob mentions, is the thermostat - the setting on the one in our fridge gets fiddled with once in a while! - and that it's working correctly.

Cheers, W2S

 

[mbartlett99]

Bring the thermostat to warmest then bring it slowly down to coolest - can you hear the compressor (not the fan) kick in. If it does then the thermostat is ok. Providing the ambient temp is normal the next thing you can do is hoover the coils on the back (its a stretch but if they're very very dusty) apart from that it sounds like a regas.

 

[Racers]

Our fridge freezer ices up it’s meant to be frost free but it isn’t.
I have to undo the cover at the back and melt the ice off the cooling fins with a hair dryer.
It’s worth taking a look to see if yours is blocked.

Pete

 

[hawkeyefxr]

If you have jut one compressor in your fridge freezer then this does both fridge and freezer it will do both fridge and freezer, it's done by small capillary tubes, it will do the freezer first then the fridge. The way refrigerant gas works is that it is pumped at high pressure in liquid form through the first capillary this gives you a very cold temperature It will then go on to the second capillary which will have the thermostat controller keeping the fridge a +3c.
The freezer should be down to -23c this let you food be kept long, -5c is not good enough.
If there is a refrigerant has leak this will greatly affect the running temperatures. Leaks can be fixed bit generally getting a engineer to do this work will be expensive and the electric motor may be damaged from running with to low amount of gas in the system.
If you are icing up badly in the freezer the door may not be sealing, this allows ambiant air in, loaded with moisture which then promptly freezes on contact with the cooler at the back.
The fridge side can also have freezing problems mainly caused by the kids standing there with the door open arguing about what they want.

Get a new one

 

[Lons]

Ours started acting up last week, It's a Beko frost free and while the freezer was fine the fridge was freezing, luckily it's mostly my beer fridge and the alcohol was OK It was new in 2010 btw.

What I thought would be a standard thermostat within the fridge light enclosure was actually a small PCB so I ordered a replacement from a company on ebay and got it next day delivery. Didn't work but I also knew that many modern fridge freezers also have a main PCB on the back of the fridge so ordered that and voila now works perfectly. Just a couple of minutes to change and for a small cost. The guy selling the parts told me they should normally be changed together as if one blows it often damages the other as well.
Definitely worth checking if yours is like that as symptoms can be not cooling as well as over cooling. It will be a removable cover or panel on the back.

These are what I bought for a total £35 instead of £75 call out plus parts or £400 for a new fridge freezer.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BEKO-FRIDGE- ... 2749.l2649

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-BEKO ... SwQItUDWhc

Years ago I changed the normal type of thermostat on our kitchen fridge and it was a bit more fiddly as the sensor and wire needed to be fed through bu not difficult and only cost about £6 at the time. Still going strong to this day.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The freezer should be down to -23c ...

Even for commercial freezers the recommended temp. is - 18c.

 

[Robbo3]

Thanks for the input gents (& ladies?).
One compressor.
Rear fins clean & internal fins not iced up.
PCB next to check if I can find a replacement.