I have had my Beko FN240 fridge freezer for 6 years now and the fridge stopped working the other day. we replaced the thermostat but it still does not work, although the freezer is working fine. Has anyone any suggestions as to what may be wrong or do you think we will have to buy a new one? Thanks
Beko FN240 fridge freezer- fridge not working
- Thread starter alimeg
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If it's lost gas you need an engineer to repair the leak (which he won't find) then regas it, then the gas will only leak out again after a period of time and your back to square one 
You will find that the freezer will pack in soon also
You will find that the freezer will pack in soon also Sponsored Links
Could a leak of been caused by an egg box being stuck to back of fridge and me pulling it off? Hope I dont sound too stupid but I obviously haven't got a clue about this type of thing!!! A friend also suggested emptying fridge and freezer and turning it upside down to see if gas will move back to fridge?? What do you think? Cheers
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Alimeg:
I'm familiar with the kind of frost free fridges we have here in North America, but yours may or may not be different. Also, we don't have Beko fridges here, so I'm not sure if yours is a manual defrost fridge or a frost free fridge.
However, I wrote up the following post on a board I used to post on, and kept a copy on my hard drive. I offer it here to see if it helps you, as a self confessed total newbie at fridge repairs, to better diagnose the problem. I apologize if it's a little long and a little simplistic, but it's intended for people who know nothing about frost free fridges:
What every owner of a frost free fridge should know:
The way to tell the difference between a frost free fridge and a manual defrost fridge is that a frost free fridge will have separate freezer and fresh food compartments, whereas a manual defrost fridge will have a freezer box at the top of the fresh food compartment.
The fundamental difference between a "frost free" fridge and a manual defrost fridge is that a frost free fridge has an automatic method of defrosting itself.
In a manual defrost fridge the refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat as it flows through the channels molded right into the evaporator box at the top of the fresh food compartment. Since the refrigerant is evaporating in those molded channels, the evaporator box will be the coldest thing in a manual defrost fridge, and that is where frost will accumulate.
In a frost free fridge, there will be an evaporator coil which is hidden out of sight where the freon evaporates, and a fan which sucks air through that evaporator coil and blows most of it into the freezer compartment, and some of it into the fresh food compartment. In a frost free fridge, frost accumulates on that evaporator coil, and so a frost free fridge MUST also have a way of automatically defrosting that evaporator coil.
This "automatic defrost system" consists of three components: the defrost timer, the defrost heater and the defrost thermostat. These three components work together to melt the frost off the evaporator coils. The liquid refrigerant evaporates inside of those evaporator coils and absorbs heat as it does. A fan inside the fridge drives two air currents inside the fridge; the strongest air flow will circulate through the freezer compartment, and a weaker air flow will circulate through the fresh food section of the fridge. Both air currents will be cooled by the same evaporator coil and will be driven by the same fan. The reason why the freezer compartment gets colder than the fresh food section is that it has more cold air flow through it.
Every time you open the door of the fresh food compartment or freezer compartment of your fridge, you let some cold dry air out of your fridge and some warm moist air in. The moisture in the air you let in is what causes frost to form on the freezer compartment of a manual defrost fridge or the evaporator coils of a frost free fridge. Ice and frost forming on the evaporator coils of a frost free fridge reduce the efficiency of the fridge because they act as insulation and prevent heat transfer between the coils and the circulating air, and they also reduce air flow through the coils.
Let's look at each of the three components in the automatic defrosting
system of a typical frost free fridge:
1. THE DEFROST TIMER:
Just like you have a timer in a dish washer that controls the valves and motors at each stage of the dish washing cycle, every frost free fridge will have a defrost timer. The defrost timer in a frost free fridge is much simpler than the timers in washing machines or dish washers because there are fewer things in a frost free fridge for the timer to control. The defrost timer's job is to shut off the fridges compressor and evaporator fan for about 20 to 35 minutes every 8 to 12 hours and divert the power to the defrost heater instead.
2. THE DEFROST HEATER:
The defrost heater is just an electric coil heater that's positioned close
to the evaporator coils so the radiant heat melts the frost off the evaporator coils. The melt water then drips down and is carried by a sloping drip pan to a drain. A rubber hose usually running along the back of the fridge carries this melt water down into a receiving pan sitting on top of the usually warm compressor motor. The water is then re-evaporated back into the room by the waste heat from the compressor. You can redirect this melt water into a drain and use your frost free fridge to dehumidify your house a little.
3. THE DEFROST THERMOSTAT:
Once the frost is all melted off the evaporator coils, continued heating
results in a rapid rise in temperature in the vicinity of the evaporator coils. The job of the defrost thermostat is to detect that temperature rise and break the circuit to the defrost heater, thereby preventing further heating and possible damage to the plastic and foam parts near it. (This is normally accomplished by simply wiring the defrost thermostat in series with the defrost heater.) Once the defrost thermostat breaks the circuit to the defrost heater, the fridge will then just sit and do nothing until the end of the defrost cycle when the defrost timer shuts off power to the defrost circuit and restores power to the compressor and fan once again.
So, typically, both the evaporator fan and the compressor motor will both be running or both be not running at the same time. If the compressor is running, but you don't detect any breeze whatsoever in the freezer compartment with your hand (or by the smoke rising from a lit cigarette or piece of string), then it indicates a problem with the fan not operating, and therefore no cold air being blown into the freezer and fresh food compartments.
Similarily, if the evaporator fan is blowing air, but the compressor is not running, it could be a problem with the compressor motor, perhaps the starting relay which starts the compressor motor, or the start or run capacitors (which are required for the compressor motor to start).
If both the compressor and the evaporator fan have both decided to stop working at the same time, then there's a good liklihood that the defrost timer is simply stuck in the defrost mode.
Normally the defrost timer will be located behind a removable panel
somewhere in the fresh food compartment. You can identify the defrost timer because it will have a plastic shaft that's designed to be turned in one direction only.
Defrost timers will have the output shaft exposed so that if you mark the position of the shaft on the timer, you can check it an hour or two later to confirm that the timer shaft is turning. Also, having the output shaft of the timer exposed allows an appliance repairman to manually advance the defrost timer to check the operation of the defrost heater and thermostat. This is normally done by turning the output shaft of the defrost timer with a screw driver, but since you can damage the timer by turning it backwards the screwdriver slot will be designed in such a way that the shaft can only be turned in one direction with a screw driver.
Now, if you ever notice that your frost free fridge has suddenly stopped working completely, it can be because the defrost timer is stuck in the defrost mode. If you know where the defrost timer is on your model of fridge, try advancing the defrost timer manually with a screw driver. Turn the output shaft of the defrost timer one full turn, and if you hear a "click" and the fridge comes back to life, then the problem was that the defrost timer was stuck in the defrost mode. That tells you it's time to replace your defrost timer.
On the other hand, if the defrost timer is stuck in the "run" mode or the defrost heater isn't working, the usual result will be frost forming around the cold air vents in the freezer compartment. In that case, advance the defrost timer until the compressor and fan shut off, indicating that the defrost timer is now diverting power to the defrost heater instead. Try manually advancing the defrost timer to perform several defrost cycles in a row to melt the accumulated frost. If doing that doesn't help, then the defrost heater is probably not working and needs to be replaced.
Normally, a repairman will also replace the defrost thermostat at the same time as he replaces the defrost heater because the cost of the thermostat is only 2 or 3 dollars. So, replaceing the defrost thermostat at the same time as the defrost heater is mostly a matter of practicing good preventative maintenance more than anything else.
Finally, if you ever see water dripping from the roof of the fresh food
compartment of your frost free fridge, the problem is that the melt water from the defrost cycle isn't draining away. Most often the problem here is that dirt has clogged the drain hole in the drip pan under the evaporator coils. There will normally be a cover of some type in the freezer compartment of your fridge. Removing that cover exposes the fan and evaporator coil (which is easily damaged because of all the thin aluminum fins covering it's surface). By poking a flexible (stranded) wire into the drain hole of the drip pan under the evaporator coil, you can usually unclog the drain hole and allow the melt water to drain away as it should.
IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE, READ THE NUMBERED PARAGRAPHS BELOW:
So, if you come home from work on a friday afternoon and discover your fridge has decided to go on strike, proceed as follows:
0. If it's winter, store the perishibles in the trunk of your car to keep them
frozen. Keep the fridge door closed as much as possible to keep the interior of the fridge cold.
1. Does the fridge light come on when you open the door? If not, then the fridge isn't getting power.
2. If there's power to the fridge, listen to see if the compressor is running at all.
3. If the compressor is running, try to detect a breeze in the freezer
compartment. If there's no breeze, the problem is that the fan isn't turning.
4. If the compressor isn't running, but the fan is, then the problem is most
likely the compressor's start relay or something called the "start capacitor" or the "run capacitor".
5. If neither the compressor nor fan are running, then the prime suspect is the defrost timer. Advance the defrost timer manually by turning the output shaft with a screw driver.
6. If the fridge doesn't spring to life after turning the defrost timer output shaft a full turn, then you've covered 90 percent of the most common problems, and it's time to call a repairman.
IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE, READ THE ABOVE NUMBERED PARAGRAPHS.
I'm familiar with the kind of frost free fridges we have here in North America, but yours may or may not be different. Also, we don't have Beko fridges here, so I'm not sure if yours is a manual defrost fridge or a frost free fridge.
However, I wrote up the following post on a board I used to post on, and kept a copy on my hard drive. I offer it here to see if it helps you, as a self confessed total newbie at fridge repairs, to better diagnose the problem. I apologize if it's a little long and a little simplistic, but it's intended for people who know nothing about frost free fridges:
What every owner of a frost free fridge should know:
The way to tell the difference between a frost free fridge and a manual defrost fridge is that a frost free fridge will have separate freezer and fresh food compartments, whereas a manual defrost fridge will have a freezer box at the top of the fresh food compartment.
The fundamental difference between a "frost free" fridge and a manual defrost fridge is that a frost free fridge has an automatic method of defrosting itself.
In a manual defrost fridge the refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat as it flows through the channels molded right into the evaporator box at the top of the fresh food compartment. Since the refrigerant is evaporating in those molded channels, the evaporator box will be the coldest thing in a manual defrost fridge, and that is where frost will accumulate.
In a frost free fridge, there will be an evaporator coil which is hidden out of sight where the freon evaporates, and a fan which sucks air through that evaporator coil and blows most of it into the freezer compartment, and some of it into the fresh food compartment. In a frost free fridge, frost accumulates on that evaporator coil, and so a frost free fridge MUST also have a way of automatically defrosting that evaporator coil.
This "automatic defrost system" consists of three components: the defrost timer, the defrost heater and the defrost thermostat. These three components work together to melt the frost off the evaporator coils. The liquid refrigerant evaporates inside of those evaporator coils and absorbs heat as it does. A fan inside the fridge drives two air currents inside the fridge; the strongest air flow will circulate through the freezer compartment, and a weaker air flow will circulate through the fresh food section of the fridge. Both air currents will be cooled by the same evaporator coil and will be driven by the same fan. The reason why the freezer compartment gets colder than the fresh food section is that it has more cold air flow through it.
Every time you open the door of the fresh food compartment or freezer compartment of your fridge, you let some cold dry air out of your fridge and some warm moist air in. The moisture in the air you let in is what causes frost to form on the freezer compartment of a manual defrost fridge or the evaporator coils of a frost free fridge. Ice and frost forming on the evaporator coils of a frost free fridge reduce the efficiency of the fridge because they act as insulation and prevent heat transfer between the coils and the circulating air, and they also reduce air flow through the coils.
Let's look at each of the three components in the automatic defrosting
system of a typical frost free fridge:
1. THE DEFROST TIMER:
Just like you have a timer in a dish washer that controls the valves and motors at each stage of the dish washing cycle, every frost free fridge will have a defrost timer. The defrost timer in a frost free fridge is much simpler than the timers in washing machines or dish washers because there are fewer things in a frost free fridge for the timer to control. The defrost timer's job is to shut off the fridges compressor and evaporator fan for about 20 to 35 minutes every 8 to 12 hours and divert the power to the defrost heater instead.
2. THE DEFROST HEATER:
The defrost heater is just an electric coil heater that's positioned close
to the evaporator coils so the radiant heat melts the frost off the evaporator coils. The melt water then drips down and is carried by a sloping drip pan to a drain. A rubber hose usually running along the back of the fridge carries this melt water down into a receiving pan sitting on top of the usually warm compressor motor. The water is then re-evaporated back into the room by the waste heat from the compressor. You can redirect this melt water into a drain and use your frost free fridge to dehumidify your house a little.
3. THE DEFROST THERMOSTAT:
Once the frost is all melted off the evaporator coils, continued heating
results in a rapid rise in temperature in the vicinity of the evaporator coils. The job of the defrost thermostat is to detect that temperature rise and break the circuit to the defrost heater, thereby preventing further heating and possible damage to the plastic and foam parts near it. (This is normally accomplished by simply wiring the defrost thermostat in series with the defrost heater.) Once the defrost thermostat breaks the circuit to the defrost heater, the fridge will then just sit and do nothing until the end of the defrost cycle when the defrost timer shuts off power to the defrost circuit and restores power to the compressor and fan once again.
So, typically, both the evaporator fan and the compressor motor will both be running or both be not running at the same time. If the compressor is running, but you don't detect any breeze whatsoever in the freezer compartment with your hand (or by the smoke rising from a lit cigarette or piece of string), then it indicates a problem with the fan not operating, and therefore no cold air being blown into the freezer and fresh food compartments.
Similarily, if the evaporator fan is blowing air, but the compressor is not running, it could be a problem with the compressor motor, perhaps the starting relay which starts the compressor motor, or the start or run capacitors (which are required for the compressor motor to start).
If both the compressor and the evaporator fan have both decided to stop working at the same time, then there's a good liklihood that the defrost timer is simply stuck in the defrost mode.
Normally the defrost timer will be located behind a removable panel
somewhere in the fresh food compartment. You can identify the defrost timer because it will have a plastic shaft that's designed to be turned in one direction only.
Defrost timers will have the output shaft exposed so that if you mark the position of the shaft on the timer, you can check it an hour or two later to confirm that the timer shaft is turning. Also, having the output shaft of the timer exposed allows an appliance repairman to manually advance the defrost timer to check the operation of the defrost heater and thermostat. This is normally done by turning the output shaft of the defrost timer with a screw driver, but since you can damage the timer by turning it backwards the screwdriver slot will be designed in such a way that the shaft can only be turned in one direction with a screw driver.
Now, if you ever notice that your frost free fridge has suddenly stopped working completely, it can be because the defrost timer is stuck in the defrost mode. If you know where the defrost timer is on your model of fridge, try advancing the defrost timer manually with a screw driver. Turn the output shaft of the defrost timer one full turn, and if you hear a "click" and the fridge comes back to life, then the problem was that the defrost timer was stuck in the defrost mode. That tells you it's time to replace your defrost timer.
On the other hand, if the defrost timer is stuck in the "run" mode or the defrost heater isn't working, the usual result will be frost forming around the cold air vents in the freezer compartment. In that case, advance the defrost timer until the compressor and fan shut off, indicating that the defrost timer is now diverting power to the defrost heater instead. Try manually advancing the defrost timer to perform several defrost cycles in a row to melt the accumulated frost. If doing that doesn't help, then the defrost heater is probably not working and needs to be replaced.
Normally, a repairman will also replace the defrost thermostat at the same time as he replaces the defrost heater because the cost of the thermostat is only 2 or 3 dollars. So, replaceing the defrost thermostat at the same time as the defrost heater is mostly a matter of practicing good preventative maintenance more than anything else.
Finally, if you ever see water dripping from the roof of the fresh food
compartment of your frost free fridge, the problem is that the melt water from the defrost cycle isn't draining away. Most often the problem here is that dirt has clogged the drain hole in the drip pan under the evaporator coils. There will normally be a cover of some type in the freezer compartment of your fridge. Removing that cover exposes the fan and evaporator coil (which is easily damaged because of all the thin aluminum fins covering it's surface). By poking a flexible (stranded) wire into the drain hole of the drip pan under the evaporator coil, you can usually unclog the drain hole and allow the melt water to drain away as it should.
IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE, READ THE NUMBERED PARAGRAPHS BELOW:
So, if you come home from work on a friday afternoon and discover your fridge has decided to go on strike, proceed as follows:
0. If it's winter, store the perishibles in the trunk of your car to keep them
frozen. Keep the fridge door closed as much as possible to keep the interior of the fridge cold.
1. Does the fridge light come on when you open the door? If not, then the fridge isn't getting power.
2. If there's power to the fridge, listen to see if the compressor is running at all.
3. If the compressor is running, try to detect a breeze in the freezer
compartment. If there's no breeze, the problem is that the fan isn't turning.
4. If the compressor isn't running, but the fan is, then the problem is most
likely the compressor's start relay or something called the "start capacitor" or the "run capacitor".
5. If neither the compressor nor fan are running, then the prime suspect is the defrost timer. Advance the defrost timer manually by turning the output shaft with a screw driver.
6. If the fridge doesn't spring to life after turning the defrost timer output shaft a full turn, then you've covered 90 percent of the most common problems, and it's time to call a repairman.
IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE, READ THE ABOVE NUMBERED PARAGRAPHS.
F.A.o Nestor-Kelebay or anyone else that can assist....
I read Nestor's detailed report on the fridge freezer and it proved it extremely useful. I have a fridge freezer, which is frost free, but is not defrosting and I have had to do manually.
I have checked the defrost timer and it is working. I have turned the shaft and it does cut the compressor out and back in. I have left the fridge running and it also automatically does it itself. Good.
However, I have the back panel off from the freezer compartment and the heaters do not appear to be working on the evap.
How do I discover if it is the heaters or the actual defrost thermostat ? Is there any easy way to test ?
I would appreciate all useful testing procedures, as I have finally been able to remove the back panel and eventually get to the coil / heaters and stat !! What a nightmare, glad to see that Beko thought about the service and maintenance aspect !! Well done them.... so if anyone can help as I have gone so far, I would be very glad...
Look forward to any assistance....
Cheers
Blanchie
I read Nestor's detailed report on the fridge freezer and it proved it extremely useful. I have a fridge freezer, which is frost free, but is not defrosting and I have had to do manually.
I have checked the defrost timer and it is working. I have turned the shaft and it does cut the compressor out and back in. I have left the fridge running and it also automatically does it itself. Good.
However, I have the back panel off from the freezer compartment and the heaters do not appear to be working on the evap.
How do I discover if it is the heaters or the actual defrost thermostat ? Is there any easy way to test ?
I would appreciate all useful testing procedures, as I have finally been able to remove the back panel and eventually get to the coil / heaters and stat !! What a nightmare, glad to see that Beko thought about the service and maintenance aspect !! Well done them.... so if anyone can help as I have gone so far, I would be very glad...
Look forward to any assistance....
Cheers
Blanchie
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