Dead Fridge

[JohnW2]

Just a matter of curiosity, really ....

I have a pretty old (several years, can't remember exactly how many!) Frigidaire tall larder fridge which was working fine until yesterday, when it ceased to do what it says on the tin (keep the contents cold!).

If I turn up the thermostat control knob, the compressor starts up, sounds 'normal' and runs continuously. However, the fridge does not become cold, and nor do the fins on the back warm up. If I turn the knob 'right down', the compressor turns off.

It's clearly time for a new fridge, but I've never had one fail in quite this fashion, so I am wondering what the mechanism of the failure might be. Could it be that the compressor is running, but not pumping/compressing, perhaps due to some faulty valve, or what?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Burnerman]

Loss of the refridgerant gas, maybe - due to some over enthusiastic defrosting?
John

 

[JohnW2]

Loss of the refridgerant gas, maybe - due to some over enthusiastic defrosting?
John

I thought of that, but refrigerants smell, don't they? The fridge hasn't been 'touched' in any significant way for a long time (the self-defrosting generally works well), yet the machine was working fine until yesterday, so I don't think I can be blamed for creating a leak

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

A quick update ....

The 'not working (getting cold) at all' phase only lasted for about 24 hours. After that, it got cold (-ish) again, and continued running at a temperature of around 8°C. Although the compressor seemed to be running continuously (I never caught it not running), in which case the thermostat would be irrelevant to the problem, I changed the thermostat (since I happened to have a spare), but that made no difference.

Since it is not my primary fridge, I just left it running, to see what happened. Since then (about 5 months), it has continued to maintain a cavity temp of 8-9°C (not a bad temp for some purposes!) and ice is forming (and remaining) on the upper back parts of the inside. Again, the compressor seems to be running continuously; it is running pretty warm, but not desperately hot.

I remain intrigued to know what could be going on, since I have not experienced this mode of 'failure'/malfunction of a fridge or freezer before. I would imagine that if there had been a source of a refrigerant leak, it would have lost all of it by now, and hence would not be working at all. It therefore seems as if the compressor is working (and has been working for months), but not working as well as it should be - which seems odd. Has anyone got any thoughts as to what could result in this situation??

Kind Regards, John

 

[jj4091]

Is the door seal ok, it seems strange to be icing up but not reducing the temp below 8 degrees. Also how are the cooling elements arranged on that model, does it rely on cooling the top only & cold air falling to the rest of the cabinet?

 

[JohnW2]

Is the door seal ok, it seems strange to be icing up but not reducing the temp below 8 degrees.

Quite - that's why I mentioned it. The door seal seems fine. I've tried several different thermometers, and all give roughly the same answer (in mid cavity).

Also how are the cooling elements arranged on that model, does it rely on cooling the top only & cold air falling to the rest of the cabinet?

I don't know - and don't know how to find out unless I can find a drawing of the innards. There is a circulating fan at the top, which might suggest that it is as you suggest.

Kind Regards, John

 

[jj4091]

Can you post full length pics of the front looking into the fridge & the rear?

 

[JohnW2]

Can you post full length pics of the front looking into the fridge & the rear?

Front would obviously be no problem, but the rear would be much more of a mission - so watch this space! If your interest is in where the cooling pipes enter the fridge, IIRC they are all at the bottom.

Kind Regards, John

 

[jj4091]

Although I am not familiar with your model, some fridges have a large lump at the inside of the bottom of the cabinet in which sit the cooling elements. These can & do turn into a gigantic block of ice which can take over a week to defrost. You can usually see a couple of screws securing a right angle cover behind the bottom drawer or shelf. I wanted to establish if that was feasible in your fridge. The only other thing I have thought of since is, is it level both ways?

 

[JohnW2]

Although I am not familiar with your model, some fridges have a large lump at the inside of the bottom of the cabinet in which sit the cooling elements. These can & do turn into a gigantic block of ice which can take over a week to defrost. You can usually see a couple of screws securing a right angle cover behind the bottom drawer or shelf. I wanted to establish if that was feasible in your fridge.

There certainly is a 'lump' behind the bottom drawer (where the compressor etc. lives), but there is no evidence of anything that is removable (or any screws) within the cabinet. Nor are there any visible cooling pipes within the cabinet.

The only other thing I have thought of since is, is it level both ways?

It's pretty level, and it hasn't moved (or been moved) for a number of years.

Kind Regards, John

 

[jj4091]

Sorry John, I can't think of anything else that may cause it, there is not after all much else to look at in a fridge is there. I've never heard of refrigerant going off, but I suppose anything is possible. But even if that was the case it would not really explain your symptoms. Perhaps a commercial refrigeration engineer might be able to give more help or advice, do you have such a local company that you could ring.

 

[JohnW2]

Sorry John, I can't think of anything else that may cause it, there is not after all much else to look at in a fridge is there.

. Quite - that's why I was rather mystified. It's not a 'disease' or 'mode of death' of a fridge (or freezer) that I have ever experienced or heard of! Thanks for all your interest, though!

Given what you said about "gigantic blocks of ice" around the cooling pipes, and particularly given that none of these pipes are visible, one last thought occurs to me. When the problem first arose, I did leave the machine switched off for 24 hours or so - on the basis that a 're-boot' has been known to cure lots of things. However, in view of what you said, it would maybe worth leaving it switched off for a good few days, 'just in case'! I think I'll do that, and I'll let you know the outcome!

Perhaps a commercial refrigeration engineer might be able to give more help or advice, do you have such a local company that you could ring.

I'm not aware of one, but I'm sure there must be one around here. However, the price of replacing this (aged and 'low end') fridge is so relatively low that it certainly would not make sense to pay anyone to do anything about it (even 'look at it'!).

Thanks again for your interest.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Can you post full length pics of the front looking into the fridge & the rear?

Hi again. I haven't attempted a rear view, but just before I switched it off, I took the following three pics. The first two show the ice formation at the upper back of the cabinet, despite the (mid-cabinet) temp being 9.2°C at the time. The third shows the lower part of cabinet, with bottom shelf and drawer removed, showing the absence of any removable panels/covers etc.

As I said, I've just turned the machine off, and will leave it off for a few days. I will then "report back" after I've switched it back on (but I'm not holding my breath!).

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Hmmm ... second and third photos are not showing ... trying again .... here's the second one:



Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Ah - I think they were two big ... try this for the second one:



Kind Regards, John