Hotpoint Fridge 1998 Stops Periodically with Period in Months.

[Shilpa Singh]

We have Hotpoint Fridge 1998 and it stops after a month or two months or more or less and then stays like that for a day or two or more and then starts off on its own.

I have opened the Freezer panel on the evaporator coil and have found that I can reduce the time it is off by using hair dries to remove ice from the evaporator coil.

Other than that there is no difference in working of this fridge. I have read about defrost timers etc but nothing correlates to this behavior. Any suggestion. We don't use the Freezer part for meat it has light stuff only e.g. Ice cream or some mixed veg bags and some fries. No meat.

Any suggestion will help me get over this periodic aggravation.

Thanks,

[SQLit]

A freezing evap coil is a sure sign of either not enough air across it, clean the area thourghly or it is low on freon. That will require a service call. Try the cleaning first. I have dogs and wooden floors, it is amazing how much crap gets sucked into the fan area of my refrigerator. I clean every quarter.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

If i get it from you right here by it stop working for more than a day or so and them starts working back like normal on it's own. It's the defrost timer. I maybe missing it here by what your saying.

TURTLE

[jeff]

Hi,

There should be no "ice" in the freezer area, ice might be an indication of the fridge defrosting but the defrost water is not running away and the ice is building up chocking off the air flow.

Icecream needs ot be colder than meat does to freeze!

-Some- common not cold enough trouble makers....

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

[Dan O.]

The compressor could be overheating and cutting out on its overload protector until it's had a chance to cool but I think a more likely cause is that the defrost timer (if used on whichever model you have), is periodically 'sticking' during the defrost cycle. You can read about how a frost free refrigerator's defrost system is suppose to work at the following link:

How does a frost free refrigerator's defrost system work?

Another possibility is that the 'cold control' (aka thermostat) is periodically sticking in the OFF position. That can sometimes be determined by *gently* tapping the control knob with a finger when it should be running. If it starts right up after that, the control may be the cause.

You can read about what information is needed to get replacement parts for your appliances in the 'Repair Parts' section of my site linked below.

Dan O.

- Appliance411.com

=Ð~~~~~~

[alt-hvac Moderated]

I was thinking either timer, or defrost heater element.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

It can be a defrost timer but not the defrost element for staing off too long for it would have to the nuetral wire going back theough the element to get the neutral circuit and if so. it would never come back on because the timer would stop.

TURTLE

[alt-hvac Moderated]

huh? I'm not sure what you tried to say.

Some defrost timers are powered only when the compressor runs. But I've got little or no clue what you tried to say.

[CBhvac]

Those of us with some basic understanding of the wiring of the units understood perfectly...

Get a real job hackboy.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

What your tring to speak on is a frigidaire 3 terminal defrost timer set up. It will have only 3 wires run to the defrost timer and will have the defrost timer wire [2] run from the run over to the defrost element and if the timer is in run. It will send power through the timer motor and on to netural out through the defrost element. then when it is in defrost. It will send power through the defrost timer motor to netural out through the compressor circuit. Wired this way it will only log time of the 6 hours of defrost time and only go into defrost ever 6 hours of the compressor run time and can go into defrost as long as 2 days before getting 6 hours of run time on the timer cycle. When the thermostat cuts power to the power terminal of the compressor leg. It also cut the power off to the timer motor. This is call acculumitive time of the defrost cycle. Now Stormy this is what you was tring to say it had and I know you know how it works now don't you ?

Now again Stormy. If it had this type of system. If it had a broken or bad defrost element. the system would shut down and never come back on if it was this type system when the defrost element or terminator broke the circuit. If you knew the circuits that the refrigerator have on the 4 different type cycle systems that can be used. You would know if you had a broken defrost element, that you could not have a defrost timer running for a while and stopping for 5 or 6 hour and go back to running because you can't have a intermitten problem with a burnt defrost element. Now stormy you do know your over your head here with 3 wire defrost timer systems.

Now stormy you need to call Frigidaire toll free number and ask for a wiring diagram of a frigidaire refrigerator more than 15 to 18 years old and you will get the 3 wire defrost timer system and see the wiring diagram as it is suppose to run. The people there will know exactly what your talking about for frigidaire would do this on all their models years ago.

Now one thing before i close here and that is this : Stormy you need to have some kind of formal training on refrigerators and their repair before you try to explain or trouble shoot on the newsgroups for it is getting kind of stupid the way you walk off into the complex problem and give a I really don't know shit but i'm going to answer anyway. You can get with any of the hvac or small appliance supply house and when they have schools on different brands. You can get the inside scoop on how they work and be able to know what your talking about when you speak. Until you get to know these systems, your going to be putting your foot in your mouth all the time. Until then try to refraim from tring to trouble shoot a system that you don't know how it works in the first place. A education in this field is a wonderful thing and you need to get you some of it if your going to speak about them for just going out and looking at system and guessing as to the problem will only get you called a hack and you will catch hell all the time around here.

TURTLE

[alt-hvac Moderated]

Dear Turtle, After reading your lengthy piece on three wire defrost systems, I'm OK with the concept of cumulative run. However, I could make no sense out of much of what you said. Something about when the unit is in defrost it sends power out to the neutral through the defrost timer (which I'm OK with that) and somehow that advances the timer off the neutral (huh?).

"It will have only 3 wires run to the defrost timer and will have the defrost timer wire [2] run from the run over to the defrost element and if the timer is in run. It will send power through the timer motor and on to netural out through the defrost element. then when it is in defrost. It will send power through the defrost timer motor to netural out through the compressor circuit. Wired this way it will only log time of the 6 hours of defrost time and only go into defrost ever 6 hours of the compressor run time and can go into defrost as long as 2 days before getting 6 hours of run time"

So, you're saying that the defrost timer neutral goes though the defrost element? That's fine, cause it's only a watt or two. Won't even see the heater element. Unless it has a terminator element (bimetal) and then the run time will be only when the evap is cold. And when it's in defrost, that the timer neutral goes though the compressor? Should oughta do that OK, it's only trying to drain off a watt or two. Won't even see any resistance in the compressor. Still, it seems easier to just neutral the timer and be done with it.

I decided for curiosity to go back to the original post. And what I found was that the original customer's request sounds like a bad defrost heater element, since it shuts down and thawing helps shorten the recovery time.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

You still missed it. If the defrost element was burnt up and broke the circuit from the defrost terminal through the element to the netural the defrost timer would never advance another minute. It will never come back on at all , defrost that is. He said in the original post it was a intermitten problem and would run sometime and just stop for a while or day and go back to working. So with the defrost element burnt. The refrigerator defrost timer would stop running when it got into run mode and never go into defrost again. It would run all the time and never go into defrost again for it would be stuck in run all the time. You would never see it cut off after it froze up and just keep running.

TURTLE

[alt-hvac Moderated]

What I get from this is that

I'm saying: Sounds like the heater element is broken, since the OP can thaw it, and it runs again.

Turtle is saying: Sounds like the heater element is broken, because the three wire defrost timer isn't advancing, and it staying locked in the "run" mode.

Aside from describing the theory and operation of three wire verus four wire defrost timers, what is different between our observations?

I have opened the Freezer panel on the evaporator coil and have found that I can reduce the time it is off by using hair dries to remove ice from the evaporator coil.

Other than that there is no difference in working of this fridge. I have read about defrost timers etc but nothing correlates to this behavior. Any suggestion. We don't use the Freezer part for meat it has light stuff only e.g. Ice cream or some mixed veg bags and some fries. No meat.

Any suggestion will help me get over this periodic aggravation.

Thanks,"

Since the fellow says that it restarts on its own, we're left to wonder why would it fix itself? If the defrost heater element is burnt out, then it would stay iced over. Worse, it would ice even more, cause the refrig section would still be calling for cold.

[TURTLE]

****> We have Hotpoint Fridge 1998 and it stops after a month or two months ****> or more or less and then stays like that for a day or two or more and ****> then starts off on its own.

Read the three line marked **** in front of them. It states that it will stop after running 2 or 3 months and stay off for a day or two and then start off on it's own again. A Broken defrost element will not cause a refrigerator to stop running for a day or two and start running again. ############# If it has a regular defrost timer system on it. Breaking of the defrost element will not cause it to say off for a day or two. Having a broken defrost element will have no effect on the refrigerator turning off or on and will cycle like it is suppose to do but it may freeze up. So it will have no effect of it turning off or on at all. ###########A 3 wire defrost time set up when the defrost element burns will cause the refrigerator to stop running and stay off for every. It will never come back on in a day or two. The timer motor will be cut of the power supply and never come back on.

Stormy you need to go down to your nearest small appliance warehouse and get the book [ Whirlpool Trouble Shooting Guide ] on trouble shooting Whirlpool refrigerator and freezers. It's about $5.99 + Tax and it will guide you through just about every part of the refrigerators & freezers and how it works and what does what. It will tell you how to test every part and give you a check list to go through to find a problem with them. If you read this book and understood it. Your trouble shooting skills will be increased

1,000% atleast.

Now if you really want to know something about these items. You could go to your local Library and check out the book call Electricity 101 by i think Stuart & Stevens of something like that. If you read it and understood it. You might be able to post here with some knownledge on what these refrigerator are doing and as to what might be wrong with them. As of right now your two books away from a good answer on refrigerators repair.

Learning to trouble shoot refrigerator is more that you think. Right now you think they are a very simple device and you can call a problem right off with very little thought. If so your dead wrong for a refrigerator is one of the hardest things in this business to trouble shoot. I would much rather have a 30 ton gas package unit to trouble shoot than a refrigerator. A refrigerator can whip a good refrigeration man's ass in a heart beat. there is more to them refrigerator than you think.

TURTLE

[alt-hvac Moderated]

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