SWMBO reported that the FF (Zanussi Freezone) was making odd noises (confess I hadn't noticed) and needed a defrost. After the defrost she switched it on again; the compressor pumps happily (no odd noises) but nothing else happens. The temperature gradient across the cooling fans (one side is nearer a radiator) suggests no movement of coolant at all, and the compressor was running at about 80C.
I've left it off for 24 hours but to no avail. Any suggestions please?
Many thanks, Douglas de Lacey
It has a leak of refrigerant that needs repairing and then the system needs re-gassing, would be my guess.
How old is the appliance?
Toby...
Yeees, that's what I didn't want to hear. Is there an easy way of checking that this is in fact the case? Are there alternative possibilities?
So old that I have no idea: 10-15 years?
Thanks, Douglas de Lacey
Well, I can't see what else it would be - the motor in the compressor is clearly running, therefore at least the motor side of the compressor is working, and the thermostat is telling it to run so that looks OK, not much else to go wrong really! I suppose the motor could be running but the compressor side of it is not compressing anything, but that is not the average DIYer can test, unless you have a way to recover the fgas in the thing, test the compressor, and then put the gas back in again!
Probably best to see if you can grab one from somewhere like freecycle or eBay if you don't want to buy a shiny new one.
with a fridge that old, it would probably be worth upgrading to a better efficiency one.
Have a look for a model number, and see if you can find out what it costs to run a year - then compare that with a new one, you may find a new one is the cheaper in the not so long run anyway.
Toby...
I dont see what else it can be either. Might be worth leaving it on overnight though, I once had a machine years ago that didnt cool at all for the first hour or 2, then it all kicked in and happened. How or why I've no idea, but it served us fine for years after that.
NT
I don't particularly mind a shiny new one (having tried NTs trick and deciding that regassing is probably pointless), so with thanks to Toby for his response, does anyone have recommendations or disrecommendations for a new model?
Thanks, Douglas de Lacey
The only really significant suggestion is avoid the frost frees. They have a poor reliability record. Re makes, even the cheapest seem to be highly reliable, as long as you avoid the frost frees.
NT
above, which was also given me by the refrigeration expert I asked about regassing.
Douglas de Lacey
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