OT: Do fridges get tired when they get old?

[T i m]

Hi All,

We have a fairly old (~19 years?) but very reliable under counter Zanussi fridge. She has complained that there is often water laying in the crisper draw(s) or on the lower glass shelf [1].

I have checked that there is nothing touching the heat exchanger plate inside or that the door is being left open any longer than necessary. I've also checked round the back and it's all pretty clean and clear, as is the draining hole at the inside back.

So, she's after a new fridge "because this one hasn't always done this" (no problem with that) but I am concerned that a new one might still do the same (if this fridge isn't 'faulty' as such?

Also we like the fact that there are 4 shelves in the door, two crisper bins and it has a real handle (and currently matches the freezer but that's no big issue) but we can't seem to find a new one that matches this spec (we may have got close with a Whirlpool but it's a bit wider at 600mm).

thoughts please folks?

All the best ..

T i m

[1] My beer is on the top wire shelf and I never go near the salad trays to notice the water. ;-)

[Slider]

double check the inside drain hole is clear. Poke a straw or something similar in it.

[Rod]

Last year (or was it the one before?, hmmm), we got a basic Bosch from John Lewis. Put it in. It works.

I would say I am delighted, but that is a bit of an exaggeration to describe my reaction to a box that gets cold. Albeit efficiently, reliably and quietly.

(I don't think I could buy *anything* from a company [Currys - as per your link] that dreams up a "product support brand" called "whateverhappens". Especially when it only promises to fix within 21 days. Can't help thinking it might describe their response to a call "Whatever, [shit] happens".)

My experience goes very much along the usual uk.d-i-y line of Liebherr/Miele or Bosch for such things.

Just remembered, the precise model we got had to be ordered from Bosch because it was the slightly non-standard size - details lost to passing time - worth checking the real product catalogue if size is critical.

[Derek]

If there's water inside it must be getting in somewhere, a damaged or hardened door seal has to be a prime suspect. Try running a business card around the gap between the door and the body of the fridge to identify any gaps evidenced by the door rubber not gripping the card.

This summer temperatures have been quite high even though it has been wet and humid therefore fridges have still had to work hard.

Derek

[meow2222]

The place condensation forms is on the evaporator (chiling plate). That much is normal, and its collected and drained to outside. For whatever reason its running down to the interior instead. I'd be looking at the drain hole & hose for a blockage, maybe further down than you can see. I'd also look for any items touching the chiling plate, as this would reroute condensation to the interior. Quite likely there's nothing wrong with it at all.

NT

[T i m]

Yup, we have a cable tie for the purpose and it has been know for stuff to get in there and that usually does the trick (you can feel it hitting the top of the compressor when it's right through).

One of my tests has been to pour water in the gully and make sure it drains away.

General reply:

I don't think the seal is not 'sealing' (magnetic and seems to pull in all round) but is definitely less pliable than it was.

I have been checking that nothing is touching the plate at the back (the shelves have little up stands at the back to prevent this in most places) and there is reasonable space for air circulation in general.

There is no freezer box etc so the only source of 'cold' is right at the back.

We don't put hot things in there.

There doesn't seem to be any real pattern to when it does it most or whereabouts in the fridge it does it (it appears to be random).

I'll check everything again though.

All the best ..

T i m

[Dave Liquorice]

And all the way down the pipe to the evaporator tray on top of the compressor? Pipes are known to get blogged with mould or a stray pea...

Thread a bit of soft wire or even a pipe (as in smoking) cleaner through it drawing it right through the tube.

[Dave Liquorice]

Put a bit of thin paper in and see if it is gripped. Check all the way round don't forget the hinge side and bottom...

Probably related to the humidty in the air.

[NOSPAMnet]

That's what I do followed by boiling water

[T i m]

Ok, well I've not done that. I've checked it's generally 'clear' , and that it drains water, but not necessarily clean.

I'll get some pipe cleaners. ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

[Doki]

My experience of Bosch stuff lately is that it's not as good as I'd expect.

[Pete C ukdiy]

I take it this is a frost-free fridge.

Try putting the beer on a tray, as humidity from door opening may condense on the cold beers and drip down.

A =A35 water alarm from Maplins will tell when it's happening, better than skipping a perfectly good fridge.

cheers, Pete.

[Dave]

£2-00 cheaper than that would be a fridge thermometer. Ours is slowly warming up at max cold and that has nothing to do with global warming :-)

Dave

[T i m]

Erm, no, I don't think so Pete?

Oh, ok. I was joking (a bit) about the beers but de do have a few canned drinks in there at the moment.

I think that it's happening is of more interest to the Missus than when as such, as she's sure it didn't used to do it even (or if so, not as regularly).

All the best ..

T i m

[T i m]

So, yours isn't able to attain so good a level as 'cold' as it once did are you saying Dave?

All the best ..

T i m

[Pete C ukdiy]

Does it need to be defrosted?

Well, there may be a simple cause/solution, so first you need to find out *why* it's happening.

The easiest way to find out why it's happening is to know *when* it

*starts* to happen then have a close look.

cheers, Pete.

[Mary Fisher]

...

Why would you expect it to be good?

Mary

>

[Rod]

We had little choice - can't remember the exact size, but IIRC it is something like 50mm off a standard size and this was not available in many other makes. But although not special, it is fine.

[Dave]

Yes. When I noticed that things were not as cold as I was used do, I went out and bought a fridge thermometer. It currently reads 3 degrees above the recommended max temp. This fridge could freeze the milk at thermostat position four a few years ago.

Dave

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Mary Fisher" saying something like:

Oh... maybe it's because it didn't used to be crap. I don't know if it's crap now, but it certainly wasn't about 5 years ago when I last bought a Bosch washing machine.