Fridge-Freezer Problems

[AnthonyL]

Our frost-free auto-defrost Zanussi (Electrolux) ZNB 3240 Fridge-Freezer wasn't hitting the right temperatures in this warm weather and so I raised the thermostat dial which resulted in the upper fridge getting too cold but the freezer not going down to below

-10c

I don't know how old the unit is, it came with the house which I moved into last October.

I've defrosted it (fridge freezer, not the house!) and pulled it out of its alcove and the evaporative tray was full, and with a fair amount of crud in it. I'm guessing that it was full because one of the tubes, probably the one from the freezer, must have been iced up.

Am I right in assuming that the tray should generally be empty in normal operation?

I can't readily remove the tray so I've positioned the fridge over the lip of the back door and got the hose jet into the tray and now have poured a bit of thin bleach via the inside of the fridge.

I'm going to run a bit of tubing or electrical wire up and down the tubes to the evaporator to ensure they are clear.

As I've got a spare freezer I'm not in a major rush so before I put everything back and switch on I'm seeking your advice as to whether I'm doing the right thing and if there is something else I should check.

Many thanks.

[John Rumm]

They are normally fairly crude affairs that just rely on the heat from the motor to dry out the tray. So generally yes it should be empty, but you may find there are times when you have had the door open for a bit that you get a surge of water into it and it takes a little while to evaporate off.

[AnthonyL]

Next time I'll check it before I defrost, or now I know that the whole unit wheels out readily maybe I'll check in a couple of weeks anyway.

[Andrew Gabriel]

These are significantly less reliable than ones you defrost yourself.

No - in humid weather, and/or if you are opening the fridge or freezer doors frequently, it's quite normal for it to have condensate in it.

Food spillage in the fridge against the cold panel will eventually get washed into the condensate tray.

The sorts of things than can go wrong are: The defrost heater not working (or in humid conditions, not operating for long enough to clear all the ice, so it eventually builds up and blocks the airflow). Air channels getting blocked with ice. If you can leave it off for a long time with the doors open, that may allow deeply embedded ice to thaw. Fan failing, so cold air not blown through freezer. Thermostats (usually thermisters) which control operation of the defrost cycle do die from time to time.

Also check things like the doors close properly (check the seal grips a till receipt all the way around), and that the doors line up properly (unit is standing correctly leveled on the floor, and not jarred). If the thermal insulation is not a closed-cell type (e.g. fibre matting was used when concern over CFC-expanded foam first arose), that will become water/ice logged over time, and stop insulating. Look for any ice or condensation on the outside of the freezer as a clue.

I have seen one case caused by the fridge light not going off when the door was shut, and the fridge couldn't handle the heat from the light.

[AnthonyL]

Thank you for the detailed response.

How does one ever know this?

[polygonum]

Most fridges have a physical switch operated by the door - and that can easily be tested by pressing it manually.

[Andrew Gabriel]

BTW, don't use beach - it will damage the materials, it's not a cleaner, and it's anti-bac properties have no lasting effect. Just wash out.

If you are cleaning any parts inside the fridge or freezer, use sodium bicarbonate solution. That way you won't end up with any lingering smells to contaminate the food.

[AnthonyL]

Oops :(

[Tim Watts]

Usually it will take a small amount of water which then evaporates off. Sometimes the tray is sited on top of the compressor so the heat from that does the job.

No - it sounds like a good plan. Drop of bleach won't hurt it and will help know the bugslime back.

[charles]

insert small child

[Jock]

You could get real radical and put the phone inside with the video running and shut the door for a short while.

[Tim Watts]

I can only attest to a sample size of one but my Miele fridge is still going happily after about 10 years.

To be fair, nearby is an Electrolux freezer that is 20 years old and apart from an internal door catch having broken, is still as good as new.

[Tim Watts]

Or a magnetic affair...

[tabbypurr]

Various things can & do go wrong with frost frees. Most likely is just ice buildup blocking things from working. Leaving it unplugged & open for 2 days sorts that out.

NT

[David]

Just wondering about something.

There is a known problem with fridge/freezers with only one compressor, when they are somewhere cold.

Because they rely on the fridge thermostat to start the compressor, if the fridge doesn't need cooling (temperature inside similar to temperature outside) then the compressor doesn't run and the freezer defrosts. Had that happen to us once when the fridge/freezer was in the garage over a very cold winter.

I'm now trying to work out if there is a similar effect in very warm weather. If the fridge is cooling more efficiently than the freezer, such that the compressor doesn't run for long enough to get the freezer temperature down, then possibly the freezer might not be able to keep cold enough.

I see that you've tried running the fridge colder but only got the freezer down to -10C. You didn't say how cold it was before you made the adjustment. If you turn the thermostat to max cold and the freezer goes below -10C this might be a pointer.

Cheers

Dave R

[Geoff Clare]

It's possible for the switch to work when pressed manually, but the light not turn off when the door is closed because the door is not pressing the switch far enough. I had exactly this problem with a fridge in a self-catering apartment on holiday last month. Put a couple of cushioned plasters on the part of the door that pushed the switch, problem solved.

How did I know the light was not turning off? Simple: I took out a packet of ham that had been next to the light overnight, and the packet was hot.

[AnthonyL]

I wasn't really aware that there was a problem until SWIMBO commented that the ice cream was soft so I think at least until the recent warm spell that all was ok with the thermostat unchanged from its setting of 3. So I assume that until recently we were at around -18 to -20 for the freezer and +6 or so for the fridge which is what I would consider normal.

Anyway its all switched on now so we'll see how it is by the evening.

My stand-by freezer has been working fine at around -20 despite not having been on since Xmas. But that is a fairly uncomplicated unit with no fancy auto-defrost/frost free to go wrong.

[DerbyBorn]

[e-mail] (AnthonyL) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I fixed one once that had a motor driven sequencer to stop the compressor and run a heater once every 8 hours,

[Capitol]

There is apparently a life problem with US style Samsung fridge freezers, with failure after 5 years being common.

[polygonum]

Reassuring! Having just bought a Miele refrigerator - also have had a Miele freezer for about 10 years and it still seems as good as new. Just basic under-counter models - none of the fancy features.

The Bosch refrigerator we bought at the same time as the Miele freezer was never as satisfactory. Seemed an altogether cheaper construction and the door always seemed off-straight no matter how hard you tried to adjust it and level the whole thing. Also, it used to regularly go into a hyper-cooling phase where the motor made extra noise for long periods (hours and hours) for no obvious reason. To be fair, it still works, but we shall be passing it on soon.