Fridge cooling probs

[bopdude]

Hi all, I hope this is in the right spot, a lot of other appliances seem to be here, if not,.... well, Mods feel free

Ok, so the problem, my upright fridge freezer seems to be on the fritz, I have the stat turned up to 10 but the fridge doesn't seem to be getting any cooler, the smaller freezer compartment seems to be ok.
Now I'm suspecting that its gonna be a gas thing, but I know that there are at least 2 peeps in the know lurking around that will know for sure. I'll strip down the stat a bit later, just to prove it
So in the meantime, anyone else got any ideas

TIA

[Paul K]

Fridge door seals ok? All drainage holes clear etc?

[Angua]

Sounds like the stat to me, had a similar prob with the last one. Is it a Frost Free with separate controls?

[fireman328]

If its a fridge/freezer its possible that the appliance needs de-frosting as the freezer temp controls the chill compartment temp and the freezer gets iced up and stops the cold air getting to the chilled compartment.
I had to do this for a friend who was about to junk it but it worked perfectly after defrost.

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by Paul

Fridge door seals ok? All drainage holes clear etc?

Just looked, possible that a bit of the door seal isn't sealing in the corner, I'll try and look at it

Originally Posted by Angua

Sounds like the stat to me, had a similar prob with the last one. Is it a Frost Free with separate controls?

pass next question the controls aren't seperate 1 stat for the both, freezer is ok so I don't think its the stat, but will check it out as soon as I wake properly
Thanks for the tips
__________________

Originally Posted by fireman328

If its a fridge/freezer its possible that the appliance needs de-frosting as the freezer temp controls the chill compartment temp and the freezer gets iced up and stops the cold air getting to the chilled compartment.
I had to do this for a friend who was about to junk it but it worked perfectly after defrost.

Now that sounds more like it, good point, thanks will try that and have a look at the seals like Paul says

[Angua]

Another tip with single stat Fridge Freezers is not keeping them in a cold room.

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by Angua

Another tip with single stat Fridge Freezers is not keeping them in a cold room.

OK, why ?????

And my fridge is now fully defrosted and plugged in, lets see what happens now, seals look ok at the mo

[danielf]

Originally Posted by bopdude

OK, why ?????

And my fridge is now fully defrosted and plugged in, lets see what happens now, seals look ok at the mo

I don't think this will be a problem this time of year, but I once had a problem when the heating in my kitchen wasn't working properly. As it was mid-winter it got very cold in the kitchen. Basically, it was so cold that it stopped the fridge from switching on. It was not cold enough for the stuff in the freezer to remain frozen though. (This was a fairly old fridge though)

[Angua]

Originally Posted by bopdude

OK, why ?????

And my fridge is now fully defrosted and plugged in, lets see what happens now, seals look ok at the mo

For some reason they don't get cold enough because the ambient cool temprature fools the stat into not working hard enough.

[iadom]

The stat is basically just a variable On/Off switch. Not something to be "opened". Refridgeration equipment sold in this country is rated to run in most normal circumstances without any problems. Only a prolonged heatwave or temperatures well below zero would have any major effect.

If it has only one stat and only one compressor ( large black pot at the back) and the freezer comp is working OK then your first assumption about the gas is almost certainly the correct one. If the stat is faulty, in 95% of the cases the fridge does not come on, or does not go off. This does not apply to 'frost free' units which are a completely different animal.
If it is running normally but only freezing the top compartment you may be able to get away with a regass, the coolant is pumped round the top before it goes into the lower fridge, any loss of gas or blockage due to chrystalisation in the coolant will have this effect. Also a failing compressor will also cause this. It really depends how old this appliance is. If it is nearer 10 than 5 years old it may be time for a replacement. A regass done correctly is not cheap and a compressor repair is out of the question, far to expensive. Also a regass can often only be a stop gap as the fault may well come back in a year or so.
__________________

Originally Posted by fireman328

If its a fridge/freezer its possible that the appliance needs de-frosting as the freezer temp controls the chill compartment temp and the freezer gets iced up and stops the cold air getting to the chilled compartment.
I had to do this for a friend who was about to junk it but it worked perfectly after defrost.

This would depend on the make/type of appliance. Some F/Freezers do depend on cold (heavier) air dropping down from the freezer compartment into the fridge compartment to keep it cool. On most of them the coolant is pumped round the freezer first, then into a plate at the back of the fridge compartment to which the control stat is fixed. On some models this plate is behind the inner liner so you cannot see it but may be able to see ice build up on the back wall of the fridge between auto defrost cycles.

[bopdude]

Thanks iadom, I knew you would drop in, I've replied to your pm

Just to let everyone else know, the defrost seems to be doing the trick, a layer of frost / ice is building on the backplate, but it's slow, I'll see how it goes overnight, failing that, iadom has given me a link to try, if that does not yeild a result then a new fridge freezer it is .
Thanks to all for trying to help, I thank you, my beers thank you, and the gf''s vodka thanks you

Thanks

[Ramrod]

Our huge freezer failed a few weeks back. We had corrosion in the cooling pipes resulting in a leak................goodbye £700 freezer
Rushed out to Iceland and bought a £90 chest freezer asap