Fridge is freezing things

[fatboy b]

Everything frozen - not touched the controls (was on 4 out of 5). Returned the control to 3 (normal) and it's still freezing stuff.

I'd guess it's a new thermostat right? Or is there anything else that can cause it. Hotpoint RLA54 if it matters.

[Big Al.]

I'd try it on the lowest setting before anything else.

[bosscerbera]

Door seal deteriorating, causing the fridge to overwork?

[Stu R]

PCB or thermostat seem to be the usual culprits from my experience.

[Mr MXT]

I had this last month.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[fatboy b]

Door seal is fine. Motor doesn't stop when set to lowest setting, though it does stop if it's own accord sometimes. When it does that, setting it back to high doesn't start it.

New thermostat on order anyhoo as they're only £20. So we'll see.

[filski666]

have you got too much stuff in it? If you block the airflow in a fridge they tend to start freezing things, not sure why - maybe because the cooling elements are at the back and the thermostat is at the front?

[eastlmark]

no pcb on this one, just an old fashioned thermostat which may have failed, however, I used to do shed loads of stats on these and get called back a few days later for the same problem. The actual fault is evaporator seperation which means the end of the capilary tube of the themostat is not in contact with the evaporator and does not think it is cold enough to swtich the compresor off so it just carries on getting colder and colder and the thermostat is non the wiser.
Bad news is there is no repair...... landfill is the only answer.
Another example of crap being produced cheaply then costing the earth when it dies after a few years. Dont buy another Indeste (who, BTW, make this crap)

PS rrp for the stat is £12.21+vat.

[D_G]

Mine did this, cleared out the rear defrost tube and turned it down a bit to 2.5 and it's been fine for months now.

[fatboy b]

eastlmark said:

no pcb on this one, just an old fashioned thermostat which may have failed, however, I used to do shed loads of stats on these and get called back a few days later for the same problem. The actual fault is evaporator seperation which means the end of the capilary tube of the themostat is not in contact with the evaporator and does not think it is cold enough to swtich the compresor off so it just carries on getting colder and colder and the thermostat is non the wiser.
Bad news is there is no repair...... landfill is the only answer.
Another example of crap being produced cheaply then costing the earth when it dies after a few years. Dont buy another Indeste (who, BTW, make this crap)

PS rrp for the stat is £12.21+vat.

So is fitting a new stat a case of stuffing the tube into the hole and hoping it makes contact, or is it more scientific?

[eastlmark]

fatboy b said:

So is fitting a new stat a case of stuffing the tube into the hole and hoping it makes contact, or is it more scientific?

Yes, the thermostat phial (pipe) fits down a tube which should locate it at the critical point in the evaporator to read the temperature, hence the length of the phial has to be exactly right (hope you have ordered the genuine one as the universal ones just will not do). Carefully uncoil the pipe on the new stat so its nice and smooth with no kinks and push it down the tube the old one has come out of. The problem is the end of that tube, unseen, becomes detached from the evaporator somehow.
Obviously, unplug the appliance before starting work and note the numbers on the stat and the colour of the wires before pulling the wires off. Hopefully yours will just be a faulty stat.....

[fatboy b]

Yep, bought a genuine one from Hotpoint.

Nice one, thanks for your help. Cheers Mark.

Edited by fatboy b on Tuesday 3rd May 19:41

[fatboy b]

The landfill beckons. Bosch on order.

[eastlmark]