Hoping this is the fridge freezer section.....

Hoping this is the fridge freezer section.....

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QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
We have a 6 year old American-style Daewoo fridge freezer. The type that has the 60 cm fridge on the right, the 30 cm freezer on the left and is 90 cm wide overall, 180 cm tall.

The freezer is working fine.
The fridge appears to be working, but is currently, on "max", or "Min", or any other setting for that matter, at 14.5 degrees C, so about as cool as my daughter describes my dress sense.

I have taken the rear lower panel off and vacuumed the fluff out, but beyond that I am stumped...... and don't want to have to shell out for a new one.

Can anyone suggest please:

1. What the problem is, or
2. How to diagnose the problem and
3. What parts to buy and what i have to do to fit them?

I do recognise one end of a Phillips screwdriver from the other, and know to turn the power off before unscrewing anything with wires attached.

HarryHill

115 posts

83 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
A quick guess would say something along the lines of this

http://www.espares.co.uk/product/es1604928?utm_sou...

That's if the compressor is working. I would recommend a proper diagnosis though.

guindilias

5,245 posts

120 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
It may need regassed - in which case there is a leak somewhere. Fridge bloke will have UV dye to put in with a bit of gas, and then spot the leak and hopefully solder it up.
Or, it could be the thermostat - much easier to do and no regassing!

Busa mav

2,562 posts

154 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
is there any icing up of the cool air circulation vents at the back ?


QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
Busa mav said:
is there any icing up of the cool air circulation vents at the back ?
No ice to be seen anywhere.

QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
guindilias said:
It may need regassed - in which case there is a leak somewhere. Fridge bloke will have UV dye to put in with a bit of gas, and then spot the leak and hopefully solder it up.
Or, it could be the thermostat - much easier to do and no regassing!
It is a fridge freezer, but has one compressor and one heat exchanger. The freezer is working properly.

My instinct from what you guys are saying is that the fridge thermostat is misbehaving. Just trying to be sure before changing it, then changing something else, then something else.....

Don't laugh, but when our oven wasn't getting hotter than 190 degrees I changed the thermostat (the manufacturer agreed that was the problem), then I changed something else they suggested. Finally I changed the element. Each part cost £28, regardless of size or complexity. The element fixed the problem!

I will call Daewoo tomorrow and order a thermostat. Fingers crossed.

simion_levi

250 posts

222 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
I had to replace a faulty fan in an upright FF as it was behaving in a similar way to yours. This, paired with a motorised flap, controls the distribution of freezer air into the fridge for cooling. I suspect this mechanism is fairly common.

QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
simion_levi said:
I had to replace a faulty fan in an upright FF as it was behaving in a similar way to yours. This, paired with a motorised flap, controls the distribution of freezer air into the fridge for cooling. I suspect this mechanism is fairly common.
Where was it (and the thermostat) located please? Do I take the entire back off, or approach it through the inside of the fridge?

simion_levi

250 posts

222 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
quotequote all
The fan was behind the evaporator, inside the freezer. There is a duct running up the back of the appliance carrying air up to the fridge, with a motorised flap inside at the top that is controlled by the fridge thermostat. Thermostat itself is buried in the wall of the fridge. The fan was supposed to run to both circulate the cold air around the freezer and also push the air up the fridge duct when it was open - and would normally cut out when you opened the freezer door.

When the fridge stopped cooling I realised that the usual change in noise when opening the door had gone and concluded that the fan was likely the fault. Obviously we have different appliances, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that they work in the same way.

In my case I had to empty the freezer, remove the panel from the back wall and carefully drop the evaporator down from some retaining clips - avoiding crushing any of the pipes. That gave enough room to remove and replace the fan and it's been working fine every since.

QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
simion_levi said:
The fan was behind the evaporator, inside the freezer. There is a duct running up the back of the appliance carrying air up to the fridge, with a motorised flap inside at the top that is controlled by the fridge thermostat. Thermostat itself is buried in the wall of the fridge. The fan was supposed to run to both circulate the cold air around the freezer and also push the air up the fridge duct when it was open - and would normally cut out when you opened the freezer door.

When the fridge stopped cooling I realised that the usual change in noise when opening the door had gone and concluded that the fan was likely the fault. Obviously we have different appliances, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that they work in the same way.

In my case I had to empty the freezer, remove the panel from the back wall and carefully drop the evaporator down from some retaining clips - avoiding crushing any of the pipes. That gave enough room to remove and replace the fan and it's been working fine every since.
That's fascinating, and very useful thank you. I will do more research on the layout of mine and get it fixed.
Fortunately, ever since my wife got seriously keen on cooking we have had more than one fridge and freezer, so we have been able to move the contents from the warm fridge to a colder one.
Cannot say the same for the freezer, however, as out other freezers are pretty full. If I have to empty the freezer to effect the repair I will have to enlist the grandchildren's help reducing the ice cream stockpile. Which might not meet with total disapproval smile

brrapp

3,701 posts

162 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Can you check inside the freezer section where the fan is?
Our Bosch fridge freezer started behaving similarly to yours, we bought a new one then as we were emptying the old freezer, found that a bag of frozen peas had slipped down the back of the rack and was blocking the fan which takes cold air from the freezer to cool the fridge. Removed the blockage and the 20 year old Bosch is back to working as well as ever.
Now we've got a spare fridge freezer.

ndg

560 posts

237 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
We had a similar problem with our Bosch FF. Replacing the fridge thermistor fixed the problem fairly inexpensively.

QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
brrapp said:
Can you check inside the freezer section where the fan is?
Our Bosch fridge freezer started behaving similarly to yours, we bought a new one then as we were emptying the old freezer, found that a bag of frozen peas had slipped down the back of the rack and was blocking the fan which takes cold air from the freezer to cool the fridge. Removed the blockage and the 20 year old Bosch is back to working as well as ever.
Now we've got a spare fridge freezer.
Hmmmm. Ping, the penny may have dropped but I am 90 miles from home.
I think the transfer fan is at the top of the freezer.....and we keep our stock of Magnums for the grandbrats right in front of it.
I will ask Erin Dawes, to whom I am related by marriage, to move the goodies and see what effect it has.

dingg

3,989 posts

219 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
I had this with most likely the same model of appliance

it turned out to be the fan that sits in the top of the freezer compartment going u/s

it stops circulating the air to the fridge side of the system and the evaporator ends up choked with ice and then the frozen items in the freezer start to defrost with the fridge temp starting to increase too

if you have the handbook you can set the system to defrost (this will clear any blockage on the evaporator) by pushing the controls in a certain sequence then start it up again , set it to max, and check the fan with the freezer door open by holding the door closed switch down.

The fan should be roaring away if its only blowing a little bit or intermittently , the motor is kaput

this will probably be the part

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Daewoo-American-Style-Fr...

on the other hand it could be something else but my moneys on this being the issue

good luck

QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Guys, you are all being really great and your input is most appreciated.

The boss is presently at the controls - she has removed the 12 boxes of magnums that filled the top shelf of the freezer and has her digital meat thermometer in the fridge ready to check.

She cannot do the fan noise test, as she is profoundly deaf (especially when i am making suggestions to do with spending more money on my car).

I will do that test when i get home, in the mean time I will set her onto the instruction manual hunt.
We keep them all in one drawer (THE drawer) in the kitchen, so it should be there.

Update coming soon - this is far more fun than doing accounts

dingg

3,989 posts

219 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
she can feel the air blowing from the fan - its quite a good flow if its working okay

I went through the broken thermostat route before finding it was the fan , its a common breakdown on these apparently

eta

this may help

http://www.fridge-manual.com/manuals/daewoo/Daewoo...

can you tell I'm bored at work lol

Edited by dingg on Monday 22 May 12:50

QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
dingg said:
she can feel the air blowing from the fan - its quite a good flow if its working okay

I went through the broken thermostat route before finding it was the fan , its a common breakdown on these apparently
should she feel for it in the fridge or the freezer?

dingg

3,989 posts

219 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
freezer top compartment , keep the door open , con it into thinking the doors shut by pushing the switch at the door seal , she can do the same on the fridge side but the flow will be less powerful there

QBee

Original Poster:

20,984 posts

144 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
she said she could see the fan going round when she opened the freezer door.....

dingg

3,989 posts

219 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
the fan should be blowing very strongly at high speed if its working okay