My Fridge Freezer Not Working
The fridge freezer is on 24-7, 365 days a year working hard to keep your produce such as milk, cold drinks, desserts and frozen foods preserved for whenever you feel like indulging.
If you’ve come to pick out some ice cream only to find it’s melted, it could be the cause of a serious headache! Don’t worry, by following our simple diagnosis we may give your fridge freezer the lift of life it needs.
Thermostat
The function of the thermostat is to control the cooling system by turning on or off the compressor when required. If your refrigerator is not working follow these steps to help identify the fault:
- Is there power being sent to your appliance? Simply check if the light bulb works. If you can see the light when the door is opened the power is fine.
- Check the power indicator near the display panel; ensure the thermostat is switched on.
- Listen for sounds coming from the fridge freezer that would show it’s working.
Safety First! Prior to beginning any repair, please disconnect your appliance from the mains.
- Use a multimeter to check your thermostat for faults. (See here for instruction on how to use a multimeter)
Is your fridge thermostat faulty? eSpares is sure to have the right one for you!
We’ve even got a guide showing you how to fit it.
Door Seal
Without a working gasket, warm air could be seeping into the fridge freezer, which can cause the appliance to work harder than required. However, it’s a component which we do not pay particular attention to, but it is one which can have a huge impact on the performance of your fridge.
To check the effectiveness of your door gasket use this simple method:
- Place a thin piece of paper between your refrigerator door frame and the gasket.
- Pull the paper out from the door and if the paper comes out easily without resistance, the seal is faulty and would require replacing.
For a replacement seal, take a look through our extensive range of fridge freezer door seals to help get your food stored correctly once again.
Here’s our guide to replacing your faulty fridge freezer door seal.
PCB
The PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is considered the “brain” and controls key functions within the fridge freezer, such as the compressor and fan. A defective board can stop your appliance from cooling correctly making your foods go off. If your fridge freezer is not working follow these steps to help identify the fault:
Safety First! Please ensure that you have disconnected the appliance from the mains before starting any repair.
- It can be difficult to diagnose and prove the circuit board has failed unless you can visually see it.
- The circuit board is typically positioned on the top fascia panel when you open the fridge door; you will need to remove this.Look for visual signs of damage to the circuit board such as burn marks; this is a clear indicator the PCB has failed.
However please be aware that other defective parts inside the fridge freezer may stop the PCB functioning correctly.
Is your fridge freezer board faulty? eSpares is sure to have the right one for you!
Evaporator Iced up
If your frost free fridge or freezer is whirring away as if it is working correctly but the temperature is not cold enough the it may have too much ice.
A common cause for the temperature to rise is when the evaporator gets blocked with ice and is not cleared by the defrost circuit so the air from the fan cannot pass through and cool the interior. Follow these steps to help identify the fault:
Safety First! Prior to beginning any repair, please disconnect your appliance from the mains.
- Check that the compressor is running correctly.
- Remove the evaporator cover and check for ice build up.
- If excess ice is found you are likely to have a fault with the defrost circuit and will need to view the 'How To' video below.
There you have it very simple steps to check if this is the problem with your appliance.
For further information on diagnosing a defrost problem see our video below.