Anybody know anything about fixing fridges?

[Joey Shabadoo]

The wife's drinks cooler has broken. It started getting overly cold to the point cans were exploding, then it just stopped. Consulting Google, the suggestion was to replace a relay. I did, it worked for a few minutes, then died again. These things are expensive to replace, any suggestions for a fix?

 

[Kingfisher101]

Just buy a new fridge, its often cheaper than messing about getting bits etc and finding they dont work. Fridges and freezers are designed to be thrown away at the end of their shelf life not fixed. You could get secondhand working one off places like Facebook marketplace or Gumtree if you don't want to buy a brand new one.

 

[MontyVeda]

It's December... cooling drinks can easily be done by simply putting them outside

Buy a replacement in March

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

They're about £170 though. If it could be saved by replacing a simple component...

 

[oldwheels]

There must be thermostat somewhere. It may just have given up.

 

[presta]

The most likely candidate is the thermostat, but I'd question whether it's worth all the palaver of threading the capillary tube through the cabinet.

 

[Tenkaykev]

The compressor unit has an embedded thermal trip in the windings. It may well be that tripping out. Bin it and get a new fridge.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

 

[Kingfisher101]

They're about £170 though. If it could be saved by replacing a simple component...

Yes but you could end up paying more faffing around buying bits that dont fit or dont work etc.
Sometimes you just have to spend the money and get a new one. I didn't like the fact I had to pay out over £300 for a new fridge freezer recently but I had no choice really..

 

[numbnuts]

Sadly we live in a throw away society now, costs more to fix something than buy new

 

[Tenkaykev]

If it is getting overly cold then I'd suspect the internal thermostat is faulty and not sending the " Yes, the inside is cold enough now, you can switch off the compressor " signal. If you know the make and model then you can look online and find out where the internal 'stat is fitted, dig it out, try and source the correct replacement and fit it.

 

[neil_merseyside]

Or put it on a simple timer switch and on for x% of the time, or on full for say an hour before likely consumption, then cycling on and off.

 

[gom]

With older fridges & freezers it is worth looking at how much power they consume and how much you’d save by getting a new energy-efficient one. A new one might save you money within a year.

 

[Petrichorwheels]

My fridge freezer has just packed in after near enough 20 years.
I think I may have hastened its decline by partially blocking a vent (tho it's not to the interior of the fridge, just to the space at the back of the fridge, and by allowing ice to build up. And then the heatwave really challenged it.
Compressor still hot, very hot, and I can feel a vibration from it which suggests that something is happening, but no freezing.
Wandered into John Lewis where I bought the last one and on saying it had done 20 years, the staff bod said, very honestly, "ah an older generation one".
Said that they only last 5 to 10 years these days. And have read similar elsewhere.
Shocking - I remember when in the good old days and kids were expiring by locking themselves in fridges, they seemed to run forever.
Have ordered a new one but have decided in future to only buy cheap fridge/freezers and take my chance - just get one with a two year guarantee and hope for the best. No point paying for "quality" if you are going to be faced with a bonkers bill to fix.
May even buy cheap second hand in future if cheap and clean.