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Fridges & Freezers

This is a list of every article I've written filed under fridges & freezers, including all its sub categories. To jump to specific fridges & freezers sub categories use the drop down menu under "fridges & freezers" in the main navigation.

NOTE: More fridge & freezer articles are filed under other categories and sub categories if they focus on buying or repairing them for example.

Updated First Published

LEC TF2304W Fridge Freezer – safety notice

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LEC TF2304W Fridge Freezer – safety notice. The following notice has been issued by the retailer regarding the GDHA LEC TF2304W Fridge Freezer.

This looks like the same problem that has affected the Beko fridge freezers here – Beko Frost Free Fridge Freezers – safety notice (Fire risk) which is also regarding the defrost timer. There may be a link in that they could be the same parts, same design, but that’s purely speculative on my part, it could just be coincidence. However, in the Beko cases at least 20 fires and one death have been reported in London alone so these issues are very serious.

Apparently, “in a very small number of incidents, the defrost timer on a certain production range of LEC frost free refrigeration can fail and overheat”. “Overheat” is sometimes a euphemism for “catch fire”.

The model affected is the LEC TF2304W in White and was manufactured between January 2004 and October 2006. As a responsible manufacturer, GDHA are seeking to contact owners of these products to carry out a free of charge modification to the defrost timer.

Quote from the manufacturer –

“WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IF YOU OWN ONE OF THESE PRODUCTS

If you own an affected product, or if you are unsure if your product is affected, call GDHAs free phone number 0800 110 5728 between 8.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday. The manufacturer will arrange to visit your home and make the modification to the product at no charge to you. Please have the model and serial number of your product when you call.”

See the full recall notice as posted on Trading Standards site – LEC TF2304W Fridge Freezer – safety notice

Updated First Published

Samsung RS21 and RS60 fridge freezers safety notice: Potential fire risk

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Samsung have had to organise a “home-visit & repair programme” to deal with a potential fire risk in their RS21 and RS60 range fridge freezers. Their own announcement on their web site said that “in very rare cases, there is the potential for internal sparking to occur and in consequence, damage to the appliance.”

However, some press articles used more dramatic phrases (Which have since been removed from their web sites)

Latest update

Samsung fridge freezer As of March 2014 Samsung have extended this safety notice to include ALL RS21 and RS60 fridge freezers no matter when it was made. Initially it was only for models made within a certain date range, this was extended to include more models later and now Which? are reporting it’s all of these models regardless of purchase date plus the models listed below. You may also want to try this telephone number 0800 988 0123

These are the models either affected directly, or as Samsung say, use a similar defrost system so should also be checked –

  • RS21
  • RS60
  • RSE8
  • RSH1
  • RSJ1
  • SN62

If you have a Samsung fridge freezer

To be sure if your model is affected you should check the model number (where is the model or serial number on a fridge or freezer?). According to Which? the Electrical safety council have advised anyone with one of these model which hasn’t been modified by Samsung should stop using it immediately and contact Samsung.

Unfortunately all my links to help on the Samsung site have had to be removed. This is because it seems all manufacturers take these pages down as soon as they think they can get away with it. This is understandable to a point but it’s disgraceful. Only today (Feb 2017) I’ve had an email from a consumer who has one of these affected fridge freezers. She was shocked to find this page whilst researching a different fault – especially as she registered the appliance with Samsung. This shows that many people can slip through the net and continue to use a dangerous appliance. Manufacturers should be obliged by law to leave (and not move) notices about potentially dangerous appliances for at least 10 years.

Updated First Published

Safety notice on Gorenje fridge-freezers models RKI ORA E & RK ORA E

Danger Gorenje have issued a customer safety notice regarding a couple of models on their fridge-freezer range but they are a bit vague about the exact nature of the danger, which isn’t helpful

Full details were on the Gorenje web site but my link Safety notice concerning certain models of fridge-freezers RKI ORA E and RK ORA E is now broken and had to be removed. As far as I can see Gorenje have removed all evidence of this incident meaning no one can check if they have an appliance affected by this safety issue.

I can understand why people would want to forget about such negative publicity, but unless they know they have sorted and accounted for every single one of those sold no manufacturer should remove any safety advice. If you have any concerns (like the customer that’s just contacted me) you will need to ask them why they’ve removed the advice, and how you can check your appliance Gorenje service commitment

Here’s what they originally said –

Gorenje ensure the highest degree of safety to the functioning of its’ appliances, as a result, the company Gorenje invites the owners of fridge-freezer models : RKI ORA E and RK ORA E, bought in 2007 and 2008 to check the serial number and article number.

Under certain circumstances a potential fault may occur on one of components of the affected models that may cause a hazardous failure.

Updated First Published

Frosting up in fridge or freezer

Ice One cause of excessive frost and snow-like ice in a fridge or freezer can be a poorly fitting or damaged door seal. If the door seal becomes distorted or worn then the seal will start to allow warm moist air into the freezer or fridge. This can cause snowy ice to deposit around the shelves in a freezer or on the back wall of a fridge.

If the door seal is worn then clearly it needs replacing, but if it’s just a bit distorted it can sometimes be manipulated back into shape with the aid of either a hair dryer or a hot cloth. Carefully heat the seal and try to form it back into the right shape closing the door and letting the seal cool before opening the door again.

Another possible cause of frost in fridge or freezer

If the fridge or freezer is not level, the cabinet may become twisted, this can cause the door to not fit properly and the seal to not seal properly. This can allow gaps which again allows warm moist air to be drawn into the appliance. If affected make sure the appliance is properly level by adjusting the feet or if necessary by placing some packaging under the feet. You can always try the paper test, which is to place a piece of paper between the seal and the frame and see if it will hold, if it doesn’t the seal will be letting warm air into the unit.

Note: Many modern fridges and freezers do not have replaceable door seals. Only complete new doors. This is disgraceful but just another symptom of manufacturers making appliances less repairable in the race to make finished goods cheaper to manufacture.

On the subject of door seals it is not advisable to open any fridge or freezer door by curling your fingers around the frame as this can result in the seal splitting. Always use the handle, and don’t forget if you do reshape a door seal always fully defrost the unit afterwards. Another point to remember is that if the door seal has split on the face that touches the frame it needs to be changed. If it is split on the outer side crease it is only cosmetically unsightly.

Tip: When placing food in the fridge or freezer

Introducing warm food, or uncovered food in dishes can introduce moisture, which can then ice up. Also when putting away shopping keep the doors open as little as possible. For freezers, read the instruction book section on fast the fast freeze button, which is designed to be used prior to introducing fresh food to see if you need to start using it.

Ice or water in base of fridge or freezer

Check out these articles for water in base of fridge | Ice in base of freezer

Updated First Published

Frost free freezers and automatic defrosting fridges

Frost free freezers and automatic defrosting fridges, how do they work?

Fridge Freezer Frost free fridge freezers are very popular and auto defrosting fridges are a great convenience. In a frost free appliance the cold air is blown round the freezer using a fan. On modern refrigeration the evaporator (which is the plate that gets cold) is hidden behind the plastic wall inside at the back of the food shelves. When working correctly you can usually see small beads of ice randomly scattered on the back wall unless it’s in a defrost cycle when you may see water.

Heater inside

Heater Believe it or not most modern refrigeration has a heating element inside. This heater is used to defrost the appliance automatically. During the defrosting cycle the ice on the back wall melts and runs down the back wall into a channel. It is then directed through a hole out through to the back and runs into the evaporator tray. The evaporator tray is on top of the compressor which gets pretty hot and evaporates this water into the air.

Because the evaporator is behind a back panel the cold air has to be blown around the compartment with a fan motor. The defrost cycle also needs sensors and a timer and combined with several sensors throughout and PCBs to control everything the result is there is a lot more to go wrong than there used to be in old-fashioned conventional fridges. However, they are still fairly reliable.

Common problems with frost free fridge freezers

If the door is left open for too long (especially in humid conditions) the evaporator freezes over and the unit will not keep the food cold. This problem (unlike the older machines) has a greater impact because you can’t see the amount of ice built up around the back of the panel hiding the evaporator. In many frost free fridges the ice can form all the way round the fan and cause it to run slowly or even seize up. Prior to seizing up the fan may catch on the ice and make a high pitched noise. This will of course result in the fridge or freezer not getting cold. If you hear a strange noise from your frost free fridge freezer which sounds like something is catching on a rotating fan it could be due to ice forming around it.

If it stops working due to ice forming behind the evaporator and round the fan then defrosting the unit manually can fix it but it involves unplugging the unit for at least take 12 hours or so. You may not see much frost as it would be behind the back wall or behind the fan unit. You can’t really use a hair dryer on modern units because they may have a thermal fuse which protects the defrost cycle. Also, even just getting to the evaporator to defrost it can be a mammoth task especially with some of the new American-style fridges. If a fault re-occurs later it could be due to faulty sensor but if the fault was only due to the door been left open for a few hours accidentally then a total defrost could work.

Whilst we are on with American style frost free fridge freezers, because the doors are so big and can store so much, the opportunity to overload them is greater. This too causes warm air to pass into the unit and frost it up. Remember a frost free unit will not cope with too much ice on the evaporator so greater care must be taken to use it correctly and check the door seals regularly.

Water or sheet of ice inside fridge

Ice If your fridge has two sloping channels at the back wall and a hole in the middle this is designed to channel the water created on the defrost cycle through to the back of the unit where it runs onto an evaporator tray which can get blocked. More details on this here- Ice or water in base of fridge or freezer.

Summary

It’s common knowledge that most people rarely read the instruction book supplied with their new appliance. This is particularly true with something like a fridge or freezer. It’s easy to imagine most people thinking you only need to plug it in, leave it plugged in, and fill it with food – what’s to know?

I would advise anyone with a modern refrigeration appliance, especially the American-style fridge freezers, to carefully read the instruction book. Modern frost-free refrigeration units work very differently to a conventional fridge or freezer. It’s even important to learn how to stack them properly otherwise you can prevent the air from circulating inside and cause warm spots.

You would be surprised at what you can learn from reading the instruction book of an appliance you already know how to use.

Instruction manuals Many User instruction manuals can be downloaded here. The page concentrates on washing machine manuals but links to appliance manufacturer sites where users such manuals for fridges, freezers and other appliances should also be available.

Updated First Published

How are fridges and freezers affected by the room temperature?

Temperature Help and advice by an engineer, on how refrigeration appliances can be adversely affected by the environment that they are placed in. If the temperature surrounding the appliance moves outside its climate rating specified by the manufacturer (Climate Classes for fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers) they can stop working.

How are fridges and freezers affected by the room temperature?

If placed in an environment where the room temperature gets up to around 30 degrees most units sold in the UK may start to struggle to work if they can’t give off the heat from the condenser (normally at the back of the unit which gets hot). The ambient air temperature around the condenser needs to be 10 degrees lower than the condenser so that the energy can be given off as radiant heat. If the heat from the condenser can’t radiate away into cooler air then the heat won’t be taken out of the food so it won’t get cold.

In a normal home these temperature ranges shouldn’t cause any problems as the fridges and freezers we use are designed to operate in the UK home.

What happens if you put a fridge or freezer in a garage, shed or cellar?

If the maximum temperature is exceeded the appliance will struggle to keep the temperature inside down as described above and could be running constantly or at least for longer periods than necessary. This could cause overheating, breakdowns and higher energy bills.

If the temperature drops below the minimum stated on the climate rating (which is more likely) the freezer on a fridge-freezer controlled by only one stat may even switch off and defrost. Typically in the UK the temperature range is 10 degrees C to 30 degree C

Many thousands of people do have a refrigeration appliance installed in a garage and most don’t have any problems that they are aware of, particularly with freezers. Fridge-freezers are more susceptible to issues. As it happens I have my own freezer, and a second fridge in my garage, which is a separate building and gets pretty cold in the winter. Mine don’t suffer from the problems associated with a combined fridge-freezer fitted with one thermostat in the fridge as described here (not all fridge freezers have only one stat btw) Freezer defrosted: Can you put a fridge freezer in a garage?.

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Condensation

Another issue with refrigeration in a cold room such as a garage or cellar is condensation and black mould. The cool damp air is attracted to the warm parts of the fridge’s outside wall where condensation can form. This is not normally anything to worry about but you may get mould growing on the rubber door seal and it can cause a deterioration of the cabinet due to rust.

If the condensation on the door or sides is constantly there, or is present in small patches all of the time, even when it isn’t cold then it could point to a breakdown in the insulation and is greater problem. If the insulation has gone in a certain part of the fridge or freezer cabinet you will be constantly losing cold air from inside the appliance and it will run for longer and use more energy. A breakdown in insulation is usually terminal.

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