Just cleaned my built-in fridge's condenser coil - now the compressor won't start...

[electro]

I just hauled a duvet of dust out of the fan-cooled condenser coils in the bottom of the fridge, switched fridge off via internal control knob first, carried out the work, all's well, flicked the knob back to the previous setting, internal light comes on, but no fan and no compressor, even when the temp dial is cranked to the max.

I'm about to pop down and check it again incase it has started, wouldn't hold out much hope!

The fact that neither fan nor compressor starts, that tells me its got to be a thermostat/electrical problem.

FYI, It's R22, probably over 13 years old, so I'm not going to complain about replacing it, it's served us well (good 'ole R22, don't make em like they used to :) )

Back in a bit!

[electro]

Okay panic kinda over, I just gave the top part of the fridge an all mighty whack and it jumped into life :)

I'll keep an eye on it, dirty thermostat contacts would you guys reckon?

[chillin out]

I think you will find it is R12 and not R22, that said I am glad you gave it the technical touch and got it going again.

Chillin:):)

[monkey spanners]

Its the knowledge of where to hit things that people pay for :D

Well thats what i keep tellin' em :p

[Brian_UK]

It's all in the signature. :)

[electro]

Brian, I so agree with your sig, it inspired me ;)
hehe

Sadly, the stat never cycled back on after my thump, requiring another thump to get it going again. I've pulled the fridge out to look at the thermostat...

Okay, its a 13 year old plus fridge, and I have a hunch that there's a blockage in there somewhere as when it does start up, occasionally you hear a pop/whoosh after about 10 seconds of the compressor running.

How would you guys replace a stat in this case, do you get a whole new stat assembly with probe/sensor/bulb thing or just replace a part of the thermostat assembly?

*starts googling for new built-in fridge*

[electro]

oh, and for your amusement, some pics of my cleanup operation :cool:

How many people never actually give this kind of dust buildup a thought? crazy!

[Brian_UK]

Just shows how tough fridges are really doesn't it ?

The new 'stat come complete with sensor tube, spindle for control knob and tags for push on terminals.

Picture here...

http://www.fridgeshop.net/

[electro]

hehe thanks Brian, I picked up a stat off ebay for £5, posted! :D

After looking at prices on new fridges today we've decided to stick with this old brute and let it carry on.

2 things, I have to remove the existing stat to fit the replacement, this will involve cutting the cap tube that comes from the old sensor, is this normal to do as I can't think of any other way to do it :)

Sensor positioning: wheres the ideal spot to place the sensor/cap tube within the compartment?

Cheers! :D:D

[Brian_UK]

Cutting the old tube is not a problem but be prepared for a nasty smell.

You never know which refrigerant they have charged the 'stat phial with.

Once you've unplugged the wires try giving the cap line a steady pull, sometimes the things will pull out.

If possible put the new one back where the old one came from.

[electro]

wow I didnt know you could pull the old one out and possibly feed a new one in, I had visions of it being encased in an ass load of foam insulation!

If I can't get the new probe in the existing location, and I don't want to break it by pushing too hard, where's the next best place to situate the phial in the interior?
Cheers!

[chillin out]

If I can't get the new probe in the existing location, and I don't want to break it by pushing too hard, where's the next best place to situate the phial in the interior?
Cheers!
You would have to secure it to the back wall of the fridge, be careful not to put a screw through the pipes that are hidden behind.

Best bet is to put it back where the old one comes from.

What is the new stat you bought?
VL9?

Chillin:):)

[monkey spanners]

Last one i did was just fed down a tube as far as it would go, no problem.
When you get the new stat compare the lengths of the capiliaries, if the replacement stat one is longer you will want to wrap some electrical tape on it to prevent it shorting out as the extra lenght will need to be coiled up by the stat.
Also seal the hole the capiliary goes down with some perma gum or silicone sealer to prevent any condensation in the tube.

Jon

[electro]

I bought this exact model from this seller: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNIVERSAL-FRIDGE-FREEZER-THERMOSTAT-VT9_W0QQitemZ290224471425QQihZ019QQcategoryZ20714QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp163 8Q2em118Q2el1247
Don't tell me, it's the wrong one? :O

[monkey spanners]

Thats the same make i keep on the van. Should fit ok, just compair the capiliary lenghts like i said and if the new one is longer put some electrical tape on it to cover the extra length that will be in the area of the electrical connections and coil it up to lose the extra lenght (wind it round an offcut of pipe or screwdriver handle, no too small a loop)
Don't ask me if its the right model of stat though i have a mental block where these things are concerned and usualy end up phoning Pete for advice.

Jon

[chillin out]

I bought this exact model from this seller: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNIVERSAL-FRIDGE-FREEZER-THERMOSTAT-VT9_W0QQitemZ290224471425QQihZ019QQcategoryZ20714QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp163 8Q2em118Q2el1247
Don't tell me, it's the wrong one? :O
That should do the job nicely.

Chillin:):)

[taz24]

wow I didnt know you could pull the old one out and possibly feed a new one in, I had visions of it being encased in an ass load of foam insulation!

If I can't get the new probe in the existing location, and I don't want to break it by pushing too hard, where's the next best place to situate the phial in the interior?
Cheers!


If the phile refuses to come out let the thing defrost.
Ice somtimes builds up and freezes the phile in place. If the old one does not pull out do not be tempted to use brute force. It will come out with a little bit of gentle persuasion. You may even find it sealed in a white sticky paste (heat transfer paste). Measure the old phile and make sure that the new probe goes into the hole as far as the old one was.

Cheers taz.

[electro]

If the phile refuses to come out let the thing defrost.
Ice somtimes builds up and freezes the phile in place. If the old one does not pull out do not be tempted to use brute force. It will come out with a little bit of gentle persuasion. You may even find it sealed in a white sticky paste (heat transfer paste). Measure the old phile and make sure that the new probe goes into the hole as far as the old one was.

Cheers taz.

It's been off for about 3 days now, I sure hope its thawed out :D:D

Yeah pulled out the old phile and fed the old one back in again and it seemed to go back in allright :)

new stat arrived today but no time to fit it so I might have a go tomorrow.

Thanks for all your help guys, I'll let you know how it goes!
Cheers!
-Dave

[Brian_UK]

C'mmon Dave, don't leave us hanging in mid-air.

Will this fridge ever work again ?
This is the major question of the holiday weekend. Never mind the political upheaval within the present ruling party or the current price of fuel.

Will the fridge work again ? William Hill are taking bets on it now...

:) ;)

[electro]

Yeah I reckon it'll be OK, I've already bypassed the stat and the compressor fires up from cold OK so should be good :)

[electro]

Yeah I reckon it'll be OK, I've already bypassed the stat and the compressor fires up from cold OK so should be good :)

[chillin out]

That's twice you have done it now, how many times do you need to test it?

lol

Chillin:):)

[electro]

oops, must of loaded the post in a firefox tab and somehow managed to post that twice :)

Fitted the new stat, set out on a test today, I went out for afternoon/evening to find the fridge had been relocated from freestanding to back in its built in position with mother saying "its not working again" - why don't old people ever understand the term "putting it on test for 24 hours"....

Pulled the fridge back out and unplugged to have a look and interestingly as I was finding an alternate power source to plug it in to, the stat went click, and as soon as I plugged it in away the compressor went :S

It's back on test again, this time I think I've gotten though with the "leave it on test" method, so I've loaded it up with bottles of water as ballast and we'll see what happens tomorrow...

Shall I just resort to sticking the stat cap tube on the inside of the fridge if this fails?

[chillin out]

Shall I just resort to sticking the stat cap tube on the inside of the fridge if this fails?
No.

Put a glass of water inside the fridge and insert a thermometer. Leave it overnight and check the temp in the morning.
So long as it's about 3 degC then put the fridge back in it's correct place and forget about it. Try not to look for faults that are not there.

Chillin:):)

[electro]

Well it's been on overnight, stocked with a few bottles of water & drinks as a test load, with the stat cranked to maximum it does seem to have cooled down inside, but it's only working very gingerly to achieve a very mildly cold temperature.

I don't suppose the replacement stat is just bad do you?

I await your advice on plan B ;)

[chillin out]

And the temperature is???

Chillin:):)

[Greengrocer]

This sounds like a case of "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Just think if you had to pay for all this work you've done. Cheaper to buy new - or was that the theme of another thread?

[electro]

Fridge temperature is: 5*c and that's with the stat turned down to its lowest temperature setting, good news is it's going nice long cycles, spending much more time off, probably the result of the cleanout!

5*c is acceptable for a fridge, but should the stat have to be stuck on its lowest setting to achieve that?

[paul_h]

First question is what equipment are you measuring it with? Is that temp the coldest it gets or the mean temp?

I'd say that 5C if measured correctly is wrong. 5c should be the max that the fridge ever gets up to, not the best it ever gets down to.
Packaged goods should be 2-3C, dairy should be 4C, fresh fruit etc should be 5C.
If there's a mix of all of them, I tell customers to set the fridge to 4C at least, as in max cut in temp. (turn on a 4*C, turn off at 2*C) Dried up vege after two weeks is better than constantly off dairy or mouldy jars every week
If you're only getting 5C min (which means up to 7*C before cut in), dairy, milk and cheese etc and stuff in jars won't last long.
But make sure your thermometer is correct first.

[electro]

Thanks Paul, for the measurements I've sunk a thermometer (glass kind) into a bottle of water, this is situated in the bottom of the fridge.

Would relocation of the temperature probe to the fridge interior help at all? Failing that, what are the chances of having a bad stat?

Cheers :)
-Dave

[Brian_UK]

Just checking....

The VT9 has three terminals if I remember correctly.

Term 6 - Live in
Term 4 - Compressor
Term 3 - Heater or blank

Wrong terminals can give different temperatures.

[paul_h]

I don't even know what type of fridge it is. Is it frost free or cyclic defrost?
If frost free is the t/stat in the freezer?
If cyclic defrost is the evap a coil or a cold plate? Where's the t/stat mounted in the fridge, cllipped to a cold plate?

It all seems wierd to me even suspecting the t/stat. You moved the fridge and fiddled around with it at the back. That to me seems to mean you've knocked something loose rather than killed a t/stat.
I don't know, maybe it was a coincidence and the thermostat needed replacing, but without knowing what type of fridge, maybe you bought the wrong t/stat or mounted it in the wrong place .
Got any pictures of the fridge coil and t/stat mounting?

edit: Is it possible that you may of kinked the capillary tube?

[electro]

I've double checked the stat connections before installing and they all check out, they even match the old stat that was removed.

The fridge is a Philips Whirlpool built-in, cyclic defrost, the evap is behind the plastic back of the fridge so I'm unable to tell if its a plate or a coil, poor design if you ask me as surely the plastic back means a much less efficient heat conductor.

All of the cleaning work was carried out from the front, by removing the fan blade of the intake fan and gently hoovering large amounts of dust, this was then followed by a shoot-out with compressed air to finish things off nicely, and no I was not jamming various pipes into the condenser coils, it was all done very carefully.

Kinked the stats cap tube, thats a possibility, I wound the excess cap tube around a large screwdriver handle, making sure that any bend in the cap tube was round and even, ensuring no kinks, but still it's a possibility.

Ho hum!

[electro]

If it helps, I'm happy to buy another stat and we'll try again, this time getting a VL9 instead of a VT9 - and if anyone wants to offer a stat on here for sale with postage, you'll get first dibs.

Cheers!

[paul_h]

IThe fridge is a Philips Whirlpool built-in, cyclic defrost, the evap is behind the plastic back of the fridge so I'm unable to tell if its a plate or a coil, poor design if you ask me as surely the plastic back means a much less efficient heat conductor.

A vt9 t/stat has cut in of -11 to -26, it won't work unless directly clamped to a coil or coldplate. Obviously if you haven't done that, it's the wrong t/stat for the job.
If it's not connected to a coil but somehow switching the compressor on and off, it's not installed right, and the fact that it's not freezing everything up means it's wired wrong as it's cycling off before -26C.
My guess is that's the wrong thermostat for the fridge, my distant memory is trying to tell me something about the odd phillips fridge I did come across needed a non generic thermostat.
edit: I think a special model danfoss was used rather than the generic ranco ones, but that may have been for a freezer though. Rahter than try a vl9, is there some nearby whitegoods appliance spareparts shop that you could order a t/stat from to suit your model fridge?

[electro]

Hi Paul, thanks for the info, just to let you know the original part number for the old stat (taken from a label stuck to the side):
NR.292.896
K+6/-28.5 *C
33 0

I'll follow your advice and pop in to see a local spares shop, meanwhile the fridge is maintaining a reasonable 5*c and seems to be working well otherwise.

Cheers!