Hotpoint Mistral Plus

[Abe]

My good freind David asks me if I can look at his fridge, I do not usually attend to domestics, but since I look after all his other stuff at the restaurant, I dont wish to upset him......

Its a Hotpoint Mistral Plus............the evaporator fan does not work, or run.........

I wait for the coil to decrease in temperature, which it does, down to -8C, but still the fan wont run.

I think the fan kicks in when the evaporator reaches a certain temperature.

I think it is a faulty thermistor............Does any member have experience of this fault ??

According to him, the freezer section was down to temp, the fridge section was not..........

And if it is the thermistor...........where can I grab hold of a spare part ??

Thx in advance

Chez

[coolkev]

Aiyub generaly the fan is delayed by using the defrost heater as a neutral. This fault is generally caused by either the defrost termination tstat being open circuit and not resetting (often klixon button type attached to evap.) The other commen cause is the defrost heater burnt out. I assume the fan itself meters out ok . I think im in Coventry

[coolkev]

F= fan DE=defrost element DT = defrost termination stat TM= defrost timer motor

[MANIS]

CoolKav ,,,, gave most of the tips,,,,,,
in Addition dont forget to check Dif-timer and its contacts / points ... some time its seems working ok but in the end its gives you a setback,,,,,,

[coolkev]

just changed my av ITS A PEACE DOVE

[RogGoetsch]

My good freind David asks me if I can look at his fridge, I do not usually attend to domestics, but since I look after all his other stuff at the restaurant, I dont wish to upset him......

Its a Hotpoint Mistral Plus............the evaporator fan does not work, or run.........

I wait for the coil to decrease in temperature, which it does, down to -8C, but still the fan wont run.

I think the fan kicks in when the evaporator reaches a certain temperature.

Reminds me of my first service job. 1975, I was taking my first tech school class and my landlady asked me to fix her fridge. I discovered the fan motor wouldn't come on. Took me over an hour to trace the problem to the freezer door switch. Nothing wrong with it, I was working on it with the door open so of course the fan wouldn't run. Don't remember what the actual problem was.

Rog

[Abe]

Hi Cool kev

Thanks for info, much appreciated. Im going back to site later, fortunately its not too far from where I live.

Will try and figure why that darn fan dont work.And chat with David whilst Im on my knees with my head poked inside the fridge, about kids, and private schools, and fees and things.....

Thats my Sunday sorted...............

By the way Kev, nice av you put on..........

[coolkev]

your welcome aiyub. hope the diagrams help there sort of generic for most domestic defrorsts circuits. I drew them on paper and as you see by the file name my 14yr old daughter redrew in paint or something and then put in as attacment. oVER MY HEAD im just a fridgey the kids know puters better than me. all the best

[chemi-cool]

Hi Abe,

The way Coolkev described it is 95% of no frost fridges,

I always say, follow the -0- and you find the problem.

Today, the suckers don't use all these component, you see the fan and defrost heater and thats it, at the back under a cover, is an electronic controller that controls the whole unit, defrost comes on only after you open the freezer door for so many times and they consume less then half electricity.

The problem - to change this card, costs like half the fridge.

Chemi

[chillin out]

I used to do domestics and had to repair many of these stupid things, they are a royal pain in the bum.
It will most likely be the evap thermister but watch out for the door switch.
I used to take a quick look around the fridge and change the thermister if all else seemed ok.
If you watch the fan and see if it starts ....runs for a few secs and then stops again this is telling you there is a problem with the fan because on the pcb there is a cut out (looks like a little blue blob on legs).
Check the fan for a small crack in the plastic round the windings .
If the fan looks like its nacked watch out if you are buying a new motor. On some models you have to change the pcb as well because the new motor needs a differant cut out. (hotpoint changed the motors and you can`t get an old rated one).
Or you could do what I used to do and bypass the cut out when you get the new motor.

Don`t try phoning hotpoint as they are not much help. You really shouldn`t have started working on this, they are a nightmare lets hope it`s the thermister and you dont get called back.
Can`t remember where we used to get our parts i think it was electrue part or somthing like that

[chemi-cool]

Hi chillin out,

Supco are making all the "original" spares for all the fridges.

I like your Sig:

IF AT FIRST YOU DON`T SUCCEED. ( I saw the rest elsewhere)

OFFER HER MONEY

Chemi

[Abe]

Hi Chillin

You are right..............At start up the fan spins just for a wee before stopping completely.

It is Definately not the Door switch..........It may be the thermister or the pcb as you said...........

As you say it is a right royal pain..........Ive already been out twice to this thing, and still not resolved.

And you guys thought domestics were a piece of piss ??? Ha haaaaa

Im waving the white flag, let a Hotpoint factory trained bod deal with this.............

Trouble is customers want to save a few bob and get me in to have a look at it, you know who loses??? Yes sirree , it is I, I end up looking like I dont know anything , in the eyes of the customer.

Moral is, steer clear of this flaming Hotpoints..........

[Peter_1]

I....GEEZE , IM SO SMART UH HUH DUH HUH!

Smart??? Low head pressure and high back pressure is a unefficient compressor. I had to laugh realy loud when I read this.

[Abe]

Just to wrap it up...............fault was the evaporator sensor.
New one in and its working now

[superfly]

Ithink the problem is alot simpler.i came across one of these not so long ago.started stripping it down,checking fan motor /compressor the lot.The fault:condensor behind kickplate under fridge door full of dust.Never been cleaned.I removed back panel also to help with air circulation/cleaned condensor.Still working right now.Fan motor wont kick untill evap hit -13c.