AGA Freezer Problem and Codes needed

[dingaling]

OK, I am the proud owner of an AGA upright Larder Fridge and Freezer, and a Newbie on this site. They are great serious looking units but the freezer just doesn't want to cool very efficiently and is frequently triggering the high temp alarm when it fails to reach -18 after about an hour or so.

I've had AGA look at it, and they checked all the components were working OK. Refrigerant (R134) was slightly over gassed was all. Apparently these units are (surprisingly) a bit slow to cool.

Its a LA245 -R2 model. Its a Williams unit, branded by AGA.

All the engineer apparently did was extend the time before the alarm is triggered (from the previous 1hr to[I think] 1.5hrs. All was fine for about a week, and today it started alarming even with that extra timer.

I'd like to check the setting to check it hasn't returned to a default setting or something (maybe a faulty board?). I need to know how to enter the programming menu and then what the 20 or so setting actually are.

Anyone help with code details and how to view the settings?

Of course, I could get AGA back to look, but that will just take more time.

Regds,

[Chillin4alivin]

Hi dingaling

Send me your email address and i will scan and send you the Williams Parameter Check List. If you do make any changes, then please advise the engineer who attended.

[dingaling]

Thanks Chillin,

Actually I obtained the listing and it didn't take long to check what my unit was set to compared to the defaults and see a few obvious problem ones.

Basically, I set the Defrost frequency back from 6 a day to the default 4, and increased the Hi Alarm Diff setting from a ridiculous 2 Degrees to a more reasonable 10 degrees (the default is 12 degrees).

The Engineer had increased the Hi Alarm timeout from 60 to 120 mins (which was just masking the other bad params), so I moved it back to 90. If the unit continues to behave with these settings, I will decrease it further to 60 mins.

I realise that letting the 'public' see these codes has potential for mistakes, but I have had this problem for 4 weeks, had two qualified Engineers visit (1 an AGA one) - and paid for them, and I could have set this unit to the default settings myself in 10 minutes (especially the 'usage' type settings).



btw - Williams Refrigeration Customer Service was completely useless, just washing their hands of it because it was badged AGA when they could have assisted in 5 mins. Not impressed.

Thanks for looking.

[Chillin4alivin]

Good Luck Dingaling, worked on many of these units and they do take ages to come down in temperature from initial start up, i believe they are very expensive and if you were offered an extended warranty take it as it will be worth it in a couple of years time!

[sdgconcorde]

Hi Dingaling, did you solve the problem? I have an LA245-R1 which has just started with the AL hi warning...... checked the cabinet and the food had started to defrost.... moved to spare freezer... not sure what to try do next, have switched the thing off for now..... Never been able to trust it since we had it 18 months ago after it was sold off from AGA shop, and so called serviced..... had loads of problems with it last summer engineer called out 3 times it kind of been ok since though dont use to freeze anything special as im convinced the temperature fluctuates too much from like -2 to -18 at least 2-3 times a day and things perish. Also it soo noisy!!! I wish i never spent the money now and got another miele freezer. Any help would be appreciated guys

[dingaling]

Well, the update is:
AGA have been brilliant to be honest. Its been a disappointing freezer though. The Hi alarming started again in this hot weather, and then the unit would not freeze below -10. Ice cubes were taking 2 days to freeze. Total annoyance. Engineer re-visited and quickly identified that the chiller was all iced up (a common fault) and ice was blocking the pathetic circulating fan behind it.
There was a retro-fit for this R2 unit which is to add a heater mat to the rear underside of the chiller, where the defrost water is supposed to run out to the rear tray. This was icing and stopping the water, then the multiple defrosts each day were making the problem worse and causing the build up.
Once fitted, the fix seems to be working well. The freezer now holds -19/-20 most of the time, but still fluctuates down to -10 or so if you happen to combine opening the door when its in the middle of its defrost cycle!!! Then it takes ages to chill down again.

Basically, the unit is under-engineered and not commercial quality. And yes its noisy, and yes it chucks out a lot of heat (don't know where the cold can be going then).
My old Indesit was much more reliable!

But AGA at least seems to be fixed.

[dannyy]

Hi, same problem..where can I get a copy of the Aga codes / Williams Parameter Check List?

Thanks

[dingaling]

Email me at Dingalingalong@gmail.com and I'll send you a jpg of the manual page - its too big too attach to this forum.

[edchapman]

Hi
I have an issue with an Aga Freezer, not maintaining required temperature (typically -4). Other people appear to have had similar issues, and I wander if there is anyone out there who can let me know where I can get the heating mat from and or an engineer to fit it.
Have had lots of sleepless nights thanks to the alarm going off, so would be really grateful if any one can help... we live near Gatwick in Sussex.
Thank you in anticipation.
Edward.

Well, the update is:
AGA have been brilliant to be honest. Its been a disappointing freezer though. The Hi alarming started again in this hot weather, and then the unit would not freeze below -10. Ice cubes were taking 2 days to freeze. Total annoyance. Engineer re-visited and quickly identified that the chiller was all iced up (a common fault) and ice was blocking the pathetic circulating fan behind it.
There was a retro-fit for this R2 unit which is to add a heater mat to the rear underside of the chiller, where the defrost water is supposed to run out to the rear tray. This was icing and stopping the water, then the multiple defrosts each day were making the problem worse and causing the build up.
Once fitted, the fix seems to be working well. The freezer now holds -19/-20 most of the time, but still fluctuates down to -10 or so if you happen to combine opening the door when its in the middle of its defrost cycle!!! Then it takes ages to chill down again.

Basically, the unit is under-engineered and not commercial quality. And yes its noisy, and yes it chucks out a lot of heat (don't know where the cold can be going then).
My old Indesit was much more reliable!

But AGA at least seems to be fixed.

[dingaling]

Hi,
Well, call an AGA engineer to inspect it and fit the AGA heat mat. Or, take it into your hands and check the parameters to at least see what is set different.
If the drain at the bottom rear of the chiller is iced up, its just going to fail to cool sufficiently and the circulating fan will get stuck.
If you set everything to the defaults, increase the Alarm timeout to give a bit more time, reduce the defrost cycles slightly, and defrost the whole unit, you might be lucky and it stays ice free without the mat.
If you were really adventurous, you could buy a heat mat somewhere else, wire it to the defrost element and fit yourself to the underside of the chiller, but it doesn't sound like you should do that - get an engineer to fit the proper AGA one.

[Velvetcoat]

I have an Aga 2 draw fridge, which is out of warranty, that has suddenly stopped working. We had some trouble with it in August and Aga arranged for servicing. The engineer found the the interior fan and sensors were faulty and ordered new ones. When they were fitted, he managed to connect the interior LED lighting to mains and blew the lights! He didn't seem to know where to connect thing to and had to be helped. He ordered new lights and eventually fitted them. Later we found that only the top one worked! Informed Aga that the repair was still ongoing. Got up one morning to find that the fridge had ceased working totally, except for top light. No display and the compressor not working. Tried depowering then repowering to no effect. Aga now do not want to know, so does anyone know of someone near Birmingham who could sort this **** fridge out?

[SandyW]

I too have the LA245 -R2 Williams unit branded by AGA. Ever since we bought it we have had defrosting issues and have had 4 (or more) call outs, some requiring a couple of visits. See an earlier thread. Now it's playing up again. It won't get below -11C and the chiller looks like a solid block of ice! A defrosting mat has been fitted - but how can I check this has actually been done and whether it is actually working?

We're waiting for Williams to phone to make an appointment but we are making mutterings to Aga about a refund for freezer and fridge on the basis they are not fit for purpose. Who says you get what you pay for? These are VERY expensive units and look great but they aren't cool!

[dingaling]

My freezer is probably iced up again. Struggling to get below -11 to -14C again now. Its a pain because I will have to defrost the whole thing again and start again (and I no longer have my spare Indesit). Anyone with ideas how to do it rapidly so my food won't defrost in the fridge?

Someone else wanted a copy of the settings with the same issue, prompting me to re-visit the forum, and I'd be interested if AGA come up with any other fixes. Personally I think a better circulating fan might help, to draw the air a little faster through the chiller and not give it time to over-ice. I don't want the hassle of calling our engineers every 6 months, but I think another call is due (only my 3rd).

Since I have the matching freezer, the fridge the 2-drawer Larder fridge and the XT AGA Rayburn stove, I don't have the option to 'get another freezer'. For the money, and on paper, this one should be ultra good and I shouldn't have to. Lets just figure out the solution.

[SandyW]

Sorry for the delay. Williams came promptly and spent a morning checking over the unit. The engineer couldn't find anything obviously wrong. He contacted offices in Glasgow and London for advice and was surprised to find out these freezers were a problem! The advice was ro up the defrosting frequency from 6 to 7 times daily and to defrost manually every 6 months. The latter wouldn't be sufficient - it was 4-5 months between its previous "service" and this failure. We wrote to Aga and said we wanted rid of the fridge and freezer units - they look great and enhance the kitchen plus the fridge is fine. However, we are not prepared to put up with manual defrosting or further problems. Aga have just responded with a decent offer, about 20% off our purchase price plus a few hundred pounds for food lost, our troubles, etc. We have accepted.

Footnote. Freezer playing up again. Last time the chiller was a solid block of ice but this time it is ice free but the minimum temp reached seems to be around -8C.

[dingaling]

Thanks for the interesting update. Conincidentally I was checking to see if there was any news and just saw it.
The trouble with the 'frequent DF cycle' approach is that the unit takes so long to cool again in between DFs that I found it was never getting to -20C in the irst place! Mine stuck on -13C for a couple of weeks now. I still think a better fan would help.
Does your deal/offer mean that its not maintained under warranty any longer?

[SandyW]

I'm not sure what the warranty period was but Aga have never argued it. If they had we would have reverted to the Sale of Goods Act on the basis the freezer is not fit for purpose. I fancy we would have an open and shut case! Strictly we would have claimed via the vendor but, again, that's not been an issue though he has been kept apprised of the events and the initial service visits were made through him. nb our freezer gave problems within a few months of purchase.

Aga were a bit lethargic about our recent request to take back the units but on prompting came back with a very sensible offer. We have not paid anything for the various (numerous) engineers' visits. In fairness, Aga never suggested we should.

Perhaps our "success" will open the door for others to go the same route. Judging by ours and others' experiences this freezer model is only scrap value.

[ab71]

Hi,

I have the LA245-R1 Freezer & HA350-R1 Fridge. The freezer works perfectly, but the fridge is only cold at the bottom and warm at the top. I assume the temp display takes the reading from the top as the unit says the operating temp is 20 degrees!

Any ideas?
Thanks

[dingaling]

Well if you LA245 Freezer is working, that's at least a result. The Fridge unit seems pretty OK. A bit noisy, but definitely keeps things fresh. Maybe the fan is gone in yours, but if the temp display is constantly showing 20degrees, the unit should be running virtually constantly!
Fridges also have a Defrost cycle. Your's could be gummed up and frozen solid? Maybe a defrost and restart would help - easier with a fridge, just switch it off for a day.

[steve4aga]

Hi, new to Fourm, did you get your under counter fridge sorted?

[steve4aga]

I have an Aga 2 draw fridge, which is out of warranty, that has suddenly stopped working. We had some trouble with it in August and Aga arranged for servicing. The engineer found the the interior fan and sensors were faulty and ordered new ones. When they were fitted, he managed to connect the interior LED lighting to mains and blew the lights! He didn't seem to know where to connect thing to and had to be helped. He ordered new lights and eventually fitted them. Later we found that only the top one worked! Informed Aga that the repair was still ongoing. Got up one morning to find that the fridge had ceased working totally, except for top light. No display and the compressor not working. Tried depowering then repowering to no effect. Aga now do not want to know, so does anyone know of someone near Birmingham who could sort this **** fridge out?

Hi, have you sorted fridge?

[dingaling]

OK, back for another update.
As I posted above, the temp on my Freezer got warmer and warmer so I had to do a defrost. Chiller was a solid block of ice, and the defrost cycle had no chance. Lost most of the food in the freezer as a result of them not being solid in the first place and the manual defrost taking a few hours with a hair dryer!

So now I have gone back to 4 defrost cycles a day. Maybe a little and often is better than once a day. It does mean, as posted, that the temp is often warmer than -18 or so and the compressor is working most of the time trying to get it down. I still think a better fan will help the cooling cycle and will look to see if I can add one myself or if ayone else did this?

For a simple job, this unit is a fail.

[ab71]

I had the Fridge and freezer service in Nov, all issues solved.

Now the LA245-R1 Freezer wont get could, the hi temp alarm goes off, and its reading ambient room temp, it doesnt even drop a degree.

Any ideas of what I can do/try before I have to call out the repair man?

Thanks

[Bachuss]

I am so disapointed in Williams, they make such good equipment under their own name but the aga is made cheap and nasty.

My Aga freezer romps down to -7 then takes like 2 hours to get down to -9 and just sits their. I'v been told that the Aga branded stuff has problems with their evaportators though Im not sure if this could be the cause of my problem unless it was a partial block in the capillary tube :/

I had the Fridge and freezer service in Nov, all issues solved.

Now the LA245-R1 Freezer wont get could, the hi temp alarm goes off, and its reading ambient room temp, it doesnt even drop a degree.

Any ideas of what I can do/try before I have to call out the repair man?

Thanks

With your system not comming down atall I would say its a big problem, you could check your condenser is clean and clear (though this wont be the problem here) if there is no lights/display check the fuse in the plug, other than that you will need a technition.

[ab71]

New compressor needed

[dingaling]

Back for a 6 monthly update. Several contacts about the AGA Codes and defaults.
My LA245-R2 Freezer is still poorly. After last defrost it took about 2 months to creep up the temp from the -19 set point to only -15 or so, then -10. Eventually at -8 and food getting soft at the top I had to defrost again.
This time, not much ice in the evaporator, at least not the front. I didn't take it apart this time to check the back. I used the manual defrost to aid the process this time - noticed that the Rev2 add-on heat mat stuck to the Evaporator wasn't getting warm at all - I expected it to do more. Its supposed to stop ice blocking the water draining to the rear.

After defrosting it cooled quite quickly to -19 and back on track. Putting the food back in (stuff I managed to keep frozen) raised the temp again and it took best part of all night to get back down to -19 again.
Anyway - I had decided that the defrost cycles don't cope very well, and want to try no defrost at all, so set the AF setting to 0. So far, after a couple of days, its nice to watch the temp display and not see it keep dipping to -13 or so after every defrost cycle or even opening the door.

Lets see if this works better for me. If not I will call Aga again and see what they can suggest, and to check the heat mat they fitted.

Anyone know if there are any other fixes that can be applied? Better fan, better defrosting?

[dingaling]

Me again.
So far the zero DF setting is working the best for me. Its staying -16 to -18 (set point is -19 and it occasionally hits this). Each time I see it dropped to -16 or so (not counting when I open the door of course, when it shoots up to -8 or so) then I press the manual defrost button to give it a melt.
This seems to be holding up and freezer operating well like this.
Next idea would have been to see if the DF cycle can be extended to allow more melt time to clear the ice build up.

[dingaling]

Another Update (1Oct11)
Several more LA245 Freezer owners have been in touch for the Freezer code sheet. Mine is still working well set to DF=0 (not AF which was a type in previous post). I do a manual DF every couple of weeks - sometimes a double.
I think I could help that by extending the DF cycle time - maybe increase 'Defrost Timeout' (DT) from 20 to 30 (mins) and perhaps the 'Display in Defrost' (DY) from 10 to 15 (mins).
Then after a time, I might try DF=1 which I think is 1 defrost per day - if I set that at midnight, then a daily DF would be followed by no door openings for several hours.
Good luck with yours!

[dingaling]

Happy New Year.
Did a manual defrost cycle yesterday and it reminder me to check this thread. Basically, a manual defrost cycle every few weeks or so seems to be keeping my Freezer working well. Its nice to see the thing sitting at -19 or so almost all the time and not warming to -10 on automated defrosts.

I am not ruling out that the chiller/evaporator may still ice up, but if the temp ever rises to -14 or so I will simply do a couple of manual defrosts in a row. Its got to be a lot more economic than having the compressor fight all through the day to slowly reduce the temp.

(btw - for the avoidance of confusion - by 'manual defrost' I mean pressing the defrost button on the control panel for 3 secs to initiate a 20min DF cycle. Not de-icing the whole freezer which was what used to have to be done when it iced over before).

If others resort to this workaround, post your experience.

[dingaling]

OK, I get periodic requests for the AGA/Williams freezer codes guide, and email them with the usual caveat that its totally your responsibility what you do with it, but at least it shows the factory defaults. Not all codes on the sheet will exist in the firmware your freezer/fridge has, but the core ones are there.
Anyway, I shrank the original jpeg so now I can attach it here (and the site improved too, so bigger files are supported now anyway!)

Please post your experiences, findings, or problems. Mine still humming nicely now its not fighting itself every day. DF it about once every couple of weeks with a slightly longer DF cycle programmed. It would also be good to get a listing of all AGA/Williams Error codes if anyone locates that.