Hello,

I found this site by searching google for "fridge help" so I'm hoping to get a little advice from here. I've read some posts talking about this problem but can't really find any answer of what is wrong... and therefore how it can be fixed.

I have just got a second hand fridge freezer (Faure: Climate, Latitude Sud (French model)), and was careful not to lay it down or anything. I heard stories that it can get air/gas in the compressor and make it burn out when you switch it on - so I also left it 3 days to 'settle' after moving it..

The problem!
The fridge is not cold at all, I don't have a thermometer but I would guess its >8 deg C, liquids like milk in there don't feel cold to the touch (so I'm missing my morning glass of refreshing cool orange juice).
Aside from this the compressor runs 24/7, and the setting is put to its highest (i.e. the coldest setting).
Additionally the freezer is cold and things freeze quickly.
One more weird thing I noted - there is a sound coming from the fridge like waves in the sea or a waterfall - it happens for 10 sec and then stops for 20 sec or so. I don't know if this is bad, but I've never noticed it in previous fridges.

Solutions I have dismissed
1. Clean out the compressor fan (the compressor doesn't seem to have a fan so no luck there)
2. Clean the cooling grill at the back (this was quite dusty, but is now clean and hasn't made a difference)

Remaining solutions
1. The cool air should be circulating from a fan in the upper section of the back (i.e. pushing air from the freezer section down to the fridge) is broken. (there is no opening in the back of the freezer compartment to access this, additionally I opened the back of the unit but couldn't see any access route - it was just a few huge pieces of polystyrene).
2. There could be a broken thermostat (i.e. if there isn't a fan but 2 loops from the compressor, one serving the freezer and one serving the fridge) which decides all the cooling needs to go to the freezer (this may be true but I can imagine a simple fridge freezer bring this complex).
3. There is a loss of coolant or the expansion valve is broken (i.e. all the coolant is made too warm by the time it reaches the fridge, that is if there aren't 2 cooling loops). (I'm not sure this one is likely because the freezer is very successfully cold, meaning there is plenty of heat removing power in the coolant)

So what next?

If anyone has any ideas or can help me understand better I would appreciate that greatly. My ideal would be that I can fix it myself but in lieu of that I'd like to have the knowledge in hand for when calling someone to get a quote to fix it. I'd rather know what I'm getting myself in for, when maybe I should just buy another fridge....

Of course more personally it would be nice to know if I trashed it moving or it was probably already like this.

Thanks for reading...