- This topic has 22 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 20 years, 9 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Hi, I have a Hotpoint Mistral Frost Free fridge freezer that has stopped working & is displaying a P1 fault on the digital display. We think the door has not been shutting properly for a few days & in yesterdays heat it packed up.
I left it switched off for about 4 hours last night but it still shows the same error (I wondered if it had got too hot). It does not run when you switch it on but the compressor gets quite hot after a while – is it maybe the fan that has stopped working ?
Does anyone know what a P1 fault is (sounds serious to me ..).
Thanks,
Peter
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
P1 isn’t listed as a fault code, not on the list I have anyway.
There is an F1 code which is one of the freezer sensors at fault.
My concern here is you say that it is not running but the compressor gets hot which sounds to me as if it is the compressor trying to start but can’t (siezed).
May be worth asking an engineer to have a look at this one to be honest, check repairs@ for one.
Dave.
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
Thanks for the reply. It definitely says ‘P1’ as soon as you turn it on, it then goes onto show the temperature displays. I left it off all day today and started it tonight & it all started working fine UNTIL the freezer got to about -4 and the fridge a little bit lower than outside, then it just stopped again… 🙁
I have taken the rear of the freezer compartment out and all seemed fine (just a little dirty & wet).
Anymore ideas anyone ?
Thanks for your help,
Peter
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
Is the cooling fan running at the very rear (near the compressor) ?
You should be able to hear/see it quite easily without exposing any components.
Otherwise please power off when checking :zap:
Dave.
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
Dave, I’m fairly sure it was? It sounded fine when I re-started it at about 8pm, it did gurgle a bit but I didn’t actually look around the back (its in a narrow alcove (have to pull it right out to look). The temp came down fine, then I pressed FF, a bit later on everything was silent and the temp started going up.
An hour and a half later and still its dead, light comes on, the P1 displays for a second or so. I have hoovered all the dust out, etc.
Thanks,
Peter
Hoovering the dust out could solve your problem.
If a Fridge/freezer can’t get rid of the heat the it won’t cool efficiently or properly, can stop the unit intermittently and even cause the unit to fail altogether.
No cooling fan near the compressor will also cause exactly the same fault
A worthwhile investment in power saving is to clean all surfaces and dust off a unit annually
Power off though
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
Just got around the back of the fridge freezer and started it (after 24 hours of being switched off). The fan definitely is working OK. It is a bit dusty behind the cover but nothing excessive …
It still shows the P1 fault code on start-up, I have not left it on this time in case I need to check anything else whilst its actually working.
Is it possible to test the thermistors ? Also, should the fan in the back of the freezer (for the frost free bit) work all the time. I haven’t checked that yet.
Any ideas anyone ?
Thanks,
Peter
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
All our hotpoint Error codes start with E and E1 is Freezer Thermistor open circuit
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
I promise you it shows P1 for just half a second or so on the display as soon as its switched on. Definitely a P not an E ! Another poster on here mentioned a P1 code also …
Thanks,
Peter
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
Just ran it for the last 90 mins. Started cooling OK, fan running OK. Just looked and the fan was stopped but the compressor part was still running. The compressor was really hot (too hot to touch). Switched it off and back on again & it does not re-start.
Should the fan be on all the time ?
Thanks
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
Personaaly I think the compressor is at fault but it’s engineer time in all honesty now.
Check repairs@ for one near you 😀
Dave.
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
No engineer available in my area I’m afraid, hardly anyone close listed in the yellow pages either.
Anyone know how to tests thermistors, etc. Should the fan run all the time ?
Thanks for all your suggestions,
Peter
In your first post you said
It does not run when you switch it on but the compressor gets quite hot after a while
You later seem to modify this statement
started it tonight & it all started working fine UNTIL the freezer got to about -4 and the fridge a little bit lower than outside, then it just stopped again..
Dave is right
My concern here is you say that it is not running but the compressor gets hot which sounds to me as if it is the compressor trying to start but can’t (siezed).
but a seized compressor will not cool but yours is doing some cooling right?
A seized compressor will overheat from trying to start which you will notice by the machine cycling on for 10 seconds then off for say 5 minutes
A compressor will also overheat if the condenser fan is not working however this will take some time (possibly hours) and the result is the machine will start cooling then stop cooling which sounds to be your problem
Condenser fans have been known to start when cold then slow and even stop when warm.
Your condenser fan and evaporator fan (inside the freezer) must run all the time your compressor runs
Also you must not switch a fridge/freezer off then back on immediately.
They must be left off for at least 10mins to allow the pressures to equalize else the compressor will not restart
Thermistors are just a temperature dependant variable resistor so an ohmeter will test these. Expect around 3000 ohms. The resistance will vary with just your fingers touching it.
Power off :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap: :zap:
Trust this helps
I’d get an engineer to do the repair rather than risk fatally damaging yourself or the machine
Re: Hotpoint Mistral FF92 – P1 fault
Apologies for any confusion but the statements were made when the fridge/freezer was in different states (from hot and cold).
Thank you though for your comments about the fan being on all the time & the compressor situation. Yes the compressor is doing some cooling it seems to have been stopping after a while (presumably because it has been getting too hot).
With this in mind, I started the f/f this morning with another separate fan pointing towards the compressor and everything else underneath. It has ran all day and the f/f is down to proper temperature. Funnily enough the f/f own fan is still running too … (though I don’t know if has been cutting in & out because I’ve not been here to check).
I’m wondering therefore if the fan is faulty (it definitely cut out last night), or whether something is telling it to stop ? I’m presuming if it is supposed to run all the time that there is nothing to tell it to stop (except the mains switch!).
Does the above sound logical ? If so, anyone know where to source a new fan (Hotpoint spares don’t have them listed).
Many thanks for all your help/suggestions – this list is great.
Peter
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.