Beko TLS480 Larder Fridge at 8 degrees

[DoctorStrangelove]

Hi, I’ve got a brand new Beko TLS80 larder fridge. The first one I had worked brilliantly but a spike had gone through the back in transit and bent a few of the fins and poked the insulation. The suppliers insisted I gave it back and sent another one, which is identical apart from the fact the compressor seems to be an older type (I noticed this cos the spill tray attachment is different). This one doesn’t get cold enough for my liking. It is SN class and even with the stat on 5 (max) the internal temp is about 8 deg C. I want to see half of that. Door seal is excellent. I got Beko service round and they fitted a new stat (Ranco K59P3143 with an 80cm capillary – exactly the same as the one they took out). Eng said the pimples of ice on the back wall were well distributed and that the refrig system was ok. But the new stat has made no difference.

This is a tall fridge with a small footprint that suits my layout so I am prepared to put some effort into it. I watched the guy dismantle the thermostat pod and I am confident I could do that. It seems to me that I need a stat which will trip out at a colder temp so the compressor will run longer and the fridge (and contents) will get colder on average. Would a VT9 achieve this?

If I got a stat which, instead of having a defrost phase after every cut out had a manual defrost button, this would give me more consistent temperature but would the increased build up of ice on the back wall lead to structural or other problems?

Any help gratefully received and no liability attaches! I don’t care about the warranty or the energy rating, I just want fridge temperatures like I got used to in the 1960s. Thanks.

[expertcat]

VT9 wont solve it.

You will want a stat that has a different cut in point.

At the moment i am having the same problems with whirlpoolbuilt in fridge doing exactly the same.

The answer with that is to fit a servis built in fridge stat these have a recalibrated thernostat in to stop them cutting out to early.

But as this is a new appliance beko will only pay for a beko gen part as it is in warrranty.
GDC who is the beko service provider will have to right it off and exchange the appliance.

You might have the same probs with a replacement or you may not its a lottery.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Re: Beko TLS480 Larder Fridge at 8 degrees

Thanks for that, Expertcat. It does seem that the operating ranges of the VT9 and the K59 are exactly the same. Going for a push defrost one or the Servis stat you mention could possibly work but now I think sod it, why should I embark on a voyage of discovery when I’ve bought a brand new product. The problem might actually stem from changing the door hanging. I followed the manual to the letter – it said lay the fridge down on its left side, with a diagram showing that is left as you look at the door. This puts all the contents of the compressor above the high pressure pipe. and from what I read on this site that is a bad thing. Although I left it for 12 hours afterwards I have a nagging doubt. I think it’s time to argue for a refund from the supplier and follow up with section 75 Consumer Credit Act against my credit card company if no joy.

[expertcat]

i dont think that may be your problem.

when i worked on behalf of beko i saw alot of these with the same fault.

all we did was change the stat and regas. if it came back ber report.

whenever i changed the doors all i did was put the fridge at 45 degrees against a wall.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Re: Beko TLS480 Larder Fridge at 8 degrees

Thanks for all your comments. I decided to get some real evidence so I lashed out on a remote max/min thermometer and monitored the fridge. Remember this is an auto defrost larder fridge and the thermostat had been established to be good. These were the results:–

Date; Fridge Temp; Min prev 24 hrs; Max prev 24 hrs
28.07.06; 7.9; 5.8; 11.6
29.07.06; 7.9; 5.1; 13.0
30.07.06; 5.5; 5.1; 12.7
31.07.06; 6.9; 4.9; 15.7

Notes: all column 1 readings taken at midnight when door not opened for
2 hrs +
ambient temperature of room between 21 and 22 degrees
door opening kept to minimum at all times
all temperatures in degrees centigrade
fridge about one third full with food, bottles etc.
controller on coldest setting

I sent that to the supplier and they arranged for the Glen Dimplex service man to come again. He said it was within the tolerances. I told the supplier we were heading for dispute and cited ISO 8187 (1991, amended 1997) which says, as I understand it, that average fresh food compartment temperatures should be in the range 0 to 5 degrees, although 7 degrees is permissible in the defrost phase. Additionally, no internal temperature should ever exceed 10 degrees in operation. I said obviously meat would spoil in this fridge. The suppliers said they would take it up with Beko again and lo and behold came back and said that as it was within 28 days Beko had agreed another swap out.

As the score so far is one good fridge and one bad out of two delivered we can but hope! I will post the outcome. I must say the suppliers have been pretty good, but I was persistent and avoided screaming at them.

Hope this helps someone.

[expertcat]

the problem with quoting the 0 to 5 degrees temperature range is as this only applies to commercial refrigeration enviroments and not dosmestics.in a domestic situation they can say they are within tolerance but i have seen these in commercial enviroments because they are cheaper than a commercial unit but the customer expects a temperature of below n5 degrees when the door is being opened every 5 mins.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Re: Beko TLS480 Larder Fridge at 8 degrees

Yeh, I take your point Expertcat. I was thinking of buying a commercial fridge but they seem to have solid doors with no shelves.

Anyway, my third Beko TLS480 arrived and it also in 24 hours sealed door operation on coldest thermostat setting failed ever to get below 5.9 degrees and was generally in the 8 to 10 region.

The User manual says “When the appliance is switched on for the first time the thermostat should be adjusted so that after 24 hours the average fridge temperature is no higher than 5 deg C (41 deg F)”. Hah bloody hah. It’s going back.

So my experience is that these Bekos are bummers, apart from the first one which had a different compressor (as I recall held on with bolts rather than twisted metal straps and the spill tray was secured by a plastic tongue).

Can anybody recommend a good larder fridge in the 8 cu ft region?

[expertcat]

if you dont want to splash out on commercial as it seems you are in a commercial enviroment you will have a problem with a domestic fridge of that size.
If you indeed must have a domestic one all i would recomend would be to hunt one down with a fan in the fridge i know that servis did one,lec did on i know miele do one but it wont be at beko prices this fan will pull the fridge down quickly but if it goes wrong in warranty in commercial premises its frowned on and often you will either get 3 months warranty or they will void it altogether.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Re: Beko TLS480 Larder Fridge at 8 degrees

The fridge is in my kitchen at home. Thanks for your info. I have a soft spot for LEC so I’ll try and find one of them. As a stopgap I’ve dragged my old LEC back to the kitchen from the garden shed, put it on max and it’s showing between 2.6 and 3.8 deg C. This LEC is a 20+ year old fridge/freezer that was abandoned by a house seller! Compare this to the 5.9 to 10 deg range of the brand new Beko which had the advantage of a taped shut door! I would keep my old LEC but for the fact that I want more fridge space.

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