Electrolux ES6633I fridge – compressor running constantly

[BigAndy]

Hi all

We moved into a house a couple of weeks ago, and it has the above integrated fridge (and also a freezer below it). The fridge compressor seems to be on constantly (I’ve never heard it silent) and there is always a thin layer of powdery ice on the back of the fridge compartment. If I wipe the ice off it’ll be back within half a day.

If I turn the thermostat dial to the zero position the compressor turns off. If I then turn it back up (even just to 1), the compressor will stay off for some time (say half an hour or so) before it starts up. But once on it stays on.

I changed the thermostat the other day but it hasn’t made a difference, and the door/seals all seem fine. Anyone got any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance

Andy

[Washman]

Re: Electrolux ES6633I fridge – compressor running constantl

Hi

As long as you have the thin layer of ice and not a thick layer then it is most likely working ok. And if you are opening and closing the door alot then compressor will run alot . remember each time you open the door the cold air falls out of the fridge so when you close the door it has to cool the air again. fridge and freezer compressors do run for alot longer than they are off.

Mike

[BigAndy]

Re: Electrolux ES6633I fridge – compressor running constantl

Hi

Thanks for the quick reply. When I say a “thin” layer of ice, it’s several mm thick. And I can honestly say I’ve never heard the fridge silent (apart from when turned off as mentioned in my first post).

Andy

[Dales-Electronic]

Re: Electrolux ES6633I fridge – compressor running constantl

Likely to be one of the following – door is not closing properly, unit is short of gas and therefore unable to get down to temp and runs constantly or compressor is failing (same fault as previous) and finally bearing in mind the hot weather lately ventilation within kitchen cabinet is not sufficient. Repair costs (first and last diy – two middle ones you need an engineer)

[dpm]

This is a larder fridge, yes? And you fitted the correct, larder fridge, stat? If so, it’d be worth checking that the sensing capillary is in good contact with whatever it’s mounted on, and that there’s no puddles of condensate under the fridge that might signify failed insulation.

Also, put a thermometer in and leave it overnight before checking the temperature. Get back to us with the results.

[BigAndy]

Re: Electrolux ES6633I fridge – compressor running constantl

Hi

It’s an integrated fridge mounted into a vertical “stack” with a freezer underneath it. I did wonder if it was an issue with ventilation but the fridge is more than cold enough. In fact some of the food starts to freeze if I don’t turn to zero then back on to give it a half hour “breather”, as mentioned in my first post. The dial is currently on 1.

My only other question mark was with the thermostat probe wire – unlike other fridges I’ve seen where it’s visible along the side/back of the fridge compartment and goes into some kind of plastic plate, this one simply feeds into a hole behind the lamp/thermostat housing. The old one just pulled out and then I fed the new one down. I had assumed they had to attach to something. The wire is about 2ft long.

One other idea – what if I was to take the probe wire out of this hole and simply leave it coiled up inside the compartment (in case it’s too warm where the end of the probe currently rests)?

I’ll get back with the overnight temperature, but like I said it’s plenty cold enough.

Thanks again all

Andy

[dpm]

That’ll be the problem, the probe doesn’t *know* how cold it is.
Is there maybe a guide tube you should’ve slid the capillary into? You could certainly try withdrawing it and checking for that, or find a way to attach it to the rear surface of the fridge. DON’T DRILL ANY HOLES!

[BigAndy]

Re: Electrolux ES6633I fridge – compressor running constantl

Hi again

I put a thermometer in overnight and it showed 2c in the morning. I expected it to be colder with the compressor running constantly.

The hole that the capillary goes into *is* the proper hole; it’s just strange that it just feeds in and doesn’t attach to anywhere.

Still at a loss to figure this one out. Could there be a relay that is sticking on? Or could to coolant need replacing? I believe the fridge is 6 years old.

Thanks all

Andrew

PS – If all else fails it’s a good excuse to get an american style fridge-freezer and use the integrated cupboard for something else…

[Dales-Electronic]

Re: Electrolux ES6633I fridge – compressor running constantl

OK this bit is important – instead of the tube being clipped to the metal plate at the back (the evaporator) it is fed into a plastic tube that runs inside the insulation and comes out at the back of the evaporator and is forced into contact. Obviously with this in mind you have to make sure you have got the correct thermostat for the model (is this so?) secondly, the length of the tube that is forced into the plastic tube has to be exactly the same as the one coming out otherwise it may not touch the evaporator. Is this also the case?

[BigAndy]

Re: Electrolux ES6633I fridge – compressor running constantl

Definitely the right thermostat for this model, but I don’t think the old one was faulty after all, as the fridge had the same symptoms back then (hence buying the new thermostat thinking that it would solve the problem).

I’ll try straightening out the capillary to see if I can get it just that little bit further, in case it isn’t in contact. However as mentioned in my last post it’s strange that even with the compressor on constantly it still only got down to 2c. Thought it might have gone well below zero if it was constantly cooling the fridge.

[dpm]

You’d need to wait for DAYS with the door closed to get he whole chamber below zero. There’s only convective circulation here and a small surface area.

The ‘stat is only interested in the temp of the coldplate, the actual chamber temp depends on all other outside influences. If you can’t get the stat to turn off it would seem that the pocket at the end of the tube is loose or the foam has failed in that area.

In this case, the unit is likely scrap, and only bodging it by bonding the end of the capillary to the rear face of the chamber. or opening the foam at the rear and dealing with it from the outside is likely to be an improvement. Either of those would be a bodge for sure and risk killing the unit or rendering it unsafe in the process. That’d be your choice…

[Author]

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