Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

[hbrac]

Hi guys. Long time no see. Hope you are all well.

I was wondering if you could give me some advice please.
I have a 2 year old John Lewis large frost free upright freezer JLFZW 1806
P/N 922342720
S/N 72201987

Just recently I have been aware that it is noisier than usual and appears to be “running” for longer. It has started rhythmically groaning and sighing like an old asthmatic !
Today the alarm went off and the internal temperature had risen to -11 degrees.
As luck would have it I already had a call out booked today under the 3 year guarantee.

Guy came out, checked all the pipes at the back and pronounced them sound. He undid a white pipe that he said looked oK.

He has ordered new sensors and a switch .
I put it onto fast freeze and after much noise it has gone back down to -17.It still appears to be running continuously despite me now switching off Fast freeze.

I did have some plastic bags poking through the drawers touching the inside of the freezer door but they weren’t obstructing the door closure.

My question….do these things have thermostats that can go wrong or would you think that replacing the sensors/switch sounds reasonable?
As you can imagine, I have a large freezer packed with food and my nerves are shot to ribbons.

Cheers…..hbrac :hmm:

[hbrac]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Hmmm…perhaps all you refrigeration guys are on a sunny beach somewhere. :rolls:
Anyway, the new parts are in place. I think it is still running alot although it does have periods of quiet and the temp is stable. Can anybody still left in the country advise whether there is another fault to be fixed. If it was in my kitchen the constant hum would drive me barmy.
Many thanks.

[spimps]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Just got back 😀 🙁
The fridges now running on r600a which yours is are notoriously noisey,bubbling gurgling etc is common,horrible compared to the old stuff,progress/saving the planet 😕
As the weather is a bit warmer fridges will naturally run for longer periods dependant on which room they are housed in.
Buy a couple of decent thermometers to compare the cabinet temps,if all is well don’t pay it too much attention,as it is a noisier machine you will notice it more.
If the milk on th corn flakes is a bit off then it’s a different matter.

[hbrac]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Spimps…too many sangrias or just plain old jet lag ? :king: It is a frost free freezer so no fridge bit. It’s in the utility room. I much prefer Special K !

[hbrac]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Bump. 😆
Anyone sangria free who can advise whether I should get the engineer back ? Most of the time there is a loud hum as if it’s constantly running with a few” sighs ” interspersed.

[spimps]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Check the black radiator at the back,look for the small pipe leaving the compressor,it will be very hot to the touch.
Look where it goes onto the black radiator device(condenser)it snakes down and whilst it will be warm to the touch at the top should be cooled off by the time it is 3/4 of the way down.
If the compressor is extremely hot to the touch also you could have a refrigerant loss and then it’s time to get the engineer back.

[hbrac]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

OK. Thanks.Will look tomorrow although the engineer said that he thought it all looked OK at the back.

[spimps]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Looking doesn’t indicate what’s going on internally,gauges would need to be connected to ensure pressure of system are correct.
However as i said before if the temps of the compartments
are OK bearing in mind the noisey refrigerant in new appliances then you are likely to be worrying over nothing.
BG

[hbrac]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

I’ve pulled it out now to take another look.

The black grill at the back is cool.There is a black electrical box (cool) attached to a shiny black pot shaped unit which I assume is the condenser at the base of the grilles.This black unit is very hot to touch and running/buzzing continuously.

I have now changed the temperature to -16 which is what I originally had it on. The compresser turned off. It was the engineer who said it should be -18 and changed it back. I will see what happens when the cabinet temp rises and listen to what the condenser is doing at that point.
If it is still buzzing/on continuously I’ll get him back.
Thanks for your help and advice.

[spimps]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

The black domed device is the motor/compressor,box on the side is the relay,the condenser is the black radiator device up the back or sometimes it’s underneath with a fan to help it cool.

[hbrac]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Ah…so it’s the compressor that’s buzzing. Why did I say condensor? Well, the temp is now -16 and it’s still going full pelt most of the time. You would go mad if it was in the kitchen. I think I will ring them and ask them to come back. I’m sure it can’t be right. Thanks for the tutorial spimps :lesson:

[hbrac]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Ok.He’s been back. The compressor is running all the time, as I thought, and the outside of the right side of the cabinet is red hot. He will give a price to John Lewis for repair but reckons that they will opt for giving me a new freezer as it’s still under warranty.
Do I want another one the same??? Not sure. There are not that many tall frost free freezers of 1800mm height with 7 drawers around for a reasonable price.
Any recommendations please. Do Bosch do one?

[don]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Hi hbrac

Hotpoint FZS175 has seven drawers circa £399 with a one year labour and five year parts warranty, Bosch GSN28V01 7 drawers circa £500 with a full two year guarantee, Gorenje FN61230 8 drawers comes with a good five year warranty.These apart you will have to up the budget quite a bit.

HTH

Don

[hbrac]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

I paid about £500 for this John Lewis one so I suppose I’m looking for one for a similar price.
On the Bosch website there is a GSD34N01GB Classixx FF Upright. Is this the basic Bosch range? I get confused with Exxcel , Logixx etc. A local supplier is selling the Classix one for £469. It has a manual temperature control whatever that means. I thought they were all manual in that you could adjust the cabinet temperature yourself.However I can’t see that one on the John Lewis website of available freezers.

Knowing my luck JL will say Repair it !!

[don]

Re: Groaning FF Freezer JLFZW 1806

Hi

GSD34N01 is not a frost free appliance, any model in their upright range with letters starting GSN is frost free. Classixx is the budget range, Exxcel machines will have added functions and features while the top range Logixx is their all singing and all dancing range which will come a premium price. All ranges come with the standard Bosch two year warranty.

HTH 🙂

Don

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