Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fan??

[jacanterbury]

Hi,

I’ve searched the forum but not found a solution so i’m posting in the hope that someone might be able to offer a useful suggestion.

I have a 4 year old Miele kfn 12823 and the FRIDGE has stopped working but freezer is still fine.

There is power and the light comes on but it doesn’t chill.(its at +15deg)

Now, the fan at the top back (inside) the fridge isn’t spinning (not even with the door closed) and the back internal fridge wall around the fan area is cold to the touch so I’m wondering if it’s simply that it needs the fan working (I don’t know whether the fan is integral to the cooling, or just an extra touch to try to ensure an even temperature around the fridge?)

I was wondering if anyone might be able to suggest possibilities for what it might be and, if possible, and suggestions for how to diagnose what it actually is?

I’m ok, and also competent with electrics and have a multi-meter etc and am happy to do some investigating before resorting to calling anyone out.

Needless to say, it’s out of warranty and i didn’t pay to renew it (I splashed out on a Miele as they are meant to be super reliable etc so needless to say I’m underwhelmed that it’s failed so soon.)

many thanks,
john

[SAMURI]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

Try feeling the compressor at the back to see if it is hot.

If it is hot pull out the freezer baskets to see if there is an ice / frost build up in the freezer as it may not have defrosted itself, if it is iced up then get someone to look after the food and turn it off for 48 hours with the doors open to fully defrost it.

If it is not iced up then it has lost some of the refrigerant or the compressor is not pumping correctly.

If the compressor is cold or only slightly warm then it will be the fridge evaporator sensor faulty and you will need the sensor repair kit this comes with instructions how to fit.

Bob

[jacanterbury]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply Bob.

The compressor is very hot – uncomfortable to touch for more than a couple of seconds, so I took a look inside the freezer compartment (where I finally found the serial number and model number – its actually a 12923)
There was some ice in there – see photo here on twitter – https://twitter.com/johnallenkent/statu … 92/photo/1 so I’ve turned it off and am letting it thaw.
To speed up the process I’ve put a couple of tubs in the empty freezer and poured boiling water into them. I’ll report back how it goes.

One thing, the fact that the fan in the fridge never seems to spin – is that a problem? Also, the fridge temperature alarm never went off, even though the actual temperature was 15deg (it dropped to 9deg last night when it was left empty)
Cheers,
John

[SAMURI]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

Make sure it is fully defrosted as it will be iced up behind the rear panel.

The fan may not work until the temperature drops in the fridge.

if it works ok when it has been defrosted and the problem returns in 2 to 4 weeks then you will have a problem with the freezer evaporator sensor or the drain for the freezer is blocked.

Bob

[jacanterbury]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

Thanks Bob. It did start to work for a while (fridge got down to 5deg and fan was spinning) but now seems to have stopped again and the fridge is warming up again (freezer still fine) so I’m hoping that it’s just that i didn’t give it long enough to fully defrost – i’ll have another go.

I can see where the drain for the fridge is (and its not blocked) but not for the freezer – is it easily accessible (its not mentioned in the user manual)

If its the freezer evaporator sensor that’s at fault, do you have any idea of how easy/hard it is to replace?

btw – are service manuals available anywhere for Miele appliances – even for sale? (google has not been my friend this time) – i’ve only been able to find the user manuals?

cheers,
John

[SAMURI]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

Hi from Bob

The drain for the freezer is behind the rear panel and shoul clear when it has fully defrosted.

If when it has fully defrosted the fault is the same then it may be the fridge sensor.

If the fridge cooled down to 5 degrees and then rises again it could be the fridge evaporator sensor.

The fridge evaporator sensor is the most common problem.

If you order a sensor kit it comes with the instructions and if you have basic DIY skills is not difficult to fit.

The sensors are not cheap so it may pay to get an engineer to check this is the fault.

Bob

[jacanterbury]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

I’ve waited a couple of weeks to see what happened but the good news is that it’s still all working fine.
When I removed the back panel of the inside of the freezer compartment (needs a small torx screwdriver) it was a proverbial iceberg situation. the small amount of ice I’d seen previously was literally the top of the iceberg – behind the panel it was solid ice. Once this had defrosted I replaced the back panel (threading the sensor back through was a little fiddly) and switched it on and it’s worked fine since. Also the fan inside the fridge works (assuming the fan button is switched on) – it takes a few seconds to stop when the door is opened). I found having a separate fridge thermometer was really useful as the built in indicator is not a thermometer, only an indicator to the temperature you’d like it to be, so it can be misleading, especially as no fridge alarm is triggered when it warms up.
So, many thanks Bob for taking the time to reply. If you want to let me know your favorite charity then I’d like to send them a cheque for £20 as a thank you.
cheers,
John

[SAMURI]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

Thank you for the update.

I do not have a favourite Charity but if you want to donate perhaps you can choose a local homeless charity near you.

There are a growing number of homeless and it may help them give a bed for a night to someone.

Thanks again glad to help and your gesture is much appreciated.

Bob

[SAMURI]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

If the problem returns then check the drain at the back by the compressor.

On some models it has a pipe connected to the bottom of the compressor drain tray this can become blocked.

On others it has a rubber non return valve at the end of the drain pipe this can get blocked.

Thanks

Bob

[jacanterbury]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

Thanks Bob, I’ll bear that in mind. Good news is that it’s still working fine though it’s interesting how much the temperature varies in different parts of the fridge (I bought a separate fridge thermometer)
I’ve just donated £20 online to catchinglives which George Osborne has kindly rounded up to £25 🙂
thanks again for taking the time to share your expertise,
best wishes,
John

[smallworld74]

Re: Miele kfn 12823 FRIDGE not working but freezer fine – fa

Big style thanks to jacanterbury and SAMURI/Bob for this thread. My Miele, same as this one, seems to be doing the same. I was taking the back apart to inspect the PCB when I found this. On taking the freezer drawers out, found the back spawning the next ice age. Currently being defrosted and hoping all will work again afterwards.

For me, and in case it helps anyone else: neither fridge nor freezer were holding their temperature. I’d got back from work to find the freezer part defrosted and the problems started from then. The fridge just wasn’t cold. Everything else seemed to be working. The refrigerant reservoir was almost too hot to touch, so working very hard. Don’t know if there’s anything to prioritise cooling to the freezer over the fridge, but I guess the machine was working to cool the freezer. But as the cooling panel was totally iced up, the freezer compartment wouldn’t cool enough. After turning the unit off for ten minutes, then on again, the fridge cooled, over a couple of hours, to about 12 degrees then shut off again. A call to Miele support was little help. Anyway, fingers currently crossed. 😐

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