Service MO330W Frost Free Fridge Freezer – Fridge not cold

[pauby]

Hi,

I originally posted this over on the Refrigeration Engineer website and was referred here. The original link is: http://www.refrigeration-engineer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17600 – note that I originally thought this was an Indesit, but it is in fact a Servis (there is no badge or anything else on the fridge to indicate what it is and the sticker with the details on has faded.

I’m hoping somebody can help me out.

I’ve got a Servis MO330W Frost Free Fridge Freezer which has a problem with the fridge part. It is no longer going cold. Freezer works absolutely fine as it always has done.

I’ve searched and searched in here and elsewhere and have gotten some good advice (including how un-frost free frost-free appliances are) and how to resolve the problems with it not going cold. The common cause seems to be ice blocked channels or around the coils.

I switched the fridge freezer off on Sunday evening and emptied the fridge. I then started putting bowls of boiled water in the fridge and closing the door (in the hope that if it was ice it would help melt it – I now realise that this may have been a mistake as the water would have cooled and possibly made it worse, but anyway). I then left the door open overnight and continued the next day with the bowls again.

Today I have switched the fridge freezer back on, but the fridge is still not getting cold. Freezer continues to work fine.

As I am swaying towards the fridge freezer being passed it and needing replaced. I have poured a little water down the channels (as mentioned in the RE forum thread) and they are clear (water is coming out of the bottom. This has also confirmed that there was no ice in the fridge freezer as the drip tray at the bottom was still empty after the two days sitting.

It has been suggested that the fan may be broken which is possible now that I know there is unlikely to be ice in it. My question though is, where is the fan and how do I get at it.

Can anybody suggest anything else before I replace it?

UPDATE: After I moved the fridge and switched it back on I did blue tack a tissue over the top hole where the thermostat was and there is a small draught coming out of there (the tissue moves very slightly). Between the door opening and the light going on, there is a small delay and I managed to put my fingers into the top hole and fee a small draught which stops once the light, and the fan, go off.

[pauby]

Re: Service MO330W Frost Free Fridge Freezer – Fridge not co

A further update.

I took a panel off that I found inside the freezer. Behind it was the fan and the coils. The bottom of the coils had a large block of ice attached (just attached to the bottom underneath the coils) so I defrosted that with a hair dryer.

I then switched the fridge freezer on and the fan started spinning after about a minute so I now know that works.

I’ve put it all back together again and have popped it back in the corner. Will wait for a couple of hours to let things settle and switch it back on again and come back here.

[pauby]

Re: Service MO330W Frost Free Fridge Freezer – Fridge not co

No response on here but I thought I’d update.

Fridge is, almost, back to normal. It’s now a bit too cold and I think the thermostat in the fridge has maybe gone or been damaged.

Anyway, removing the block of ice from the bottom of the coils has resolved the problem. I’m not quite sure why as it wasn’t blocking anything (as the fan is at the top of the coils. Maybe the coils were not getting cold enough because the ice made them thermostat think it was already cold enough.

Whatever the reason, it’s fixed.

[spimps]

Re: Service MO330W Frost Free Fridge Freezer – Fridge not co

Hi,
The fan pushes air through the coils,there are two ducts/channels embeded in the case of the fridge,one to take cold air up to the fridge usually below the coils and the other to return the air back to the freezer usually above the coils.
When the evaporator coils become blocked with ice the fan is unable to push the air around hence the warm temps in the fridge. You have cured it for the time being but there may be an under lying fault causing the problem.If it’s still Ok in amonth then you should have cured it.
Normally the freezer defrosts itself but if the door hasn’t been closed correctly for say overnight this could trigger off the over frosting.

[subs]

Re: Service MO330W Frost Free Fridge Freezer – Fridge not co

The block of ice you describe at the bottom of the coils is usually caused by the drain hole for the melted frost being blocked. The water is unable to drain away to the tray on the compressor and so freezes and builds up over time. Clear the drain hole with a pipe cleaner or the like to stop it reaccuring.

Subs

[spimps]

Re: Service MO330W Frost Free Fridge Freezer – Fridge not co

Just to add further complications on some models a defrost heater is embedded in the drain channel base and walls so if this fails it will constantly block.
Maybe time to

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