Vintage Hotpoint 8126 Larder Fridge

[brian_mk]

Apologies for the length of this post – it’s turned into a bit of a saga!

I have an old Hotpoint 8126 under counter larder fridge.
It was bought in 1989 and is now almost 30 years old.
It has been working fine all this time apart from two or three replacement stats over the years.
The recent spell of hot weather has put a strain on the compressor and associated components.
The average kitchen ambient temp over the last 2/3 weeks has been around 28C compared with the usual 18C. The compressor has to work twice as hard to maintain the ideal 6C internal temperature.

I noticed the compressor was running for a lot longer than usual.
A few days ago it stopped working altogether.
I traced the fault to burnt out contacts in the current sensing starter relay.
It’s probably to be expected after 30 years.
This relay is obsolete: Replacements are no longer available.
I resorted to drilling out the rivets that hold the relay cover in place to gain access to the contacts. I was then able to clean them up using fine needle file and emery paper. I replaced the rivets with a couple of 8BA bolts.
The compressor then sprang into life and fridge appeared to work fine.

However a day later, the compressor stopped again.
This time the bi-metal overload on the side of the compressor had tripped suggesting the compressor may be drawing too much current and/or overheating.
The compressor body was almost too hot to touch.
The relay still appeared to be ok.
I reset the cut-out contacts and the compressor ran ok once again.

I’ve since discovered that if I leave the insulated cover off the relay & overload components, the overload sensor does not trip.
This is presumably because the bi-metal strip does not get as hot when it is left uncovered.

Leaving the fridge pulled out from the normal under-counter recess, pointing a desk fan at the compressor and radiator, setting the thermostat slightly higher and not opening the door too often all help the fridge to continue running.

I read online that a compressor can get up to 250F (=120C) when running normally.
I also read that overheating can be due to low refrigerant or degradation of the oil in the compressor.
I measured the compressor temperature at the outlet pipe (without the desk fan) at 65degC. The ambient room temperature was 27degC.
Is a temperature of 65C to be expected on a hot day or does it indicate a potential problem with the compressor?

Or could it be a problem with the overload sensor itself?
Dirty contacts and/or tripping at a temperature that is too low?
It’s impossible to examine the contacts under the bi-metal strip to determine if they are clean.
They measure about 1 Ohm, so there could be some surface damage.
The screw that holds the bi-metallic strip in place is sealed with glue/varnish, so obviously should not be tampered with without upsetting the calibration.
Like the relay, the overload sensor is also obsolete so impossible to find a replacement.
Generic overload sensors are available on eBay for compressors of different HP ratings but I can’t find any data on the Hotpoint compressor to determine it’s power rating. The label on the back of the fridge indicates 95W.

Unless someone can up with a suggestion, I think I’ve reached a point where I’ve run out of repair options and it’s time to buy a new fridge. I would imagine that modern fridges will be more efficient, have better insulation and use less power.

[brian_mk]

Re: Vintage Hotpoint 8126 Larder Fridge

I’ve narrowed my search for a replacement (mainly based on size – under counter, 55cm wide, 85cm high, 60cm deep). I don’t want a freezer compartment as I have a separate freezer.
I’m looking for quality, reliability and a fire retardant back (no plastic!).

So far…
Hotpoint RLAAV22P1 or
Leibherr T1700 or T7120

Any other recommendations/horror stories/don’t buy advice?

[Author]

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