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Re: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Tripitaka wrote:Confirm that these caps worked for me perfectly and best of all – they fit perfectly.
Given how easy it is to order from Bitsbox and they ship overnight (ordered yesterday, delivered this morning) I can’t see why anyone would need to go through RS or others; no minimum buy, no size issues and no account needed. No affiliation – just a VERY happy punter.
I ordered:
4 x CC019 (220nF)
3 x X20U1 (0.1uF)
1 x X21U0 (1.0uF)Total cost inc shipping – £4.45
No chatter from the water dispenser and my icemaker works perfectly. Many thanks to all on this forum who contributed to a solution. I am extremely grateful.
Mark.
The .22uf from Bitsbox seem to be too good to be true, small and super long legs; will they stand the test of time?
bbRe: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Tripitaka wrote:Bob has now posted a link for the capacitors required at the Bitsbox site
Remember: these are the ones that I used to repair my S20B RBB20-A/G; they may be different for your model but it is unlikely. From what I have read here, they are all the same.
Hope this helps.
Mark.
Mark
Was this easy to do? I am a complete novice as far soldering goes or do these things just plug in like lego. I have the same model as you.
Thanks
ZafRe: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Wow, the caps seem too good to be true and what a very prompt service from Bitsbox too.
Maybe they have the life span of the faulty caps you’re taking out?
The Caps for your Whirlpool aren’t in a ‘suppression’ application and so don’t require the X or Y classification.
I can only comment on the fact that :- RS Components give comprehensive specifications AND an IMPRESSIVE 200000 hour life expectancy!!
That’s about 22.8 years!
One can fit the easiest replacement to one’s Fridge Freezer but why save some pennies and a little effort for a £1000+ Whirlpool.
The choice is obviously yours but what works for one, may not work for others.
i.e. Nick fitted Farnell ‘Polyester’ which worked for some people, it didn’t work for him.
People are reading these pages and need to make an ‘informed decision’ as to what to buy and where from.Just for the record for those in doubt, these caps nor the RS caps fit onto the faulty ‘Front Panel’ LED display without ‘little effort’
Infact, they do not at all.
Thank you and regards
johnRe: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Zaf wrote:
Mark
Was this easy to do? I am a complete novice as far soldering goes or do these things just plug in like lego. I have the same model as you.
Thanks
Zaf
@Zaf – Yes, it was easy enough to do but then although I am far from an expert, I am comfortable using a soldering iron and desoldering pump. If in doubt, just take the board to a local TV/Electronics repair shop and have them do the job for you. I’m sure you’ll find one locally to you and if you talk to them in advance then they should be able to do it while you wait – it’s a 10 min job and they shouldn’t really be charging more than a tenner or so.
@broddersbaldrick – John, understand what you are saying but we need to be careful here. Just because you can’t find specs does not imply they are inferior components and there is an undertone to your recent postings that infers some sour grapes or resistance to using Bitsbox. I’m sure that isn’t the case and that you are just being helpful. As an example, the case where a user bought the 8 caps suggests that they were from Bitsbox or the same make/type and that isn’t the case to my knowledge. I’ll make clear that I have no connection with Bitsbox other than a one-time satisfied user or their product and service.To me, ease of purchase and fitting is more important than having a product that will last 22.5 years. I won’t have the fridge in 5+ years probably; certainly not in 10. I’m sure that time will tell whether they are of a satisfactory standard but if they aren’t, well, thats a whole £4.45 inc p&p down the drain. I think I can stand that. Until they fail though, we have to assume that they are just as suitable as the RS ones – more so if you consider the size and fitting issues with the RS product and also the minimum buy numbers, account requirement if you don’t live close to an RS trade counter etc.
I agree with you strongly that readers here need the info to make an informed decision but lets keep it neutral. I’m sure that both have their pros and cons and there is enough info up here now for people to make that choice.
With regard to the front board caps though – I didn’t need to touch mine but then I didn’t have the flashing lights issue either.
Mark.
Re: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
broddersbaldrick wrote:Hi Neil, did you sort your problem yet?
There are caps on your front board too but so little room for the new current style.
One can buy the ‘correct type’ from RS and stick them to the rear of the front module. Mine has been working for months together with one i fixed in Oldham and a nice guy (Chris) in Aberdeen.
Give me a shout as per my details on page 22Hi broddersbaldrick, Yes all sorted now thanks! I re-read the posts here, ordered the relevant capacitors from RS and replaced them. It has solved all the problems I had, no flickering and the freezer is working again. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post advice and suggestions.
Neil. 😀
Re: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Tripitaka wrote:
Zaf wrote:
Mark
Was this easy to do? I am a complete novice as far soldering goes or do these things just plug in like lego. I have the same model as you.
Thanks
Zaf
@Zaf – Yes, it was easy enough to do but then although I am far from an expert, I am comfortable using a soldering iron and desoldering pump. If in doubt, just take the board to a local TV/Electronics repair shop and have them do the job for you. I’m sure you’ll find one locally to you and if you talk to them in advance then they should be able to do it while you wait – it’s a 10 min job and they shouldn’t really be charging more than a tenner or so.Mark.
Thanks again Mark and thanks to Broddersbaldrick John who has has come to my rescue as he is local to me. I will let all the users know if this solves my issues.
Regards to all
ZafRe: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Tripitaka wrote:
Zaf wrote:
Mark
Was this easy to do? I am a complete novice as far soldering goes or do these things just plug in like lego. I have the same model as you.
Thanks
Zaf
@Zaf – Yes, it was easy enough to do but then although I am far from an expert, I am comfortable using a soldering iron and desoldering pump. If in doubt, just take the board to a local TV/Electronics repair shop and have them do the job for you. I’m sure you’ll find one locally to you and if you talk to them in advance then they should be able to do it while you wait – it’s a 10 min job and they shouldn’t really be charging more than a tenner or so.
@broddersbaldrick – John, understand what you are saying but we need to be careful here. Just because you can’t find specs does not imply they are inferior components and there is an undertone to your recent postings that infers some sour grapes or resistance to using Bitsbox. I’m sure that isn’t the case and that you are just being helpful. As an example, the case where a user bought the 8 caps suggests that they were from Bitsbox or the same make/type and that isn’t the case to my knowledge. I’ll make clear that I have no connection with Bitsbox other than a one-time satisfied user or their product and service.To me, ease of purchase and fitting is more important than having a product that will last 22.5 years. I won’t have the fridge in 5+ years probably; certainly not in 10. I’m sure that time will tell whether they are of a satisfactory standard but if they aren’t, well, thats a whole £4.45 inc p&p down the drain. I think I can stand that. Until they fail though, we have to assume that they are just as suitable as the RS ones – more so if you consider the size and fitting issues with the RS product and also the minimum buy numbers, account requirement if you don’t live close to an RS trade counter etc.
I agree with you strongly that readers here need the info to make an informed decision but lets keep it neutral. I’m sure that both have their pros and cons and there is enough info up here now for people to make that choice.
With regard to the front board caps though – I didn’t need to touch mine but then I didn’t have the flashing lights issue either.
Mark.
Hi Mark,
Forgive my disparaging tone; I have removed ‘biased’ comments written in the heat of the moment.
‘Bitbox’ service is outstanding; the minute I read your comments, I ordered some. They arrived the next morning 9am sharp!
I was impressed with the length of the legs and thought ‘what an easy fit’
Yes it’s so easy ordering from Bitsbox and about 75{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} cheaper on the carriage charge too.
RS don’t have a minimum order quantity on the correct components, that’s Farnell and yes you have the account info to consume even more time.
I paid just over £20 for 2 sets of caps from RS including VAT and Postage and less then £5 for one set from Bitsbox. (One quarter of the priceïŠ)I have been asked by people in Ireland, France and Bulgaria for help and not about to send replacements that do not a specified life expectancy.
I wouldn’t fit them myself so wouldn’t send them to other people.
Obviously the caps being removed from these relatively new Whirlpool’s haven’t a known life expectancy either and certainly not weapons grade.
.
If one’s going to the trouble of repairing something, surely one wants a permanent fix?
The RS caps aren’t actually too difficult to fit; but why trade the life of your whirlpool for a quick fix?
This quick fix doesn’t work on the Front L.E.D Display so where do we source those components?
We could order from China and get the original but we know they don’t last.
To use an analogy
I buy genuine brake pads for my car knowing the cheaper pattern parts will wear sooner and probably squeal.
I’m an electronics engineer and have worked in Nuclear Power Stations, I’ve worked at Bovington Army testing ground and BAE Weapon Systems, Fiat Research (Italy) have also e-mailed me in the past when I had a solution for their CNG vehicles.I simply wanted to avoid people being in the same boat in another 2 or 3 years time
The guy with the flickering lights? he wrote to me yesterday morning.
Thank you Mark, kindest regards john
Re: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Thank you to all the advice I have gained from this site – we purchased the BitsBox X2 kit as suggested on this thread and a friend has today put them into place on the rear board and guess what – we have a smooth water supply (used to splutter); no ticking (used to make a noise – especially at night) and finally the ice machine seems to be now working (after not working for at least two years). I am so relieved/pleased and all for £2.95 plus P&P and this fab webiste.
Our model number Whirlpool S20DRSS10. Thankyou.Re: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Hi all
Update- John has done the business for me and I am really pleased with the results. Both boards needed the caps changing as just doing the rear did not fix the freezer and ice making problems.
I have seen both parts for myself and although the yellow Bits Box are a neat size and will probably do the job for you there may still be a question of reliability. my ethos is to fit something and then be able to forget it, I aim to get things fixed right the first time.
The RS parts are bigger and it does need some tweaking and a steady hand but they are really robust and should not need changing again.Once again thanks to all who helped with advice and especially to John Broderick.
Regards
ZafJohn,
What we need to do now is get out to a wider audience; those that have the problems but don’t find this site or read through 24 pages of posts.How about putting together a DIY guide and selling it on ebay with the requisite parts? Sounds like an opportunity!
Mark.
Re: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Hi Mark,
Yes I agree that it can take a while for faulty fridge owners to find the answer they’re looking for.
Yes a kit could be put together and a set of comprehensive instructions but, what components go in the kit?
RS quote very low power dissipation on their units; it’s this ‘dissipation’ usually absorbed in the form of heat that causes the cap to fail.
One fits well and one doesn’t
It’s a quandary to say the least.
I have no idea or simple solution and at a loss as to know which way to turn.
Kindest regards
johnIf it comes as a kit from one location then most of the disadvantages of RS are overcome; account requirement, minimum orders etc. You could buy in the parts in numbers so these would be a favourable choice.
In terms of fitting and size, the instructions would need to show how to make them fit but I’m sure it isn’t to hard.
You could even source a decent soldering iron and desoldering “solution” (wick or pump) and sell these as extras so people had all they needed to do it themseleves. Finally, you could offer a send and return service where people removed the board themselves under instruction and sent it to you, you did the repair and mailed it back to them.
The possibilities are numerous and the service is needed. I think that you are a much better candidate than I to do it but if you don’t fancy it then let me know and I’ll put something together.
I’m driven by a strong desire to prevent Whirlpool making profit by charging extortionate amounts of money for callouts and parts to repair what is essentially a design fault on their appliances.
What do you think?
Re: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
Hi Tripitaka,
I am looking at it and writing up a full “How To” once I get my head around all this as we usually don’t go down to component level, with some notable exceptions.
What we will do is happily publish the info.
What we won’t do is sell inferior parts or an inferior fix as we have a reputation to maintain. 😉
I am awaiting a board to come in, possibly tomorrow, so I can get some hi-res macro photos of the components and board to explain exactly how this repair is done. Then I need to source the correct caps etc. from wherever required and we’ll sell it as a kit, I have access to all that sort of stuff anyway.
It does have to be understood by people however that, as soon as you start poking about it’s entirely at your own risk and if you blow up the board we won’t want to know about it and Whirlpool will deny all responsibility as well.
K.
Excellent stuff! I think that is exactly what is needed. People will only go for this route if they are comfortable in doing it and I know many won’t fancy it at first thought so the instructions would need to be comprehensive. I still think that there will be a need for a postal repair service though for those that don’t even know which way to hold a screwdriver.
Of course, the caveats would apply in any case. What we need to be clear about is that anything done through here is aimed at helping people avoid the exorbitant cost. It could be that people do the repair (or have it done) and it does not solve the problem for them; that must be a risk they accept. If people want full indemnity cover for any event and a guaranteed solution then they need to understand that going to Whirlpool and paying that cost is their only solution.
Mark.
Re: Whirlpool American Fridge Freezer broken down – help!
In all honesty, if someone doesn’t know how to follow the instructions even within this thread then they have, in my opinion, no business messing with something carrying 240VAC. It probably won’t end well.
That being the case it’s much better to have an engineer to look at it and do the work.
But, having the instructions and kit available makes that possible for the engineers as well as anyone that fancies having a go themselves. Which should mean that most of the guys can then repair the modules rather than simply replace them or, at least, attempt a repair.
More what I was trying to get to with the note about liability was that, even if anything else happens to the machine in the future (it blows up, is subject to a recall or anything else) neither Whirlpool or anyone else will want to know. They will take the same line as a car manufacturer or insurer and say, “You modified it, it’s not to our specification, it’s your problem.” and that’ll be that. Any warranty in any shape or form will be nullified, implied or otherwise and you will lose any recourse regardless of what happens.
K.
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