Whirlpool Fridge Freezer ART700 throwing house RCD trip

[admin]

Can anybody help? The above Fridge / Freezer has intermitantly started throwing the houshold RCD. It can only be re-set if I turn the stat off. A Whirlpool engineer has been in and charged £45 to tell me a new compressor/pump is required. I have since carried out my own investigation, as the engineer’s diagnosis seemed too quick for me to spend out £300 + for a repair.

The fault cannot be the compressor / pump as the RCD still trips with it disconnected (the same applies to all the other electrical components at the back of the unit). I have traced the fault to a ’10 hour timer’ which takes a feed from the stat (at the front of the unit). I do not know what its purpose is in the system (we do not have a drinks or ice machine installed)? If I turn this timer knob around at one point it will trip the RCD, if I turn it around a little further – everything is OK again. This would seem to explain why the Fridge / Freezer only trips the RCD once a day (around evry 10 hours).

Any advice would be helpfull, thankyou in advance.

[Martin]

Re: Whirlpool Fridge Freezer ART700 throwing house RCD trip

Pablo4,

Very good investigative diagnosis if I may say so 😀

Why don’t you contact Whirlpool with that information and suggest they come back and fit the faulty part without you having to pay any further labour or call-out charge? As you have already stumped up £45 for mis-
diagnosis?

Failing that, get someone local in to do the job, then ask Whirlpool for your £45 back claiming deception and/or giving false information with the intention to decieve 😉

Martin

[kwatt]

Re: Whirlpool Fridge Freezer ART700 throwing house RCD trip

Hi Pablo,

From what you’ve said I’d strongly suspect a faulty defrost element, possibly a thermostat or thermistor and an outside chance that the defrost timer is goosed. However, that said you can’t totally rule out the compressor I don’t think.

You’d need to sit and look for earth leakage on each component individually to be sure, not a quick job I’m afraid.

K.

[admin]

Re: Whirlpool Fridge Freezer ART700 throwing house RCD trip

Thanks K. One thing I forgot to mention was that this fault only occured after turning the unit off and moving it, to have a kitchen floor installed – would this have any bearing on anything?

I want to investigate the defrost system first. This is a frost free unit so that we never actually manually defrost the freezer. I take it the defroster system you are refering to deals with the defrosting of the cooling system rather than the unit itself?

Thanks Pablo

[admin]

Re: Whirlpool Fridge Freezer ART700 throwing house RCD trip

STOP PRESS

I have now disconnected the defrost element and put the timer into defrost mode, and all is fine the RCD does not trip – reconnect it, and it trips again. So K’s diagnosis looks spot on.

Any engineers out there know if I can replace this myself? It looks like just disconnect and ‘wiggle out from the elements? Or is it a re-gas.

Should I obtain the element from Whirlpool or is there a better source?

Thanks and Regards

Pablo

[DentedPorsche]

Re: Whirlpool Fridge Freezer ART700 throwing house RCD trip

Yes it can be replaced without a regas. Take care not to burst/crack any of the pipework. You’ll also need a supply of sticking plasters for your fingers.
When you unplugged the heater was this the only component being unplugged?
Remember to turn the power off before doing anything.
Good luck.
DP

[admin]

Re: Whirlpool Fridge Freezer ART700 throwing house RCD trip

Thanks DP, I know what you mean about the stcking plasters!!! I have already attempted a partial removal and that was bad enough.

I am concerned about the pipework as I am going to have to pull the exchanger/cooler out quite a long way to pull the element out from the bottom – so I will be careful.

Yes the element was the only item disconnected from the power supply – I guess the diagnosis still stands up?.

Thanks for the advice

Regards

Pablo

[DentedPorsche]

Re: Whirlpool Fridge Freezer ART700 throwing house RCD trip

The reason I asked about the element being disconnected is I seem to remember a multi plug on these units and these contained the wiring to one or two thermistor/sensors that clip onto the evaperator. If it is a multi plug it would be worthwhile doing an insulation check on the element and the thermistor/sensors. Unfortunately I don’t have the manual at hand so I’m going by hazy memories of working on these things.
DP
Don’t forget to pull the plug before working on anything. 😳

[Author]

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