⚠️ SAFETY MESSAGE: Always disconnect the power supply before starting any appliance repair. Electrical components can cause severe shock or death if handled improperly. If you are unsure, consult a professional.
When a fridge stops working, it can feel like a race against time to save your food. To find the problem quickly, we need to follow a logical path—much like a "Philip Fisher-style" investor follows a checklist to find a quality business. 📈
The Diagnostic Path 🪜
🌑 No Light & No Sound:
Likely a power supply issue (fuse, plug, or socket).
💡 Light is ON but No Sound:
Thermostat is likely faulty or set to the 'off' position.
🖱️ Clicking Sound:
The start relay or compressor is failing to start.
❄️ Running but Not Cold:
Possible gas leak or a failed compressor pumping issue.
Step 1: The Power Check 🔌
The very first step is often the most overlooked. If the fridge is completely "dead" (no light, no hum), we have to confirm the power is actually reaching the machine.
Guiding Question: Before we start taking panels off to look at the motor or the brain, what is the quickest way you could verify that the wall socket itself is actually providing power? ⚡
There are not many homes today that do not have a fridge and freezer unit, on top of this they are never off they cycle on and off but are turned on for 24 hours a day.
It is inevitable that at some point they will require attention, this could be either electric control issues or a part of the gas filled refrigerant circuit. Its possible with minimal tools to fault find the electrical side but more specialised equipment will be needed for the Gas filled refrigerant side of the repair and more specialised knowledge.
Free falling and force air fridges
These rely on the movement of air going across the evaporator and moving around the rest of the refrigerated compartments. To allow for the flow of air these units must be either manually or automatically defrosted at set intervals. Ensure the instruction manuals are followed and ensure the correct operation of auto defrosts otherwise problems will occur.
** Beware if you fridge or freezer unit fails and food becomes to warm or defrosts do not refreeze, discard this as it may be contaminated **
Fridge & Freezer common issues and Problems
Over freezing
Build of ice internal to the freezer, this could be a faulty seal letting in warm moist air this continual ingress of air builds up an excess of ice this could happen if the freezer is opened to often.
Blockage to air movement around unit
Thermostat broken and not signalling the compressor to turn off when the correct temperature has been reached.
Not cooling
Usually caused by compressor or thermostat not controlling the temperature correctly, other possible causes could be compressor replay or thermistor or low gas in system or a problem in the refrigerant circuit.
Leaking water
Usually a spillage from inside the fridge freezer it could be a sign of failure of the unit as the ice melts, other causes can be that the Defrost tray on compressor is overfilled or it is damaged or not fitted correctly. It could also be for its very rare, a break down of or missing / damaged insulation around the unit.
Noisy fridge / freezer
Could be a noisy compressor due to an internal fault it could be a fan that making contact with the side of unit. Thermostat failure leading to on-off cycling.
Fridge freezer not working at all
This could be many things from electronic or sensor failure, compressor control failure or complete compressor failure. Fuses or cable termination issues could also cause this.
The refrigerant system is usually the last thing to go wrong and are sealed units and rarely go wrong unless damaged. The main problems comes from the control systems such as thermistors and thermostats, the control boards that control the thermistors. Then there are the compressor components the compressor itself, the control relay and thermal cut out devices and the capacitors that help motor start and operate.
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