Hotpoint freezer fault?

[Fred Bloggs]

Terry Pinnell wrote:

Fred Bloggs <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:



I assume you are talking about a side-by-side? If you have an ice
machine in the freezer, be sure to turn this OFF until you return to
normal operation.


No, the 8571 is a combination unit with fridge on top and freezer
below. Probably obsolete by now; as mentioned, mine is at least 8
years old.

As you've probably seen, all is now well, thanks.

BTW, I don't think integrated ice-makers are found in the majority of
UK combination units.

Well- let's see if all is well- you have the means to make a scientific
determination. You will need a wattmeter and hour run meter. The steady
state run power should be something like 300W or less, and the long term
average duty will be below 30%. Check Bob Pease's site at NS for a great
wattmeter design

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Fred Bloggs <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:

Well- let's see if all is well- you have the means to make a scientific
determination. You will need a wattmeter and hour run meter. The steady
state run power should be something like 300W or less, and the long term
average duty will be below 30%. Check Bob Pease's site at NS for a great
wattmeter design

I think I'll settle for the occasional pair of temp measurements
thanks Fred! Even gaining access to its mains supply means either a
lot of grunt work shifting adjacent dishwasher then the unit itself,
or dismantling wall-mounted switch. Pretty satisfied it was the cause
described up-thread.

--
Terry Pinnell
Hobbyist, West Sussex, UK

 

[Terry Pinnell]

ablight@alphalink.com.au (Andrew VK3BFA) wrote:

Hello Terry,
as you have worked out by now this is not a complex engineering
problem (well, the mechanism is, but the cure is simple - and I must
clean my fridge/freezer as well, now its been mentioned). Leaving the
door open was enuff to tip it over the edge - it prcipitated moisture
in the air, probably on top of the thermostat hence the -1 degree
reading.
Frost free fridges dont have drip trays - during the defrost cycle,
the waste water is evaporated to the atmosphere so no problem. What I
would suggest for maintenance is have a loook at the fridge
compartment drain tube - its under the freezing coils in the back,
probably got a simple trough arrangement to feed waste water to it.
This gets blocked and things start to grow in the fridge - usually
behind the 5 year old bottles of (whatever) that live there. Use a
piece of insulated elictrical cable to ream it out. Makes a difference
to efficiency, hygiene, and is "good for the environment" - chant this
as you do a dirty mucky job, makes you feel more socially
responsible....
de VK3BFA Andrew.

Thanks Andrew. I recall the last (even worse) ice-up was indeed caused
by blockage in that fridge drain pipe. Your warning has been taken to
heart. I'll immediately make myself a screen saver with a floater like
'Clean that fridge!' <g>

VK3? Australia? Makes me nostalgic about my short wave listening days.
Must dust off my HF-225...

--
Terry Pinnell
Hobbyist, West Sussex, UK

 

[Dan O.]

- Terry Pinnell -
I have a Hotpoint 8571, combination fridge freezer. I accidentally
left the freezer door open a fraction yesterday. I corrected after no
more than 2 hours and moved switch from 'Economy' to 'Fast freeze' to
compensate. But squishy ice cream today, maybe 20 hours later, pointed
to some problem, which now investigating and would appreciate any
advice please.

I'm measuring temperatures with sensor connected to my external DVM.
(Cable is thin and I reckon seal is maintained.) Fridge temp looks OK,
at 5 deg C. But freezer temp is too high. After an hour, compartment
below the top one is now at only -1 deg. Yet the red 'temperature
warning light' is not on. The instruction book says it 'Comes on when
the temperature inside the freezer compartment rises above the correct
long term storage temperature.'

First question is: what *should* be temperature inside a freezer? And
how long do I need to leave it before regarding that as a stable
temperature?

More important, what is likely cause? A year or two ago I had a
similar problem and engineer ended up having to remove back panel
where we discovered large ice deposits. Took both of us with hair
dryers a good hour to melt it. Should I suspect same this time? If so,
what is *underlying* cause? Any other possibilities?

I've had 8 years use from it, so maybe time has come to replace...

I did not see your post till after Turtle seen Nehmo's answer to your post
and then I
saw it.

It sounds like the evaporator (cooling) coil in the freezer may be too
frosted up now to allow proper cooling. If it is a frost free model, it may
even be too bad for the auto-defrost system to handle quickly. Turing power
off to the refrigerator and leaving both doors open for 12-24 hours may
allow any accumulation to defrost and allow it to work properly afterward.

JMO

Dan O.
-
Appliance411.com
http://ng.Appliance411.com/?ref411=Hotpoint+fridge

=Đ~~~~~~