Fridge Freezer problem- Freezer warm, friedge cold?

Wee-Bee

I was wondering if anyone could offer me advice on my fridge freezer? It is a Hoover HCF5176A and was bought in May 2007.

Yesterday I noted that the food in the 2 top drawers of the freezer had defrosted whilst the food in the bottom 2 shelves was ok. The fridge appears to be functioning as it should. We have emptied the whole thing and left ice blocks inside overnight and today. The ice blocks at the bottom are solid and at the top are liquid.

I wonder if this problem has to do with the frost-free mechanism? There is no visible thermostat specifically for the freezer section so I'm guessing the electronics are behind the frost-free panel. There has never been any ice built up in the freezer.

Unfortunately I don't have any guarantee for the parts (annoyingly, I just discovered that I filled out the form for a "free 5 year parts guarantee back in May 2007 but I never posted it!)

Are there engineers who deal with this kind of stuff? Can I get a labour and parts package even after detecting a problem? Once a fridge freezer starts malfunctioning, can it be salvaged or are they no longer made to last?

I would be grateful for any wisdom and advice. Thanks.

Browntoa

theres a pipe down the back of the freezer that formas part of the frost free system which freezes up and causes the problem you describe, sometimes its hidden bahind a pael at the back of the freezer/fridge part

remove cover , make sure pipe is clear of ice and it should work ok again
differnet make , same idea though

http://www.diy-forum.net/hotpoint-frost-free-fridge-freezer-defrost-question-t43364.html

Wee-Bee

Cheers for that reply Browntoa. We tried to remove the back but it was impossible. We then switched off the whole appliance overnight in the hope that that would allow any ice to defrost. Sadly, the fault is still there today.

I have phoned Hoover and they will charge £110 for an Engineer to come out and fix the problem- does that sound like a massive amount? I've tried pricing local engineers but they seem to be the same price. If the same fault re-occurs in 12 months they will come and fix it again for free. Alternatively we can take out their warranty package at £15.90 for 10 months (so £49 extra) where they'll fix this fault and any others that occur in the next 12 months plus we'd be covered for a brand new machine should this fault/ the next fault prove unrepairable? I'm leaning towards option 2 as I fear that when things start to break on a FF other things will soon follow- this is what I've encountered with cars so I'm extrapolating! Does that sound sensible?

john87_2

If the freezer in a frost-free fridge freezer is warm and the fridge is working it is usually because the frost-free sensor in the freezer has frozen up.
(can be caused by leaving the freezer door open)

The best thing to do is to defrost the fridge/freezer by switching it off.

Looks like you might need to give it longer to defrost.

Would give this a try before spending money calling someone out.