Fridge intermittent fault dilemma!

cashferret

Half an hour ago, I opened my fridge to find the light not working and it not feeling properly cold. I opened and closed the door several times and the light didn't come on.

I'd just found a number to call for fridge repairs when I checked the fridge again and the light was on and it seemed colder.

I explained this to the fridge repair guy and he said there'd be a £50 call-out charge but that if the fridge was working when he arrived, he wouldn't be able to find the fault to fix it.

The fridge was a cheap Comet one that I bought 8 years ago. It seems a waste to get a new one if this one is fixable but if the fault is intermittent, I might not even realise that the fridge is going on and off and my food might be spoiling. And if I do notice the fault again, by the time the repair guy got here the fridge might be working again and I'd have spent £50 for nothing.

Any ideas? Is there any gadget that doesn't just show the current temperate of a fridge but whether it is rising intermittently? Should I just bite the bullet and get a new fridge?

HappyMJ

There is a gadget...it's called a thermometer. They cost only a few pounds. If you want a data logger to tell the temperature over time then they are available too and they plug into your computers USB port and you see the temperature change over time costing a little bit more.

Is there airflow around the back of the fridge? They need a bit of airflow to move the warm air away from the fridge.

£50 doesn't really seem worth it when a new fridge isn't that much more so if all your experiments fail then buy a new one.

cajef

cashferret wrote: »

Half an hour ago, I opened my fridge to find the light not working and it not feeling properly cold. I opened and closed the door several times and the light didn't come on.

New fridge when it may just be an intermittent light switch or bulb, as HappyMJ stated use that gadget called a thermometer to check whether the temperature is remaining stable and remember every time you open the door the temperature will rise a little.

cashferret

Thanks very much, HappyMJ and cajef - I'll look into the data logger particularly, because my main concern is that the fridge might cut out overnight and then come back on and be fine by morning without my realising that anything has happened.

loracan1

Have you checked the minor obvious things like the door switch and that the light bulb is secure? The switch can jam quite easily and just need a quick wipe over.

27col

The trouble with intermittent faults is, that unless you can make them happen, by jiggling something. There is no point in looking.
However, if, by jiggling a cable connection or a circuit board, you can make the fault appear, then it can be found and probably repaired.

Suzy_M

Have you checked to see if any grills or vents are blocked? They soon get choked up with dust, hair etc. - and always worth cleaning them out every few months anyway. Simple enough to do just use a light touch (soft paint brush is ideal then vacc up the loose stuff.)