I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?


--
AnthonyL

On 29 Aug 2013 13:12:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?

One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...


Yes it does stop occasionally. If the thermostat is failing wouldn't
it get excessively cold?

I've just checked and it is at -15, not -18, and that figure is
confirmed by a cheap infra-red thermometer. Does that indicate that
it's struggling to get down to the right temperature?

--
AnthonyL

In message , Huge
writes
On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
On 29 Aug 2013 13:12:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?

One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...


Yes it does stop occasionally. If the thermostat is failing wouldn't
it get excessively cold?

Only if it's failed in the "continuously on" mode. But since the only
other failure mode is "doesn't run at all", it seems unlikely to be
the thermostat.

You haven't accidentally pressed a 'fast freeze'* button, have you?
*Which bypasses the thermostat so that a defrosted and reloaded freezer
gets down to its operating temperature as quickly as possible.
--
Ian

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:45:42 GMT, AnthonyL wrote:

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

At 20 years old it may have lost suffcient refridgerant through a
tiny leak to now struggle. Or the compressor might just be worn out
and not able to compress the gas well enough any more.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:40:06 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:45:42 GMT, AnthonyL wrote:

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

At 20 years old it may have lost suffcient refridgerant through a
tiny leak to now struggle. Or the compressor might just be worn out
and not able to compress the gas well enough any more.


Yes I guess it doesn't owe me anything. I believe something can
happen to the lubricant when it ages.

I'll see how it is tomorrow though when a slightly cooler day is
forecast.

--
AnthonyL

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:18:11 +0100, Ian Jackson
wrote:

In message , Huge
writes
On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
On 29 Aug 2013 13:12:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?

One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...


Yes it does stop occasionally. If the thermostat is failing wouldn't
it get excessively cold?

Only if it's failed in the "continuously on" mode. But since the only
other failure mode is "doesn't run at all", it seems unlikely to be
the thermostat.

You haven't accidentally pressed a 'fast freeze'* button, have you?
*Which bypasses the thermostat so that a defrosted and reloaded freezer
gets down to its operating temperature as quickly as possible.

No. But after I defrosted last week I put the fast freeze button on
and usually after 3-4 hrs the freezer would have been well cold, but
it wasn't and it was running 100%. I turned the button off then.

That was my first hint that things weren't quite right.

--
AnthonyL

On 29/08/13 19:09, AnthonyL wrote:
On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:18:11 +0100, Ian Jackson
wrote:

In message , Huge
writes
On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
On 29 Aug 2013 13:12:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?
One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...

Yes it does stop occasionally. If the thermostat is failing wouldn't
it get excessively cold?
Only if it's failed in the "continuously on" mode. But since the only
other failure mode is "doesn't run at all", it seems unlikely to be
the thermostat.

You haven't accidentally pressed a 'fast freeze'* button, have you?
*Which bypasses the thermostat so that a defrosted and reloaded freezer
gets down to its operating temperature as quickly as possible.
No. But after I defrosted last week I put the fast freeze button on
and usually after 3-4 hrs the freezer would have been well cold, but
it wasn't and it was running 100%. I turned the button off then.

That was my first hint that things weren't quite right.

lots some of the refrigerant.

ditch.


--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

On 29/08/2013 19:09, AnthonyL wrote:

No. But after I defrosted last week I put the fast freeze button on
and usually after 3-4 hrs the freezer would have been well cold, but
it wasn't and it was running 100%. I turned the button off then.

That was my first hint that things weren't quite right.


did you damage any of the pipes with a scraper?

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?

One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...

If that was the case the temp would be much lower than -18C.
It's 20 years old. It's ****ed.


--
Today is Sweetmorn, the 22nd day of Bureaucracy in the YOLD 3179
"A preoccupation with the next world clearly shows an inability to
cope credibly with this one."

"AnthonyL" wrote in message
...
On 29 Aug 2013 13:12:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?

One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...


Yes it does stop occasionally. If the thermostat is failing wouldn't
it get excessively cold?

I've just checked and it is at -15, not -18, and that figure is
confirmed by a cheap infra-red thermometer. Does that indicate that
it's struggling to get down to the right temperature?

- 15 is not acceptable. Sorry, it's ****ed.

"Ian Jackson" wrote in message
...
In message , Huge
writes
On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
On 29 Aug 2013 13:12:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?

One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep
an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...


Yes it does stop occasionally. If the thermostat is failing wouldn't
it get excessively cold?

Only if it's failed in the "continuously on" mode. But since the only
other failure mode is "doesn't run at all", it seems unlikely to be
the thermostat.

You haven't accidentally pressed a 'fast freeze'* button, have you?
*Which bypasses the thermostat so that a defrosted and reloaded freezer
gets down to its operating temperature as quickly as possible.

He is only getting -15. Fast freeze would hit -30.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 29/08/13 19:09, AnthonyL wrote:
On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:18:11 +0100, Ian Jackson
wrote:

In message , Huge
writes
On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
On 29 Aug 2013 13:12:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm
not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is
how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge
as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I
was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that
the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I
forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?
One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on".
Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...

Yes it does stop occasionally. If the thermostat is failing wouldn't
it get excessively cold?
Only if it's failed in the "continuously on" mode. But since the only
other failure mode is "doesn't run at all", it seems unlikely to be
the thermostat.

You haven't accidentally pressed a 'fast freeze'* button, have you?
*Which bypasses the thermostat so that a defrosted and reloaded freezer
gets down to its operating temperature as quickly as possible.
No. But after I defrosted last week I put the fast freeze button on
and usually after 3-4 hrs the freezer would have been well cold, but
it wasn't and it was running 100%. I turned the button off then.

That was my first hint that things weren't quite right.

lots some of the refrigerant.

ditch.

****ed compressor.
Ditch.

"dennis@home" wrote in message
b.com...
On 29/08/2013 19:09, AnthonyL wrote:

No. But after I defrosted last week I put the fast freeze button on
and usually after 3-4 hrs the freezer would have been well cold, but
it wasn't and it was running 100%. I turned the button off then.

That was my first hint that things weren't quite right.


did you damage any of the pipes with a scraper?

If he had done that he would not be getting -15.
The freezer is nearly as old as me ...

Of course its also possible that some of the lagging is compromised making
it harder work to keep it cold.

Old fridges do seem to suffer from this sort of thing, I suspect
condensation or just break down of whatever material is or was used to
insulate things.
Brian

--
From the Bed of Brian Gaff.
The email is valid as
Blind user.
"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?

One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...


--
Today is Sweetmorn, the 22nd day of Bureaucracy in the YOLD 3179
"A preoccupation with the next world clearly shows an inability to
cope credibly with this one."

"AnthonyL" wrote in message
...
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?



It may have lost it's refrigerant gas (or most of it.)
Compressor gets hot because it relies on (now non-existant) gas to cool it.

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 20:13:08 +0100, "dennis@home"
wrote:

On 29/08/2013 19:09, AnthonyL wrote:

No. But after I defrosted last week I put the fast freeze button on
and usually after 3-4 hrs the freezer would have been well cold, but
it wasn't and it was running 100%. I turned the button off then.

That was my first hint that things weren't quite right.


did you damage any of the pipes with a scraper?

I've wondered about that. I normally put a couple of saucepans of hot
water in the freezer compartment then as the ice starts to melt I got
my hands under it and pulled a whole lot of ice off. The only pipe
that is exposed is a thin one I think to the thermostat. How can I
check if it is damaged? If it is damaged wouldn't the performance
just get worse?


--
AnthonyL

In message , AnthonyL
writes
On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 20:13:08 +0100, "dennis@home"
wrote:

On 29/08/2013 19:09, AnthonyL wrote:

No. But after I defrosted last week I put the fast freeze button on
and usually after 3-4 hrs the freezer would have been well cold, but
it wasn't and it was running 100%. I turned the button off then.

That was my first hint that things weren't quite right.


did you damage any of the pipes with a scraper?

I've wondered about that. I normally put a couple of saucepans of hot
water in the freezer compartment then as the ice starts to melt I got
my hands under it and pulled a whole lot of ice off. The only pipe
that is exposed is a thin one I think to the thermostat. How can I
check if it is damaged? If it is damaged wouldn't the performance
just get worse?

Is it possible that you created a very small leak, and lost come coolant
- but it then 'healed up' when the freezer cooled down again?
--
Ian

On Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:58:38 GMT, lid (AnthonyL)
wrote:

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 20:13:08 +0100, "dennis@home"
wrote:

On 29/08/2013 19:09, AnthonyL wrote:

No. But after I defrosted last week I put the fast freeze button on
and usually after 3-4 hrs the freezer would have been well cold, but
it wasn't and it was running 100%. I turned the button off then.

That was my first hint that things weren't quite right.


did you damage any of the pipes with a scraper?

I've wondered about that. I normally put a couple of saucepans of hot
water in the freezer compartment then as the ice starts to melt I got
my hands under it and pulled a whole lot of ice off. The only pipe
that is exposed is a thin one I think to the thermostat. How can I
check if it is damaged? If it is damaged wouldn't the performance
just get worse?

Have you checked the obvious such as door seals?

--
Frank Erskine

On Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:58:38 GMT, AnthonyL wrote:

did you damage any of the pipes with a scraper?

I've wondered about that. I normally put a couple of saucepans of hot
water in the freezer compartment then as the ice starts to melt I got
my hands under it and pulled a whole lot of ice off.

I put a fan heater a couple of feet away and let that thaw things
out.

The only pipe that is exposed is a thin one I think to the thermostat.

They main cooling pipes normally for the shelves with lots of wires
running between them. The wires are welded on it's plausable that
pulling the ice off cracked a weld...

If it is damaged wouldn't the performance just get worse?

Probably. As you said earlier it doesn't owe you anything at 20 years
old.

--
Cheers
Dave.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

lots some of the refrigerant.

ditch.

Or if there are no ditches round your way, just cut a slot in the front,
paint it red, and leave it on a street corner.

Bill

AnthonyL wrote:

Yes I guess it doesn't owe me anything.

We had a chest freezer bought in the days of purchase tax. It started to
fall apart like an old Ford, so we got two new uprights. Moving the old
one was a problem. It was in a shed and the concrete under it had
cracked. The whole area under the freezer was a block of ice. I couldn't
lift the freezer. I was in a hurry cos I'd got the new ones stood in the
yard, so I got some help and we stood the old one on end. It brought a
lot of concrete, rubble, and ice up with it, leaving a great hole in the
floor.

Wonder what that had cost in leccy over the years?

Bill

"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

lots some of the refrigerant.

ditch.

Or if there are no ditches round your way, just cut a slot in the front,
paint it red, and leave it on a street corner.

Bill

That is a bitch, not a ditch.

"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...
AnthonyL wrote:

Yes I guess it doesn't owe me anything.

We had a chest freezer bought in the days of purchase tax. It started to
fall apart like an old Ford, so we got two new uprights. Moving the old
one was a problem. It was in a shed and the concrete under it had cracked.
The whole area under the freezer was a block of ice. I couldn't lift the
freezer. I was in a hurry cos I'd got the new ones stood in the yard, so I
got some help and we stood the old one on end. It brought a lot of
concrete, rubble, and ice up with it, leaving a great hole in the floor.

Wonder what that had cost in leccy over the years?

I have seen 5 year Hotpoint Iced Diamond fridge freezers frozen to the
kitchen floor.
Chronic insulation failure and they were not cheap.

Mr Pounder wrote:
"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

lots some of the refrigerant.

ditch.
Or if there are no ditches round your way, just cut a slot in the front,
paint it red, and leave it on a street corner.

Bill

That is a bitch, not a ditch.


As long as it isn't a dyke.

Bill

AnthonyL has brought this to us :
On 29 Aug 2013 13:12:47 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2013-08-29, AnthonyL wrote:
I defrosted the freezer last week and now the compressor seems to be
running nearly, but not, all the time. I say "seems" because I'm not
encouraged to be in the kitchen that much and my wife says that is how
it usuall was.

It is an AEG under counter freezer and sits next to a sister fridge as
they have for around 20yrs.

I pulled it out today and got rid of a lot of cobwebs and dust. The
freezer compressor unit was uncomfortable to touch whilst the fridge
was just warm to the touch.

The temperature is fine at -18degC and the seals are clean. If I was
pressed I'd say there was a bit more gurgling than usual (is that the
right description of the refrigerant going through the pipes).

So is it on its way out? Did I damage something? Or have I forgotten
what work it has to do when we have a proper summer?

One of the failure modes of the thermostats is "continuously on". Keep an
eye on it to make sure it does stop occasionally ...


Yes it does stop occasionally. If the thermostat is failing wouldn't
it get excessively cold?

I've just checked and it is at -15, not -18, and that figure is
confirmed by a cheap infra-red thermometer. Does that indicate that
it's struggling to get down to the right temperature?

It could be insulation failure. Check around the outside case, if it
shows much colder than room temperature, the insulation might be water
logged and frozen.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk