Fridge & Freezer

Fridge is too warm

The thermostat is broken The problem could also lie with the thermostat behind the temperature dial in your fridge. Replacing a thermostat is straightforward enough – replacement parts cost from around £30 and you’ll only need a few home DIY tools. But it’s probably not a job for a complete novice, as determining it’s actually a broken thermostat causing the problem takes a bit of know-how. If your fridge-freezer has digital controls on the front, this is much more difficult to fix and worth calling us to give you a quote.

Freezer not freezing food

Find the fan inside the freezer and make sure that nothing is impeding it. If it’s blocked up, move things around and give it space to work. Also check to see if a build-up of ice is preventing it from moving freely. Take a look at the condenser coils at the back of the appliance, too. A build-up of dust on these can prevent them from cooling properly. A good clean will have them working efficiently, which may solve the lack of freezing.

Water pooling in the base of the fridge

This is likely to be caused by a blocked drain hole. Water condenses at the back of the fridge, where it’s colder, and runs down into the drain hole, where it can be evaporated away by the compressor. Dust, dirt and food waste often get stuck in the drain hole, preventing water from running down, but you can easily clean it with a thin straw, bit of wire or a cotton bud. Another option if you’re still finding it’s blocked, is to irrigate the pipe with a syringe that has a tube attachment. A few flushes of water will hopefully shift whatever’s causing the blockage.

Fridge freezer has stopped working after defrosting

If your freezer has chunks of ice on the back and side walls, it can be tempting to use a utensil to lever off the ice. However, this can crack a pipe or the rear of the inner casing, causing the refrigerant gas to leak out. Gas leaks are dangerous and tricky to fix, and re-gassing can cost more than £100, so replacement is often more cost-effective.

Noisier than usual

An unusually noisy fridge could be caused by the compressor or the evaporator tray on top of it. A compressor pushes the refrigerant gas into the coils on the outside. It can fail (the noise can be a warning sign) or the evaporator tray can move so it starts making a noise. If it’s an issue with the evaporator tray, it’s easily fixed. But if the compressor breaks it can cost more than £170 to buy a new one, and you’ll have to factor in the additional cost of getting an engineer in to fit it.