Fridge Freezer freezing and defosting

[Sparklingbrook]

12 year old fridge freezer is now starting to play up. The fridge bit alternates between actually freezing at the back and being warmer than it should be. The freezer bit veers between correct temperature and just just below freezing.

Engineer or fridge freezer shopping?

is it a frost-free freezer?

how warm is the room?

Not a frost free, the room is fairly small and has no heating (it has been in same kitchen since we had it). I am beginning to wonder if we should replace.

if the room is unusually cold, it may be that the thermostat in the fridge never/seldom gets warm enough to set the compressor running. That usually happens with FFs in outbuildings or garages though. Where I live it is still 15C outside so that is unlikely to be the cause.

Turn the thermostat knob back and forth, you should hear it click and the motor stop/start.

Yours is not a frost-free, a common problem with them is that ice builds up and blocks the airways inside the back panel, and the cure is to switch off, open the doors, eat all the food, and the the freezer to warm up and melt the ice over 24 hours or so. That is unlikely to be the cause on yours, unless you can see air ducts in the back wall of the freezer. If you can actually see the evaporator coils on a metal plate, and they are not caked in ice, it probably doesn't need defrosting. That is always worth trying as a last effort before you chuck it out though.

Over time, they sometimes lose gas pressure inside, and it is not usually worth having them repaired.

Thanks Piglet that's really helpful. I think I will have a go at defrosting the whole thing. If we have to replace 'it doesn't owe us anything' as my Mum would say. How do you know all this?

I'm a man, men know everything

Ooh- if we do have to get a new one are there any makes to avoid?

no, most men are fine.

I like Bosch FFs. If you manage to get last year's model at a reduced price, it will be fine over a ten-year life or so. I got a Siemens a few months back at John Lewis, that's the same company that makes the Bosch brand with a different badge stuck on it, John Lewis gave me a £50 trade-in on my old broken one, and took it away free. JL also give a fre 2-year guarantee, and on some models, 5 years. FFs are so reliable that it is usually not worth paying extra for an extended warranty.

I always like to get the biggest one I can that will fit (but not an American style one as they are more expensive to run and don't seem to be as reliable)

Looking at the "Which" reliability ratings for FFs (they surveyed over two thousand members), the top brands for reliability are:
Neff 91%
LG 90%
Beko 89%
Liebherr 89%
Siemens 88%
Bosch 88%
Beko is quite a budget brand, so I am surprised it is up with the best.

The bottom three brands are
Indesit 77%
Whirlpool 76%
Samsung 74%

You can look at "Which" free in your local library. Go through a year's worth in case you find a last-year's model at discount.

Thank you so much for all the info. Did I read something a while back that Beko set peoples kitchens on fire?

there was at least one model that did that. We have a Beko FF at the voluntary organisation I'm involved with, we looked into it and the incendiary ones were made in (some year or other) and ours was made in (a different year). I imagine they will be trying very hard to recover their reputation by making machines that don't catch fire.