Troubleshooting your refrigerated appliance

You can expect a certain level of noise from any refrigerated appliance as the different stages of the defrost/cooling cycle and the expansion and contraction of gases can cause whooshing and popping noises among others. 

For example, a sharp cracking sound from within your appliance is usually caused by the build up of frost on your internal fridge components.

Normal causes of noise:

• The pump/compressor motor 
• Gas circulating inside pipes 
• Cracking sounds – this is just defrosting air movement

Other noises:

• Pipe work vibrating against the wall – check the position of your appliance, there should be a gap between your fridge and the wall

If your appliance is located on a wooden floor or near a hollow or plasterboard wall:

• This can amplify the noise of the fan and compressor. 
• Make sure there are sufficient gaps on all sides of your fridge
• Try placing an anti-vibration mat or pads under your fridge to reduce the noise caused by reverberation
  

Most modern frost-free fridge freezers have a wet back system to remove moisture from the air. Sometimes ice crystals can form on the back wall of your fridge, before they defrost and run down through the drainage channel - where they'll be evaporated by the heat of the compressor.

To avoid freezing produce, keep it away from the rear wall of the fridge.

First, check to see if your fridge is overloaded with food as this can reduce the cool air flow.

Adding more food will increase the internal temperature, because the fridge has to work harder to keep it cool. It will also affect the circulation of air within the fridge, potentially creating warm zones.

If this isn’t the cause of the problem, check the thermostat is set between 3°C - 5°C (find instructions on how to set the temperature in your user manual).

For fridges without a temperature gauge, you may want to invest in a fridge thermometer.

It may sound obvious, but check the connections to make sure the machine is plugged into the mains and switched on

If it is, can you check the Residual Current Device (RCD) in your consumer unit (known as the fuse box)? Has this tripped? If so, you may need to reset by flicking the switch. If you don't feel confident about doing this, or it happens more than once, the please do consult an electrician.

Make sure the fridge is level as otherwise the defrost cycle may not be flowing into the drain hole. 

Make sure also that there's nothing blocking the drain hole.

No, please don't stack your refrigerated cabinets directly on top of each other.

If you need to save space, consider buying a stacking kit from the refrigerator’s manufacturer.

Yes - find instructions on how to do this in your user manual

We can also deliver some appliances with the doors already reversed - there's a small charge for the service - buy it when you place your order. Find out more.

If you don't have a larder fridge or frost-free freezer, you'll need to defrost it regularly to keep it working efficiently as a build-up of ice insulates rather than cools.

It's worth remembering that the longer you leave doors open, the quicker the appliance will ice up as it has to work harder to stay cool, so do remind everyone in the household to make sure doors are closed. Check also that door seals are clean and in good condition.

The safest way to defrost your appliance:

• Switch it off and then if possible leave it to defrost itself - it's safer. 
• If you use any other method, as well as being potentially unsafe (like hacking away with a knife), it may damage your freezer and invalidate your guarantee
  
• Put newspaper and/or towels down to soak up water
• Remove all the contents; you should be able to stop frozen food from thawing out if you put it in a cool box in the coldest room in the house, or a shed, away from sunlight. 
• If food does start to defrost, you'll need to use it up rather than refreezing
• Remove shelves and other interior accessories for cleaning
• Clean the freezer as the ice melts, and then dry it before switching back on
• Give the freezer time to get back to the right temperature before you put food back into it

Holiday mode helps you reduce energy consumption while you’re away while keeping frozen food safe.

If your appliance features holiday mode and you plan to go away for several days or weeks:

• Empty the fridge compartment of your refrigerator 
• Activate holiday mode
• Your appliance will run on the bare minimum of temperatures within the freezer compartment, and disconnect the cooling apparatus within your fridge
• As long as the doors remain shut, energy consumption will be much lower