Trying to FIX a Faulty Fridge Freezer

Hi, this 'trying to fix' video shows me attempting to repair a faulty Fridge Freezer which has a warm fridge and cold freezer.
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things.
I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series.
Many thanks, Vince.

[@BPantherPink]

OMG...OMG...OMG...This gentleman is truely phenomenal with his PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE...I doff my hat to you Sir !!! This video should be shown to students in their final year, just before passing out of school, to demonstrate the above qualities !!!

[@Vynny]

Sometimes when I'm watching your videos, knowing a bit about this stuff, I'm mentally telling you the problem. Like with your thermistor shut off sensors not having continuity (and thus working as they should). Interestingly I always wait for you to go through your process of establishing if it's the item itself or your own admittedly limited skill set at fault. The meticulous way you establish which is which is amazing. (The evaporator sensor is a probe by the way not a controller. I'd say it was one or more of the things in the vents on side but it could be elsewhere.) You manage to grasp the issue without any training and it's so satisfying to watch you work it out. I'm constantly impressed with your tenacious fixes, ones that most folks would throw their hands in the air and call in expensive handy men. Knowledge comes with a price, one you're prepared to pay for, knowing the dividend comes with saving on paying the pros. You're playing the long game... and you get a like and sub from me.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you. Great to hear these comments :-)

[@danmackintosh6325]

Same here, as someone with a little (tiny bit) more experience in generally trying to fix random stuff I sometimes find myself mentally (and vocally, I will admit!) telling you the solution to a problem or something you need to consider. Unlike many other people though, your videos don't leave me frustrated at the end since you've invariably worked out exactly what you may have been missing & you don't edit it out either. Top marks for interesting content and integrity, as well as being the kind of person to fix rather than replace...

[@danmackintosh6325]

Speaking of which, at least you have a spare set of thermal cutouts now in case they happen to fail in future or a friend with a similar unit has one fail.

[@isitworthit2912]

@@Mymatevince exactly

[@3067jon]

OMG you are spoiling us - three in two days! You need a TV series!

[@illusoryveils]

When you had that faulty heater element halfway out I thought you'd be buying a new fridge. I'll never doubt you again. Great job!

[@Mymatevince]

Ha, yes at that stage I had doubts myself :-)

[@smp1990]

i literally cannot get enough of your videos. thank you so much for the time and care u put into them

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you so much :-)

[@NexusXP]

It's Soo satisfying to watch someone who doesn't know how to fix, fixing stuff.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks :-)

[@NexusXP]

@@Mymatevince You're welcome.

[@Darryl603]

@@Mymatevince You now know everything there is to know about refridgerators : )

[@TerabyteForever]

Next video: Vince trys to fix a faulty Apollo space shuttle :)

[@tech-5231]

he can meet with those guys. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHy2kpt3pLR_mrc

[@tech-5231]

@@TerabyteForever wait for what? For the next video: vince trys to make a child? Vince trys to fix old condoms? Or vince trys to be the boss at home?

[@TerabyteForever]

@@tech-5231 nope. He will try to colonize mars. I took news from NASA.

[@tech-5231]

@@TerabyteForever And from mars he trys to fix god.

[@TerabyteForever]

@@tech-5231 no he will try to fix solar system

[@Pharaoh025]

There are 2 types of people in the world. Those who get their fridges fixed by a repairman. And those who watch an amateur fix his own fridge, dreaming of becoming that man themselves one day. My life is full of wonder. Manly wonder.

[@kane100574]

Great job, man! You pretty much represent most of us who know nothing going in but want to figure it out! Great videos!

[@ErroneousClique]

I dont know what it is about these MMV vids, but even when fixing a fridge it is entertaining. Feels like this guy could make watching paint dry interesting...

[@Mymatevince]

Haha, thanks so much :-)

[@GadgetUK164]

Wow, a challenging repair! Regards that E1 error at the end - lots of systems like that tend to store the last error. There might be a button / menu option to reset it.

[@Mymatevince]

Possibly Chris. A couple of viewers have mentioned that it is the sensor for the tray that collects the water at the back of the fridge on top of the compressor (I didn't think of that) so I might pull out the fridge and look again as it may be an easy fix. Maybe it doesn't allow the heating element to kick in if too much water is already in the tray as it could overflow???

[@Domain821]

This fella has an amazing diagnostic mindset.

[@chillworth2]

I loved this video. When you were ripping the heat coil off the chiller, I was betting against a win on this one. I thought for sure you were pooched. In the end you did it...great job! Keep making the videos, really interesting to watch.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks :-)

[@billmoir1]

Had the same problem with a Hotpoint fridge freezer,did the same as you and googled the model number.Lead me to a common problem the heater not working as it should as it was not big enough.I removed the panel inside the freezer compartment and was met by a massive block of ice around the heater.The problem is the heater is not big enough to reach the drain hole in the bottom.Before the water can drain out and evaporate it freezes up every time the heater goes off building up until it covers the fan that cools the fridge.I first tried wrapping copper wire around the heater and directing it towards the drain hole in the hope it would melt any ice in that area.Had no effect at all.A new larger heater was available for around £110 but i was reluctant to pay that. I thought sod it im going to pull the heater element towards the drain hole,if it breaks new fridge time but no damage at all.Put everything back together and it's been perfect for the past 2 years :)

[@varunadesilva2930]

I got to give 100% for persistent & for effort. Glad you've posted this. Learned a lot. Well done 👏

[@Neuron43]

My neighborhood is prone to power outages because of the trees falling on the lines. It causes all sorts of problems with electronics. Most of my devices are protected by surge suppressors but unless the appliances have surge protection built in they are susceptible to damage. One day I hope to install a surge protection unit for the entire house. I'd rather watch you wrestle with the repair and learn with you than watch a professional, with all of the proper equipment and terminology, make it look easy. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[@erickortiz5054]

@My Mate Vince Thank you for your videos. They really help with the development of troubleshooting skills. So, my Wii U went out a couple of years ago. It didn't get any power. So I took it apart (2 years ago) and noticed the 10 amp fuse went out. So, I ordered the fuse. When I went to try to solder it on, I noticed one of the copper pads was completely gone. So, I didn't fix it... Then I started watching your videos a couple of weeks ago. So, I gave my Wii U another shot. I removed the power connector and then had plenty of space to work with. Even though the pad was gone, there was a tiny sliver of copper. So, I cut up a piece of copper and soldered the fuse to that. I reinstalled the power connector. I went to test and the Wii U was alive! Happy days! Thanks for the content you put out there.

[@fajrdn]

i think you're the most professional amateur electronic fixer on youtube.... (y)

[@areyouserious3092]

Dude stop it!!!! I'm a electronic repair man and if people keep watching your videos il have no work coming in lol and let me tell you I know people who claim to be repair men but don't come close to working out an issue or fault with some items lol well done buddie great work the only way we learn is by just doing it and you did it just fine dude.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks mate :-)

[@Popeyes66]

Nice one Vince,you are getting more daring you tight git,but well done. I enjoy your manifestations of exuberance once you've cracked it. I am a tinkerer also,and I used to hit the condenser on my fridge with a wooden mallet every now and then to unstic the pump motor.It ran for another 2 years until I finally gave it a proper bashing with a 14lb sledge hammer and tossed it over the 2nd floor balcony to unsuspecting dog walkers below ! Carry on the great work please,I've got to go now to make a homemade 18650 battery welder ,out of an old shoe box ,a dead budgerigar, and an empty tin of Princes corned beef !

[@Mymatevince]

Haha :-)

[@danielhartung-schuster5916]

I am also a self repair maniac (wish I could say guru)....if it goes to the dump it's only because I have dismantled it to a point of not worth putting back together. I have fixed soo many refrigerators and ovens its just silly. Dishwasher is my latest project and I think it just ran its 1st full successful turn. Woo hoo....I love saving money and keeping things going. I watch 6 or 7 different fix it channels for appliances and my father taught me so very much when I was young. I like when you dive into the usage of the meter, I have one but am poor at using it successfully. Then I watch a video and know what to look for and all of a sudden it all makes sense. Thank again for your videos.

[@precbass]

After watching this,I now how a fridge/freezer works.For years I wondered.Thanx Vince.

[@nickising6465]

Who else got the chills when he scratched the ice at 13:05 lol

[@CannibalShadow]

You're the only guy I keep hoping has broken stuff so you keep making videos lol.

[@woolyfrog7497]

I've just watched this video and thanks to you I now know what that noise is every time I open or close the fridge door, it's the motorised flap opening and closing. Thanks, Vince.

[@cleffei]

Great video! Never thought watching a fridge could be as engaging as this, and congrats on 300k subscribers!! Here's to many many more :D

[@davidsmith-ih2kk]

I think I have watched this video a few times now, it always amazes me the strength of your optimism, no worry just drag the offending item out. You really amaze me with your confidence, those aluminium vanes are a bugger though weak as water, but sharp as razor blades. Congratulations on a job well done, and the strength of your convictions to repair this refrigerator. My Hisense refrigerator stopped working in the refrigerator section, I was just about to order a new refrigerator but due to you I looked in the back and pulled out the electronics, bashed the relays around a bit and voila started working. A very informative video with excellent repair skills demonstrated

[@wanjockey]

Hi Vince. @0 minutes in. Yes it is a problem with either the fan not moving the air or low freon. Same thing happens with AirCon units. The evaporator freezes up and the complaint is no cooling yet frost all around the evaporator. Continuing on with the video. I love your videos. Always learning something new.

[@bino191]

A really good fix vince......i would'nt have a clue where to start if my fridge stopped working .....so i was really surprised when you actually got yours working.......very well done ..i thoroughly enjoyed watching very entertaining ......thankyou..

[@MrBuck295]

it always tickles me when invariably someone puts in the comments can you fix (insert the name of the device here ) I keep thinking if you want Vince to try to fix a certain device , send it to him and he might give it a try , just don`t expect him to buy everything you suggest so you can try to fix yours that would get way too expensive by the way mate I enjoy the way you work things out thank you

[@BoyanGrigorov]

I’ll save this video in my motivational videos folder. Love your enthusiasm and the trial and error learning curve. Well done.

[@TheTTVert]

Nice job Vince, I admire your perseverance! Think of a heater element as a giant resistor. It will probably not be within the threshold to set your meter beep off but it will show a certain resistance. If the element is within that spec it is good. Continuity testing a heating element isn't very helpful.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you and thanks for the info :-)

[@jns8393]

I thought the game was up when you started to try and get the heater element out. Given the cost of the part, getting a guy out to fix it wouldn't have been economical. I admire your tenacity!

[@alext8828]

All I can think of is how brave you are and that you'd better not have that mess when the wife gets home. Or have a fantastic story made up by then.

[@johnnynorton1188]

as a person who has some time working on refrigerators . most times it is the defrost timer or the thermostat that ends up being the problem. and since the compressor works this is most likely your problem so good luck and i hope you get it fixed!!

[@zeewolf1116]

Fantastic video Vince. Great job.

[@MrMagsimus]

You have balls of steel well done 👍 that’s a massive diy job

[@andyroberts9562]

Awesome repair! Had a hotpoint fridge freezer ages ago with a similar fault which i thought was caused by the motorised flap the engineers mode would have narrowed it down for me if i knew about it, chucked the thing in the end though, keep up the great videos & take care with the electrics when things are plugged in

[@philsinclair]

Vince, you really are spoiling us with all these videos!

[@AJComputerServicesUK]

Great Video Vince, That looked incredibly difficult & fair play to you for sorting that out, Glad you managed to find the Diagnostics / Engineers Mode, I do try and find that if I’m looking at diagnosing Faults, Most White Goods & TV’s along with AV Equipment have them nowadays, I uploaded one to my Channel for a Beko Washing Machine as no-one else had, Enjoyed watching that and just glad you managed to get it sorted!

[@IBrianrish]

Fridge video huh well done Mate.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks mate :-)

[@IBrianrish]

@@Mymatevince Your Welcome Mate ;)

[@bobert4966]

Brilliant fix! I really enjoy your tenacity!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks :-)

[@AlexKiraly]

Always wondered how fridges with freezers work. Now that's some cool insight, i can sleep peacefully

[@ablokefromstoke]

Well done on the fix. You went the long way around but got there in the end. Like some other comments as a form white goods enginer I was cringing at the way you took it apart and was screaming at you in my mind on how you should be doing it. But we'll done, love watching you go from knowing little to nothing about the item you are working on and the tracking down the fault and the doing the fix and sharing the new information with every one so they can then repair there own devices.

[@youtubeuser2389]

Nearly 300k! Keep up the amazing videos!

[@res1492]

Quick tip for next time...Hairdryers are amazing at defrosting freezers, turn it on point in the direction of ice and walk away for 20 mins

[@cross13000]

Great work well done

[@spartanb42clan]

Thanks for bringing us along Vince!

[@phunkstar7347]

I think it's like cars, when a problem briefly occurs, for example, a loose contact. then the error code is saved even if it does not currently occur. For cars you have to delete the error memory after the repair. That the engine control lamp goes off. And I do not think that the refrigerator can distinguish between interruption in the heating or in the sensor / Temp element or even a cable break. It was quite interesting. Even if I did not expect that when I subscribed to you.

[@chrisjason3486]

Hi vince, great vid and brilliant outcome. Anything regarding a resistive load I.e Elements measure on the ohm scale so you get the correct tolerance for them. When they go bad they go very high in resistance kilo ohm and Meg ohm values or open Circuit. You can test switches as it shows in your vid on the continuity setting. Do be careful on the 240v mains as it's deadly as you know plus Could damage the logic control board if you make contact . I work on 240 V/415V at very high currants in domestic and industrial /commercial and all it takes is a minor contact or spark jumps across. We'll done mate

[@FireballXL55]

Hi Vince, I am surprised you do not have more than one of those screwdriver bit holders that way you could use two together. The grey sensor, brown wires are to stop the heater working at a warm temperatures, it said on the old heater 274W which works out at approx 210 Ohms. God I really should wait to the end of your videos.

[@Mymatevince]

Haha, of course, I didn't think of putting 2 together. I had another bit holder in the Metabo screwdriver bag. I will know for next time :-)

[@ThePolaroid669]

2 or 3 years? My 1969 Frigidaire with auto defrost is still going, never having been repaired. It's older than me, but will outlive me.

[@belperite]

Had a very similar issue with my old Hotpoint frost-free (F200e). Worried that my new Bosch one might end up with the same issue in a few years! It annoys me a bit that after decades now of frost-free fridge freezer development this is still a problem. Saying that though, my parents have a Hitachi frost-free from the late '90s which is still going strong to this day - not even the bulb has needed to be replaced, so some manufacturers get it right!

[@pawetomala5203]

Super, I have a very similar fridge and I now know what the problem. With replacing the heater itself is a big problem, it's not simpler to replace the heating cable 30W instead of replacing it;)

[@yorkshireman6650]

Well done vince i my self wouldn’t of touch it but seeing you do it i mite have ago i thought fixing my iron was a brake through grate video and helpful

[@funwithedog9863]

My main man, enjoying the channel. Keep on learning bud.

[@text3621]

Every day I watch you

[@callumyoung4107]

I get what you mean but that sounds creepy lol

[@text3621]

@@callumyoung4107 not creepy ok

[@FrankJCarver]

I have a 50 year old Hotpoint fridge, a little tatty in places, but still working great. No stupid PCBs or LCDs on it.

[@latitudeash]

Great vi. Than yo for showing. It was a long old effort to get it working but you did it. Well done.

[@zen3409]

Why do so many things break in your house

[@mickcurran4201]

🤣

[@Lightning2011]

@@mickcurran4201 😂

[@SwishGavigan18]

Could it be when the power cut out the frost in the fin stack started to defrost and turn to water, and then when the power came back on the water turned into solid ice, then the heater core couldn't heat up long enough to clear the compacted ice leading it to being burnt out??

[@Darryl603]

Does the evaporator sensor code have anything to do with where the water collects in the rear of thr fridge? Great video! Thanks for sharing...

[@darnome1]

Top video Vince, Now did i hear you say the washing machine is making a strange noise:)

[@Bwong55]

Most fridges work by cooling the bottom and a fan blows cool air from the bottom to top. I have a story not related to fridges but powercuts. In Malta (hot island below sicily), the power kept going out in the summer because everyone was using their airconditioners and since it was a small island they could not make much power.

[@xerejuneseve6333]

It is always worth a try and learn something.

[@anthonyrobertson1787]

Nice Job Vince, I aways say if you set your mind to it you can 👍

[@tedburnand6516]

Hi Vince love your videos

[@utube20able]

10 out of 10 for persistince

[@CLC-1000]

Great fix video Vince.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you so much for all the support :-)

[@CLC-1000]

You’re very welcome.

[@silversurfergamer]

i wonder what your wife has to do to get a new fridge freezer for Christmas :-)

[@Cochise6-6-6]

Awesome job

[@benjammin316]

Nearly at 300,000 subs mate! Great stuff

[@wfrandles]

It's not a good testing heating element in the beep mode the meter will only beep with close to zero resistance you saw with your since when it warmed up with your hand it showed that if it goes over 50 ohms it stops beeping. So testing anything like heating elements, long wires or resistores of a value of 50 ohms have to be tested on the ohms settings on your meter.

[@X-KokTehnik]

same tutorial content. thanks, the video is very useful for those who are just learning

[@craigmountfield36]

You can take the tray out bottom to empty water

[@Puckeye]

That tray, I think, is called evaporating tray, where the water from defrosting turns into vapours (hence evaporating). Could there be a sensor in that tray?

[@slimysi99]

That spare evaporator you have left over.... you could use that as a condenser for moonshine, I reckon. :)

[@MatLon28]

At 38:14 I heard it in your voice. The sounds of giving up. I been there

[@brandonstapleton1350]

Maybe it's like a car? Once it has a fault code it remembers it? Did it say anything about clearing a fault code?

[@onemanshow4116]

Well done. Pro tip for all the Mrs. out there: tell your man to start a KZbin “fix it” channel.... then have a margarita while he fixes the washing machine.

[@penfold178]

vince the evaporator censor i think is to do with the evaporator tray on the back of the fridge freezer that sits above the motor the should be a censor in there to stop the tray from over flowing i think don't quote me on it lol . check the service manual it should say in more detail about that censor but i think thats what does. enjoy the vids keep up the good work regards paul.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Paul, someone else mentioned that as well. It does make sense as that tray above the condenser does evaporate the water away. I didn't even consider/think of this, I was really puzzled as to what the evaporator sensor could be!!!! Thanks for the comment :-)

[@penfold178]

@@Mymatevince no problem any time mate regards paul

[@Sparks0001]

@@penfold178 The evaporator will be the coil inside, where you took off the heating element, the condenser is the black piping at the back.

[@insanmonster]

As long as this fridge operates as all fridges I have worked on this is how they work. 1) There is a timer that turns the defrost cycle on once or twice a day (as you have mentioned) 2) Heater coil turns on and heats up 3) When the temperature reaches a certain point on a sensor it breaks contact to the heating element (not very hot as you dont want to cook your frozen food) So the "non working" sensor, it was probably fine, it was just too warm for the sensor to be in the closed position.

[@insanmonster]

*Additional step 4) Once the timer has finished the defrost cycle it will go back into the cooling cycle. In addition, when checking continuity you are checking the resistance (ohms) of the circuit. The probe is set up so that if the resistance is less than a certain value that is preset by the manufacturer it makes a beep.

[@insanmonster]

Lol, looks like I should watch the entire video before commenting.

[@Mymatevince]

Great concise summary, thanks for sharing it :-)

[@BodziuM]

Everyday new video - yeah I love it !

[@johnday7362]

Vince, an electric heater produces heat by using resistance in series with voltage. The reason you aren't getting a continuity reading from your meter is that the resistance of the heater is large enough to block the small anout of DC voltage that the meter puts into the meter probes to check continuity. Concerning the two sensors you were checking, I would guess that that they are use different normal positions. So, if they sense temperature either the circuit is open all the time except when the temperature is reached, then the circuit is closed. Or the opposite is true. If one checks coldest temp and the other checks the highest temp, then to check the sensor you may need to get the sensor to the temp required (either high or low). Try to remember that being safe while working with electricity is great, but to properly check a circuit you may have to have power to the circuit. This is especially true of electronically controll for non electronic devices (fan, compressor motor, air circulation door, light, evaporator heater, and temperature sensors), such as in your refrigerator freezer combo. I would get a couple or three alligator clips (insulation to be able to insulate against 220 Vac and attach them to a custom plug you make up for the clips, use 10 awg stranded wire. These test leads will allow you to test non electronic devices out of circuit. BE CAREFUL, CHECK EACH TEST ITEMS REQUIRED POWER REQUIREMENTS BEFORE POWERING THE TEST ITEM! Failure to remember this will free the MAGIC SMOKE. Once the magic leaves, it will NEVER work again.

[@williamduncan5679]

Had the same problem with mine, all i did was turn the freezer to 1 and it worked perfectly.😂😂😂

[@mahlapropyzm9180]

I salute your indefatigability.

[@marykalinowski3730]

Awesome video

[@Colby22148]

Gotta say..... Didnt expect this

[@PDScally]

Very informative, thank you.

[@BcHmF]

Nice Vince! But a nasty one to fix, learned a lot as well, good job!

[@Rain-uh4us]

Really really interesting 👍 thankyou

[@Robertplantfan58]

I think you have convinced me to call a professional appliance repairman, 🤣

[@ItIsNot1984]

Must be a second sensor in there somewhere. maybe on the outside near the tray? I dunno what else would need to be evaporated, but the sensor you thought needed to be replaced works just like the sensor in my clothes dryer in the sense it won't do anything till the temperature changes.

[@jonathanwauton]

Quick tip to speed up the defrost ….. use a hairdryer!!

[@IceSpike]

Congrats on 300K!

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you :-)

[@JohnDoeOnly]

Do you have something that work well at your home ? 😂

[@TerroxNL79]

Hahaha

[@DIYBuildandRepair]

I had a different problem with mine in 2016, the fan did not start, the optocoupler on the board was gone, replaced it and it still works today :D

[@joaquinfernandesgarcia3269]

16:47 Maybe that's the evaporator fan motor

[@bogwhopet1032]

as a white goods engineer this may be a painful watch, but im interested to see how you go about it so im watching from behind the couch ;)

[@bogwhopet1032]

Given you started knowing nothing that was brilliant, long way to go mind, i couldn't help but think that e01 fault may have been caused if you applied power to the fridge with the sensors un plugged, ?

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you. I am so glad I found the engineers mode, I didn't dream a fridge would have this feature :-) I definitely did apply power a few times with various different things unplugged :-)

[@Google_Is_Evil]

An evaporator sensor is a different sensor than you have been fiddling with. If you look carefully at the terminals on the circuit board you can see that next to the temperature sensors there is a 2 pin spot that is empty, I bet that is for that sensor.

[@Mymatevince]

Maybe, possibly this fridge never had one so it always threw up the error code. Maybe the same board is used on various different models and some of the other models might have had them :-)

[@dozer5069]

@@Mymatevince I believe the evaporator sensor lets you know if the evaporator water tray at the rear is full... I really humid countries this is a problem.

[@wisher21uk]

39:30 hmmm I think I will be buying a new one now 😂😂