Issue with new fridge freezer

Ava1414

Apologies in advance, it's long!

I bought a new fridge freezer (Grund*g) in May as part of a kitchen renovation.

The fridge freezer went in and all was great for about 6 weeks. We did have to experiment with the settings as there was ice building up on the back wall and anything that touched it got icy. This I now know is the back panel cooling system. Not great but we can deal with that. We then had to get kitchen guys back to replace a piece of cabinetry next to the fridge which went without a hitch.

Roll on a day or 2 and the fridge starts sounding very noisy. I hadn't been aware of it previously and I would be very sensitive to noise! It sounded like a vibration issue so we thought maybe it didn't go back in straight after the kitchen fitter removed it. We removed it and re-positioned it, there are a couple of brackets that are screwed to the cabinet, one wasn't screwed in.

Roll on another week and the fridge is still very noisy and compressor on a lot. Also, the freezer is very noisy and sounds like a plane taking off when opened. This was during the hot weather and the kitchen was warm. I checked the temperature near the fridge and was reading 26/27 deg celsius and according to the manual ambient temp needs to be less than 38 so should be fine.

Tried ringing customer services and after several attempts, an engineer turned up out of the blue to check the fridge.

Of course, it was quiet while he was there so he reduced the temperature and waited for it to kick in. The compressor started up and was very audible, I told him that it often sounds noisier and seems to have about 3 noise levels. He removed the top freezer drawer and drilled something briefly at the fan, don't know what he did. Chatting to him and asked him what were the options and he said that they normally don't repair them ( why did he have tools so!). The only problems really can be the compressor or the fan and in his opinion, they were working fine. According to him, newer fridge freezers are designed to be on at a low level for approx 80% of the time, and also it's very hot at the moment!

We were using the eco setting as it was much noisier on the normal setting. I asked him what should I do and he said to get on to the retailer C*rrys as my contract was with then and he would just report back that I was not happy with the noise.

A week later, the heatwave is gone and there has been a small improvement? ( I can't tell anymore), It definitely isn't on as much but when it is on it is very noisy ( compressor and vibrations). I have friends over for dinner tonight and I don't want them sitting in the kitchen, which is very upsetting as I love the new design and I was very proud of it. I have resorted to having a dishwasher or washing machine on while I have to be in the kitchen to mask the noise. Radio isn't enough. I was in the kitchen this morning when it started up and the glasses on top of the unit next to it rattled when it started up!

Things I have tried.:

Fridge full

Fridge empty ( no food no shelves)

Out of built-in and running while on the floor of the kitchen

Aero board down the sides and top between fridge and unit

Eco setting on and off ( temperature is 7 deg and freezer at -18)

I am trying to psych myself up to go into C*rrys next week but don't know what to do?

Will I ask for a replacement? A new model completely? Will they do anything for me?

HAs anybody any advice please or recommendations for a new fridge freezer 70/30 that they have bought recently

Thanks for reading

Ava

The Red Ace

do you know if it is a conventional unit or a frost free unit. what is causing the problem can be quite different.

Ava1414

It is a frost free one , model GKFED473 

Thanks for reply, any advice appreciated

colm_mcm

Grinding are basically a Currys own brand now. Far as I know they’re part of Beko.

wildwillow

7 degees is too warm for the fridge. It should be between 3 and 5 degrees. So I would consider it unsafe storage for food.

You need to record it at it's noisiest as proof. Curry's are your first port of call. If it is not working you are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund. I'd push for a refund or at least another brand as a replacement.

Ava1414

I can set the fridge temperature and the freezer temperature independently The reason I had it at 7 was to see if it would be on for less time as not trying to reach a low temperature.

I came home at 8pm and it was making noise, still on and making noise now , 2 hours later.

Trying to psyche myself up to talk to Curry’s. Can anyone recommend a recent purchase ? 70/30 fridge freezer please

kirving

In the manual, there will be specifications on how much space should be left to the sides, behind and above the frige to allow for adequate cooling.

Did the kitchen installater leave enough room?

It may just be that the fan is on a lot more than usual and so there is more opportunity for it to resonate and make an unpleasant noise.

Ava1414

I will check manual tomorrow and confirm clearance. When the engineer called he commented on the fact that there was no vent in the kickboard. I told him that the back was completely open and there was also an opening under the baseboard. He said that there should be a vent or that we should drill some holes in the bottom. We have drilled the holes as suggested but no change.

The Red Ace

Your fridge has all the symptoms of the evaporator clogged with ice for whatever reason caused it, usually one of the doors being left slightly ajar. When this happens the auto defrost usually cannot sort it and the remedy is unplug it and leave the doors open and let it defrost manually overnight. The noise you are hearing is the circulation fan clipping off the ice build up.

Ava1414

Thank you very much the red ace for this advice. I will do as you suggest and report back

Ava1414

Emptying the freezer now to defrost it. When I unplugged it and looked at the fan in the freezer I didn't see any ice or frost. Seems to be spinning freely. Going to defrost it anyway to see if it helps.

Ava1414

An update on this. Defrosted it overnight. Very little water came out but may have been in evaporator dish at the back?

Also got the kitchen crowd back and they installed a proper vent at the bottom.

A week later and the fridge is doing much better. Is not on as much and is not as noisy when it is on.

I can still hear it when it is on but no longer hear it when I come in the front door! I don't think it is as quiet as it was at the beginning but maybe I am just more aware of it in general? Going to monitor it for the next few weeks and see. Was it the heatwave that messed it up or was that a conincidence?

Thanks for all the help.

If

Ollie111

back to this again .

Still very noisy and seems to be on a lot again.

Currys have agreed to replace it this week if Grundig agree.

Would anybody please advise how to pick the best fridge for us?

Only requirements is 70/30 fridge freezer that is QUIET.

is a cheaper basic model better than a more expensive bells and whistles model?

Are the newer fridges just more noisy?