Can a fridge (Gas Unit) be repaired and replaced? Or is this REALLY a right off?

[365drills]

I am an idiot.

Getting ready for the football I clear out the wine fridge of wine and prepare to stock it with bargain beers (£10 a case Sainsburrys) well in advance.

My lovely designer built in wine fridge.... Centre Piece of my kitchen....

I notice the white plate behind heavy with Ice so decide to do a quick defrost. Instead of waiting hours for it to drip on my floor I help it along by chipping it off the plate with a knife...

Bullseye and straight through the micro bore. Unit is now scrap. Cant be repaired.

Hotpoint WE26X Wine Cellar £955.00

Oh joy....

What a nice thing to have to replace !


Question: Is this really impossible to repair? I would have thought that to replace the panel (or patch it) and re-gas the unit was an option. Spoke to THREE companies today and they all say "unit is scrap".

My other option is home insurance with an excess of £250 still cheaper than paying the above.

 

[quality]

Ya can get some stuff called "super poxee" for repairing aluminium plate evaporators like the one in your post it got to be worth a try at that cost of replacement

 

[365drills]

Thanks yes its a lot of cost to replace it. When I hit it the gas came out so it will need re-gassing. Would there be a filling point on the Hotpoint motor or is it a fully sealed unit - and gassed once at the factory ?

 

[quality]

There would not be a service port to re-charge it so one would have to be fitted ( no big deal) I do a lot of refrigeration repairs but I am in yorkshire but would attemt a repair no problem

 

[oldplumber]

cheaper to use a wet towel over your tinnies and let evaporation cool them. Having seen your work on fridges, I wouldnt want you near my boiler. lol

 

[migoplumber]

hope you learnt your lesson drills !
as said above repairs are easy, you just need to find a local one.
basically, just means installing a non return valve somewhere on existing pipework and then regassing from your 'new' fill up point (after fixing leak !!)
good luck

by the way a 1k fridge shouldn't be stuffed with coors - should be full of chateau pap

 

[oldplumber]

leave the chateux pap in the swimming pool to cool works for me (in my dreams)

 

[365drills]

Thanks for that ! (The comments about the leak - not the ones about my taste in beer...)

Good news. I spoke to Hotpoint and for £71.98 they are going to send me that white thing as a replacement part which they tell me is called an Evaporator.

Next I have booked up Nationwide Home Appliance Repair Services - 0800 Repair and on Tuesday an engineer is going to come out at a fixed fee of £60 inc VAT to "look at it"

What I am hoping is that Hotpoint would not supply a part if the unit was unservicable. Also. I am hoping the engineer is savvy enough so that when presented with the replacement part he can put two and two together and actually repair this unit. The danger is that they are just an old part-off then new-part on outfit. Not sure if any talk of re-gassing will faze him. If it does I will direct him to this very helpful post.... Fingers XXXed !

 

[oldplumber]

No need for the fridge based on englands great performance last night, Id save your money and take the missus out, if they cant beat the yanks who can they beat???

 

[migoplumber]

lol....