Hotpoint H5T 811 IKH1 Fridge Freezer Fan Not Working

Hi Paul I follow your YouTube channel and have used it to repair appliances in the past however I cannot find anything for the above model. The freezer of my Hotpoint H5T 811 IKH1 Fridge Freezer works fine however the fridge is not cooling. I have checked the capacitor which is fine, I removed the covers inside the freezer which expose the evaporator and fan. The evaporator was completely blocked up with ice which was cleared by keeping power off and hairdryer to accelerate the process. At this stage I powered up but the fan did not run. Does the fan run constantly? I put everything back together again and powered up, after several hours the fridge temperature fluctuates between 1.5 – 4 degrees on the lowest fridge setting. I would replace the fan however it seems very awkward as it is located high up on the back wall behind the evaporator, I don’t think it can be removed without moving or removing the evaporator. What do you think? Many thanks George
George Clarke

I will try and help with this problem about Hotpoint H5T 811 IKH1 Fridge Freezer,

Hi George,

Sorry to hear about the problem with your Hotpoint fridge freezer. Firstly, you did everything correctly, but you should never use a hairdryer to speed up the defrosting process inside the freezer. This can melt the plastic and damage components.

Hotpoint doesn’t provide much technical information to the public. They keep it mostly for their own engineers, making it hard for me to assist you properly. The basic principle of your fridge freezer is that it prioritises cooling the freezer first before the fridge starts cooling. You mentioned temperature fluctuations between 1, 5, and 4 degrees, but without a graphing system, I can’t pinpoint the exact issue.

The fan should turn on and off as needed in the fridge, but only when the freezer is at its minimum operational temperature. I’ve included some videos below on a Samsung fridge freezer that are worth watching to understand how I monitor units when repairing them. Watch parts 1 and 2 that show problems with the defrost system.

If your fridge freezer was full of ice at the back, it indicates that a defrost did not happen correctly. In the UK, when we start using central heating more in spring and autumn, it can sometimes mislead the fridge freezer’s operating range. This might cause it to miss its normal 24-hour defrost cycle, leading to ice build-up and malfunction.

Now that you’ve defrosted the system, understand that it will take 24 hours for the fridge freezer to start its normal cycle. Wait to see if it maintains a steady temperature or if it gets warmer every few days. If it does get warmer, ice may be building up again due to a faulty defrost heating element, a sensor issue, or a non-working fan.

Without having the machine in front of me and without access to workshop manuals for exact sensor values, it’s very hard for me to diagnose. Refrigeration systems have become too complicated over the years, with many going to recycling plants in the UK after just five years.

At a recent trade show in Berlin, I saw new AI technology being added to fridge freezers but not useful innovations like my graphing system from ten years ago. If manufacturers implemented this system accessible via the internet, they could notify customers when defrosts weren’t happening correctly. Instead, they focus on eco-friendly claims and gimmicks that shorten the lifespan of appliances.

I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful apart from pointing you in some obvious directions. I hope your fridge freezer starts working correctly again after defrosting. Sometimes this happens without needing to replace any components.

Good luck, George. Thanks for contacting us.

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