Fridge Not Working on 240v

[Rodt]

Maybe this should have gone in the Electrical Section but here goes

I have a fridge that has stopped working on 240v but still works on 12v. No error codes just everything blank

In my limited experience have only heard of fridges stopping working on 12v and that seems to be trend on Google. Anyone here had that happen and have any idea what may be the issue and any idea of the cost to sort out?

The fridge is just over 12 months old and covered under warranty however (my slackness) I never kept a copy of my invoice as proof of purchase so the manufacturer won't talk to me about it. This has annoyed me a bit as I bought it from their factory on the Sunshine Coast so would have thought that would be able to tell from the serial number when it was sold. It astounds me in this day and age we still have to keep copies of our receipts / invoices. Hoping that a copy of our credit card statement may suffice but haven't tested that yet so will have to wait and see.

Pretty sure that a service agent will charge me to diagnose and didn't really want to be down $ just to diagnose + the cost of repair so any help is much appreciated on the cause and possible cost

Cheers

Rod

[Ranger_Scott]

I would bet that it's the 240v cable or transformer? Maybe get a local tradie to test it? My electrical experience seems to be at the same levels as yours though.

[Troopy_03]

They will have records. If you paid with a card you should be OK pinpointing the date, so they can lookup their records. If you paid cash it will be harder.

[Aussie Iron]

That mob on the Sunshine has changed hands or something. A few months ago I went in there for a part for a fridge. The same part that I had bought for another fridge, though 10 months earlier. First time was $26.00 the second time was $146.00. I even had the old docket because it had the part number, I was promptly told that was the old price by the previous owner/management and this is the new price.

Dan.

[GeoffA]

.....I was promptly told that was the old price by the previous owner/management and this is the new price.

..and what were they promptly told??

[sparksy]

From your bank statement or credit card statement there should be a transaction number that the seller can look up and print off a copy of receipt.  Use a bit at Bunnings when lost receipts.

[Bird]

..and what were they promptly told??

sex and travel.... lol

[Aussie Iron]

..and what were they promptly told??

Where to go in no uncertain matter.

Dan.

[Rodt]

Thanks all. We have searched through and have found the credit card transaction. My faulty memory though cause we actually bought it in May 2020 so 18 months old not 12 as I first thought and my daughter used her card for me as I had left mine at home so think it may be in her name (funny how you forget these things until you start digging). Not sure if I am now out of warranty so will investigate that further and see how I go. Hopefully either way they will be good about it

[Fizzie]

18 months on a fridge

I would think that under Consumer Law you certainly should still be covered!

[lloydus67]

Same
I’m pretty sure that most fridges have at least 2 yr warranty. I thought weaco was 5 years.
Accc would expect at least 5 years from memory. Just mention that you are talking to the accc and your consumer rights and I think that they will come to the party.

Sent from me

[geopaj]

Even if it is 18 months old and the warranty is only 12 months the Australian Consumer Law is clear. Have a read of the attached but, in summary, irrespective of the warranty offered, ACL states that the manufacturer/seller has an obligation to ensure appropriate quality and that the item lasts a ‘reasonable’ period (ie a reasonable period for a $1k fridge might be at least 5 years, but only months for a $5 toy bought from a ‘Dollar Shop’).

I have had to remind companies of this legislation several times but they have always warrantied stuff out of their warranty period once ‘reminded’.

https://consumer.gov.au/sites/consumer/files/inline-files/ACL-guidance-durability_0.pdf

[Rodt]

As an update to this as I have learned a couple of things that I didn't know in the warranty claim space.

1. A credit card / bank statement is not enough as proof of purchase. Will add that the manufacturer's warranty people did look their records up for me and have found the invoice / receipt and they have emailed to me. Was made a little harder as my daughter put it in her name when she collected it for me.

2. The fridge in question has a two year warranty. I found this interesting based on some of your replies on what would constitute a reasonable expectation of life. Works for me either way as it is within the two years for me

Have to now get it to an approved Service Agent for repair (80klm one way drive) so hopefully can be fixed without too much drama

Thanks for the comments 

[plusnq]

Thanks for the update.

[Fizzie]

1. A credit card / bank statement is not enough as proof of purchase.

Not arguing, but that goes against everything that I've ever heard said by the various "experts" talking about warranty claims!

[Rodt]

Don't disagree Fizzie.

When they advised me of that I went back to them and said a few choice things which is when they assisted a bit more in finding the invoice. I can maybe understand when you buy from a distributor but in my case I bought direct from the factory and probably expected a bit more sophistication in their records

All worked out well though in the end (not fixed yet though so fingers crossed)

[Troopy_03]

I think some companies are easier to deal with than others, in that respect. I have returned an item to BigW, with no receipt, and bought for cash. I told them the day and approx time I was in there (about 2 weeks earlier), and they were able to look through their records and confirmed that I purchased it when I said I did. Cash refund, no worries.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out eventually..

[Dale Goslin]

Hi, I'm not an expert, but I have a couple of guesses as to what might be going on: I assume that the fridge is running off a DC circuit, with the alternator of your van putting out 12V, and the refrigerator powered from that? Is the fridge working correctly when you connect it directly to the battery (no inverter or other stuff in between)? Is the DC output that the fridge is getting from the van battery the same as the AC output from the mains? If it's not, then the fridge might not be able to properly control its internal temperature, and the cooling elements will turn on and off randomly until something fails. The voltage difference could be caused by a bad connection, or by a low-voltage cutout on the inverter. The first thing to do would be to check that the fridge is not getting any power from the 12V circuit at all. Check the battery connection, and also try to connect it to the battery directly, without going through the inverter. If it's not getting any power at all, either it's not getting connected to the DC circuit, or it's not working right. If it's the former, the wiring is probably bad. If it's the latter, then you may need a new fridge (on warranty).

[Troopy_03]

Hi, I'm not an expert, but I have a couple of guesses as to what might be going on: I assume that the fridge is running off a DC circuit, with the alternator of your van putting out 12V, and the refrigerator powered from that? Is the fridge working correctly when you connect it directly to the battery (no inverter or other stuff in between)? Is the DC output that the fridge is getting from the van battery the same as the AC output from the mains? If it's not, then the fridge might not be able to properly control its internal temperature, and the cooling elements will turn on and off randomly until something fails. The voltage difference could be caused by a bad connection, or by a low-voltage cutout on the inverter. The first thing to do would be to check that the fridge is not getting any power from the 12V circuit at all. Check the battery connection, and also try to connect it to the battery directly, without going through the inverter. If it's not getting any power at all, either it's not getting connected to the DC circuit, or it's not working right. If it's the former, the wiring is probably bad. If it's the latter, then you may need a new fridge (on warranty).

You stuffed your URL.. and the rest of your post makes no sense what so ever...

[Rodt]

Hi, I'm not an expert, but I have a couple of guesses as to what might be going on: I assume that the fridge is running off a DC circuit, with the alternator of your van putting out 12V, and the refrigerator powered from that? Is the fridge working correctly when you connect it directly to the battery (no inverter or other stuff in between)? Is the DC output that the fridge is getting from the van battery the same as the AC output from the mains? If it's not, then the fridge might not be able to properly control its internal temperature, and the cooling elements will turn on and off randomly until something fails. The voltage difference could be caused by a bad connection, or by a low-voltage cutout on the inverter. The first thing to do would be to check that the fridge is not getting any power from the 12V circuit at all. Check the battery connection, and also try to connect it to the battery directly, without going through the inverter. If it's not getting any power at all, either it's not getting connected to the DC circuit, or it's not working right. If it's the former, the wiring is probably bad. If it's the latter, then you may need a new fridge (on warranty).

Thanks Dale. Working fine on 12v. It is the 240v input that it doesn't work with

[lloydus67]

If I read between the lines, I think what Dale was asking is
Does it not work on 240 straight from the house or only in the van when running on your inverter.


Sent from me

[Rodt]

Thanks mate for the interpreting.

It stopped working while it was plugged into a 240v plug in the house