Miele fridge freezer is not cooling in fridge.

As you don’t feel sure of the temperatures does this mean it’s a fairly new buy If so why not ring or go into the store to complain or did you buy it online ? Doesn’t the booklet of instructions that comes with it tell you what number it should be on ?

They are very helpful on the service line, and if possible will talk you through what needs doing.

Hello BlueBell. I have had my Miele fridge freezer 7 years and I have it set at 4 as per instruction book. Now I am trying 3 but it hasn’t changed yet. Confused as it makes sense that 3 degrees is colder than 4 but the internet is saying something different.

Maybe I’ve got it wrong all these years but I thought the higher the number the cooler the temperature ie 4 is cooler than 3.

The numbers relate to how much power the fridge is using. The rule is always the same. The higher the number, the colder the fridge.

Fridge temperature ranges are usually from from 1 °C to 9 °C. You should be aiming for a temperature of 5 °C in the middle of the fridge.

PS my fridge freezer is a Hotpoint. The dial just has numbers but they don’t indicate temperature.

I read this as well but the actual number is in degrees so 3 degrees sounds lower than 5 degrees. I will now try 5 degrees 🤔. Just wondering if it something to do with not turning the freezer off for 7 years. I know it’s a good idea because an engineer told me but always had stuff in it.

Engineer was talking about a couple of days.

Lovetopaint037

I read this as well but the actual number is in degrees so 3 degrees sounds lower than 5 degrees. I will now try 5 degrees 🤔. Just wondering if it something to do with not turning the freezer off for 7 years. I know it’s a good idea because an engineer told me but always had stuff in it.

Oh, I see!

Yes, you are talking about positive numbers in a fridge cabinet. 3 degrees is colder than 5 degrees.

Negative numbers would be the other way around. Minus three degrees would be warmer than minus five degrees.

You should defrost your freezer regularly when the ice thickness reaches ¼ or ½ inch. Otherwise, the motor is having to work extra hard to cool the food. This wastes energy and raising your bills too. You'd have to ask an engineer but it could be that the appliance's motor is having to work so hard to cool the freezer food that the operation of the fridge is affected. Just a thought.

Grannynannywanny

Maybe I’ve got it wrong all these years but I thought the higher the number the cooler the temperature ie 4 is cooler than 3.

Yes, it is, at least on our larder fridge in the kitchen, but that is a Bosch.
The dial can easily get knocked and occasionally, if it got turned up to 5 or 6 by mistake, I'd find frozen tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce in the salad drawer.

TinSoldier

Lovetopaint037

I read this as well but the actual number is in degrees so 3 degrees sounds lower than 5 degrees. I will now try 5 degrees 🤔. Just wondering if it something to do with not turning the freezer off for 7 years. I know it’s a good idea because an engineer told me but always had stuff in it.

Oh, I see!

Yes, you are talking about positive numbers in a fridge cabinet. 3 degrees is colder than 5 degrees.

Negative numbers would be the other way around. Minus three degrees would be warmer than minus five degrees.

You should defrost your freezer regularly when the ice thickness reaches ¼ or ½ inch. Otherwise, the motor is having to work extra hard to cool the food. This wastes energy and raising your bills too. You'd have to ask an engineer but it could be that the appliance's motor is having to work so hard to cool the freezer food that the operation of the fridge is affected. Just a thought.

Thank you. TinSoldier. I have only defrosted once as there isn’t any build up of ice as it is supposed to do this automatically. I can certainly do that again.

Your post is a bit confusing. It needs to be set at 4 degrees.

7 years is quite old for a f/f nowadays. Miele will charge you about £250 to come out.

It could be a gas leak. The only way to know for sure is to get a refrigeration engineer out.

By the way -4 is colder than -3 despite what someone else said.

This advice is from a family member in the trade.

7 years is quite old fir a fridge freezer.? Good lawd. Mine is older than that and to me it’s still quite new. :-)

I hope I don’t jinx it by saying mine is 20 years old.

My mums freezer was 45 years old and still going string as far as I know,

I think the higher the number, the colder it gets. Mine is a cheap and cheerful built in Indesit - had it 15 years .

I have an upright freezer and separate under-worktop fridge which are a good 25 years old. The built in larder fridge with small freezer in the kitchen is about 9 years old now. Both fridges are set at 5, ie five degrees. None of them Miele.

silverlining - that must be a record 😳

It just goes on and on, yes orobsbly a record. Her boiler was 55 years old and still working 10 years after British Gas refused to service it on her contract.
Modern Boilers and clearly fridges /freezers too seem to have in built obsolescence

What you really need to do is buy a fridge thermometer so you can if the temperature is at a safe level. They are quite cheap.
And it sounds as if you need to get an engineer to look at it.
And yes, check it doesn't need defrosting.

I have a miele fridge set at the optimum (best) temperature of 5 degrees

I do clear out or rotate my veg in the drawers, they do not keep indefinitely eg carrots can get mouldy if they are old when you buy them

You need to clean the the condensation channel inside and the cooling grill behind. Like any fridge it does need a bit of maintenance. Also make sure there is an air gap behind it, between it and the wall

The number is the actual required temperature ie 4 is colder than 5 but 5 is perfect

A fridge needs to be set at 5 degrees C and a freezer needs to be at -18 degrees C

My other fridge freezers have been a lot older than this one. We have attempted to clean the channel which takes water but no sign of any kind of build up. We have clambered up to the top to to make sure there is no signs of dust etc between the fridge freezer and the wall. There are fitted spacers there to allow air to circulate. Once before my dh attempted to pull the VERY large fridge freezer out and he found this very hard as he is 84 .No sign then and that is when we first noticed water in the salad boxes despite no sign of a blockage.

Ps Had a salter thermometer delivered today and it shows that even on 4 it is not in the safe zone. That is better than earlier today when it was obvious that the temperature had gone right down and this was shown on the gauge.