Liebherr is perhaps the most reliable brand of wine fridge on the market, but like any product and any producer, occasionally things can go wrong. Whether the malfunction has come from the product itself or its use over time, hearing your Liebherr wine fridge beeping or not cooling properly can make the heart of a wine collector sink.
Is my wine in danger of spoiling? Will I have to buy a new wine fridge? How can I fix the wine fridge? These will all be questions running through your mind if your Liebherr wine fridge is beeping. However, lets not panic. Firstly, it takes wine a good few weeks being kept out of condition (unless the conditions are extreme) to cause any damage to your wine and secondly, you have a Liebherr wine fridge, there's a good chance the problem will be resolved thanks to their top class after sales service and long term reliability.
Liebherr wine fridges
Famous for their after care and quality parts, Liebherr wine fridges rarely break down and the most common fault found with Liebherrs come not from their engineering but through either i) damage in transit or ii) user error. Like all wine fridges, Liebherr wine fridges need the same kind of love, care and attention as any other appliance. If you let dust clog the ventilation or never clean your appliances then you will accelerate their demise if not cause complete failure. In this blog we will look at all the potential reasons your Liebherr isn't cooling or has started to beep at you!
Most common problems with Liebherr wine fridges
As mentioned, most issues come from either knocks in transit or user error or neglect, however, there are some problems Liebherrs will face more regularly than other issues.
Common Problem #1 - Temperature Fluctuations - Not Cooling
If your Liebherr is beeping and struggling to cool then it is not maintaining its internal temperature correctly. There could be a number of reasons for this.
Fan Problems
Fans can become lose through the movement of the unit, through ice build up, through debris in the carcass or a multitude of reasons. If the fans are not working properly then the temperature of the fridge can't be maintained regularly throughout it. The good news is that replacement fans are usually fairly cheap and depending on the location of the fan, can often be changed by the lay person.
However, before changing a fan firstly make sure that the fan isn't simply blocked by internal debris or dirt and if it is, turn the machine off and clean around the fan.
Ambient Room Temperature Fluctuations
If your Liebherr is being kept in an environment of constant or extreme temperature fluctuations it will have to work very hard and frequently to keep the internal temperatures at your set point. This constant wear may be shortening the lifespan of your appliance. Either move the wine fridge out of this area or try to regulate the temperature more evenly in the room. Wine fridges should never be used outside of their climate classification unless fitted with a winter system and most Liebherr wine cabinets don't have them with the units preferring to kept in temperature controlled environments inside the home, office, bar or restaurant.
Broken Evaporator
If your Liebherr is not cooling, it may be due to a broken evaporator. Evaporators often become broken due to ice build up, often found on the back wall. This happens due to the fan in this area becoming dirty or blocked. The fix here, if the evaporator is blocked and not broken, is to remove the ice-build up and then clean around the fans.
Faulty Thermostat
Potentially your Liebherr is cooling optimally but the thermostat that measures your internal temperatures is broken or working intermittently causing your wine fridge to beep. The check here is to monitor the internal temperature of your wine fridge with your own manual readings. You can buy internal wine fridge temperature gadgets from Amazon to take your own readings. If you then find the thermostat is faulty it can be replaced.
Malfunctioning Compressor
If the compressor is malfunctioning due to the room being too hot or blocked ventilation then the issue can be resolved by your own actions. If however, the Liebherr still continues to malfunction due to the compressor under or overperforming then it may be time to call an engineer to fix or replace.
Intermittent Power Issues
Common causes of power issues include a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker. Your wine fridge could be resetting and restarting without your knowledge only alerting you later by beeping.
To troubleshoot this issue, start by checking the power source. Make sure the fridge is plugged in and that the outlet is working properly. If the outlet is working, check the fuse box or circuit breaker to see if a fuse has blown or if the circuit has been tripped. If the issue persists, it's best to call a professional.
Obstructed Ventilation
If your have a freestanding Liebherr wine fridge and are not allowing sufficient space around it to allow it to vent and cool then the wine fridge will be working overtime trying to regulate the internal temperature without being able to expel the hot air, this will cause the wine fridge to warm and a constant and unnecessary heating and cooling cycle. This will shorten the life span of your wine fridge drastically. The good news is that this is any easy fix. If you have things on top of your wine fridge, take them off and if you have things to the side, move them.
If you have a built in or integrated Liebherr wine fridge, then do not obstruct the ventilation system either in the front or back of the unit depending on the model.
Common Problem #2 - Clicking, Buzzing or 'Dolphin' Noises
Clicking noises are generally caused either by a fan working loose, being dirty and struggling to spin or something inside the internal mechanism coming lose and being hit by the fan. Occasionally these noises may also be the result of intermittent power failure.
If the noises are intermittent and unpredictable that is a more worrying sign and could relate to any number of issues. However, many buzzing noises can just be cancelled out by installing sound proofing around the back of the wine fridge and on the floor providing the unit is working.
Common Problem #3 - Water Leakage
Water in and around your wine cooler could be do with the humidity management inside the wine fridge or ice build up around the back wall and evaporator. It is important to try to understand from where the water is coming from.
Common reasons for ice build up include blocked fans but also having too few wine bottles in your wine fridge. Wine fridges work better at 80% + capacity.
Common Problem #4 - Bad Odours & Funny Smells
Bad odours can get trapped inside a wine fridge and build up over time, especially if it doesn't have a carbon filter. Most Liebherr wine fridges do come with carbon filters and clean air systems but the filters need changing so if you haven't changed your filter in a while, this could be causing the smell. This though is the positive 'bad smell'.
A mechanical or plastic bad odour is more worrying and a call to the technician should be placed in case of a faulty compressor.
Common Problem #5 - Ice Build Up
If your wine fridge is full of ice it is going to struggle to maintain its temperature. Wine fridges should be completely free of ice and if your fridge has ice on the back wall you will need to turn it off and defrost the unit and then inspect the fans and evaporator. The good news is that ice build up can be fixed and if you've noticed early enough you might avoid any long term damage to the wine fridge. Read our blog post about ice build up.
How long do Liebherr wine fridges last?
With thousands of freestanding wine fridges sold, we've never experienced a total failure of a Liebherr wine fridge which is why, when asked about which wine fridges last the longest, we often point our customers in the direction of Liebherr.
We've had service calls from customers who have had their Liebherr wine fridges for over a decade and only now have they started to develop any issues.
Still need help with your Liebherr?
If after going through this check list of reasons your Liebherr wine fridge isn't cooling or beeping you still don't manage to repair your wine fridge then a call to Liebherr's help desk, or, if you bought the wine fridge from us, a call to Coolersomm directly is in order so we can advise and potentially arrange for a technician to visit and diagnose the issue with your Liebherr.