The home repairmen should be very cautious when it comes to repair of the household refrigerator. They should be aware of the fact that they are dealing with a very expensive product, and one that contains a very delicately balanced cooling system. One small error could damage the system beyond repair.
Replacing a faulty compressor requires special vacuum and freon filling equipment that only professional technicians can handle.
The refrigerator cooling system is not like the family automobile air conditioner. You can’t simply attach a hose and add a little freon when it isn’t cooling properly. The refrigerator is a carefully balanced, sealed system, and normally should not have a freon-loss problem. If the unit is not cooling properly, and you have determined that the compressor is running, then there are several electrical components in the system that could be at fault. Read the rest of this entry »
The components of a typical household refrigerator are described below:
The heart of the refrigerator system is the compressor. It is made up of a pump and an electric motor and is contained in a sealed dome through which the refrigerant travels.
The starting relayis an electromechanical switch used to start the compressor motor. As electricity flows, the starting relay energizes the start winding of the refrigerator compressor motor until the motor is almost up to speed. At this point, the relay breaks the electrical circuit to the start winding and the compressor motor continues to run on its run (or motor) winding. Read the rest of this entry »
Unplug the fridge power cord before servicing the fridge. Move the fridge out from the wall. Use extreme care when moving the fridge, because the fridge legs can tear or damage the floor.
Using hand tools, remove the screws on all four sides of the fridge or freezer doors so that you can remove and discard the defective gasket(s). Before removing the old gasket, note carefully how the gasket is installed, because the replacement gasket has to be installed in the same position as the defective gasket that is removed. Before installing the replacement gasket, heat the rubber with a home hair dryer set on low heat. This will make the rubber more flexible,’ and easier to install on the fridge or freezer door. Install the replacement door gasket by mounting the lip of the gasket under the retainer plate. Read the rest of this entry »
You can check the evaporator fan motor by removing the plastic breaker strips on the left- and right-hand sides of the freezer section of the fridge.
NOTE: When removing the plastic breaker strips, it is recommended that they be pre-heated using a 40-to-60-watt light bulb. The light bulb is applied to each breaker strip for 5 to 7 minutes, to warm the pieces and make them more pliable and less subject to breakage. Read the rest of this entry »
Other specific failure symptoms include: 1) Food not remaining at the desired temperature. 2) Fridge compressor does not cycle OFF.
If the compressor motor runs continuously in an attempt to keep the fridge cool but the cabinet is still not cool enough, you will have to find the component or failure that is restricting the cooling capacity of the fridge. Check the components in the order that they are listed below. Read the rest of this entry »
Specific symptoms include: 1) Food not remaining at the desired temperature. 2) Fridge cools intermittently. 3) Food in freezer section thaws out and then refreezes or is only partially frozen.
When a fridge has intermittent cooling, it is known as “spot cooling.” Spot cooling is a situation where the fridge does not cool the food adequately for a period of time and then mysteriously returns to proper operating order. The erratic behavior in the fridge is caused by one of two things: a defective defrost timer, or a moisture restriction. First, check the defrost timer. Read the rest of this entry »
Unplug the Fridge power cord before servicing the Fridge. Move the Fridge out from the wall. Use care when moving the Fridge, because the metal feet can tear or damage the floor.
Open the freezer door and remove the plastic breaker strips at the front of freezer section. NOTE: When removing plastic breaker strips, heat them with a low- wattage (40-60) light bulb for 5 to 7 minutes. Heat will make the plastic more pliable and less susceptible to breakage. Read the rest of this entry »
Specific failure symptoms include: 1) Frost build-up on back wall in freezer section of Fridge. 2) Fridge ice maker not making ice. 3) Food not remaining at the desired temperature in both the Fridge and freezer sections.
When the Fridge starts to build up frost in the freezer section, you can assume that something is preventing the Fridge from going into the defrost cycle. You will have to check the components of the defrost circuit. Move the Fridge out from the wall and unplug the Fridge power cord. Check the components in the order listed below. Read the rest of this entry »
Specific symptoms include: 1) Compressor motor runs all the time and does not cycle regularly. 2) Food freezing in the fridge section of the fridge. To find the cause of this problem, which is usually caused by a faulty thermostat, move the fridge out from the wall and unplug the fridge power cord.
Unplug the fridge power cord before servicing the fridge. Move the fridge out from the wall. Use extreme care when moving the fridge because the fridge feet can damage the floor. Read the rest of this entry »
Unplug refrigerator power cord. Using hand tools, remove the icemaker from the freezer section of the refrigerator. Remove the front cover from the icemaker. Remove the front component plate that is secured to the ice maker support housing. Remove the screws that secure the cycling thermostat to the icemaker support.
Remove electrical wires from the terminals on the support housing, and carefully remove the thermostat. Read the rest of this entry »
