The compressor is one of the most important parts of the refrigerator as it handles gas and pressure inside the fridge. According to refrigerator repair professionals, when the compressor isn’t working, the entire fridge doesn’t function, and you might be tempted to replace it.
Before you spend money on a new appliance, first find out whether the compressor is faulty. Don’t know how to do it? Here are tips to tell if refrigerator compressor is bad:
The compressor kicks on and off.
Does your compressor turn on and off, or doesn’t work? You must be having a problem with the relay start, or you are having a compressor overload. When it comes to the relay start, it could be faulty or dirty. Before hiring a professional, check it and if dirty, clean it.
If you do the cleaning and still the relay won’t work, you must be having a complex problem that should be left to an expert.
You can diagnose the compressor yourself or hire a professional to help you out.
If you have confidence in your skills, you should go the DIY route. Begin with unplugging the fridge from the electrical sockets then inspect the internal wiring. Can you see any problem? If you can’t, move onto the next step and open the side panel.
Most side panels are held in place by screws, and all you need to do is to loosen them. If you can’t locate the side panel, chances are you can’t fix the issues by yourself, and you are better off contacting a fridge repair professional to help you out.
When hiring the professional, ensure he/she is knowledgeable enough as you don’t want someone who will cause more problems than were originally there.
Have you found the side panel and loosened the screws? Good. Now find the starter relay switch. In most fridges, it’s found below the panel. After identifying it, you should unplug it from the compressor, and it will guide you in knowing whether the compressor is faulty.
You should shake the relay switch, and if you hear a rattling sound, the switch has been damaged. If you don’t hear a sound, the compressor is sound, so the failure of the switch to work might be due to another problem, and you should contact a fridge technician to help you identify the underlying issues with your appliance.
Take a look at the compressor fan.
You can also tell whether the refrigerator compressor is faulty by taking a look at the compressor fan. Begin with separating the fridge from the wall, but leave it plugged into the outlet. If you don’t know the location of the compressor fan, confirm from the owner’s manual.
The compressor fan is a vital part of the refrigerator’s cooling system, where it cools the fridge, preventing overheating. When the fan stops working, the fridge begins making strange noises.
If the fan isn’t moving when you put on the fridge, you have a problem that is best addressed by an expert.
The refrigerator failing to cool the food properly.
The fridge is designed to keep the food as cool as possible, so if it’s not doing it, chances are it has a faulty compressor. When the fridge isn’t cooling the food properly, you will begin noticing the food items in the freezer getting socked and not frozen.
Do you have an amplifier meter and know how to use it? Test the compressor, and by doing this, you will know whether you should repair or replace it. You can easily remove and replace the compressor as long as you are confident when doing it, but if you feel more comfortable with the professional technician handling the work, go ahead and contact one.
The compressor making noise
In most modern refrigerators, the compressor functions silently, so when yours makes noise, you have a problem that you should address as soon as possible. If you confirm that the compressor is the one making the refrigerator noise, it’s too late as a noisy compressor means a bad compressor, so you should replace it.
When replacing the compressor, appliance repair Northern VA professionals recommend you buy from a reputable brand. This way you are sure it will give you an excellent service and at the same time last for a long time.