Refrigerator Issues

[curmudgeon]

When I got back from my Christmas vacation (a week ago last Friday), I was greeted by the foul smell of my refrigerator having stopped working. The light worked, but nothing else did. No noise, no nothing!

I made a few calls and asked a few people and the consensus was to buy a new one. So, panicked and nauseous from the smell of thawed and spoiled food; I went to Home Depot and purchased a new refrigerator. The good people from the box store gladly took my money and said it would be a 3 week wait. I promptly removed the funk and smell from the refrigerator and left it sit until the new one arrives.

Sunday morning while enjoying my coffee and watching Sports Center, I was amazed when I heard the ice maker tumbling newly made ice into the freezer. Excited I checked the refrigerator to see that it was indeed cold and the freezer was functioning as well.

My questions are as follows:

What do you suppose could be the problem with my refrigerator? What can I do to solve it? Can it be relied upon for future usage?

I appreciate any advice and assistance on my refrigerator!

[sojourner truth]

Wow, it could be a hundred things. Was it left plugged in to the same socket it always was in? If you moved it, it could be a breaker that popped. Sometimes, when the compressor gets old, or the freon level gets low, the compressor motor can overheat . It will stay off for a while until it cools down and then will kick back in when the conditions are right. Some heavy load appliances have high load internal circuit protectors that trip if the load is too high, and then reset when conditions clear. Mine did this the other day. For some reson the ice maker got jammed and the motor froze up when it couldnt cycle properly. I thawed out the device, and it started working again. Another possibility is that the wiring is faulty. My daughters fridge stopped once, and I found one of the 3 wires in back of it had rusted and wasnt getting a good connection. I restripped the wire, cleaned the connection junction, and it worked fine. Could be a bad outlet as well. If you moved it away from the wall when it wasn't working, and then pushed it back into place and it started working again, I'd check the wiring and the socket, all the way down to where the wiring goes into the compressor motor. If the new one coming is a done deal, put the old one in the garage or on the back porch and use it for tactical beer storage. One can never have enough beer storage. Plus, this IS Texas, where fridges on the porch are not out of place. In fact, they are almost a status symbol. (depending on how much beer is inside)!!! Right Dave?

[Mestral]

How old is it?
How old is the electrical circuit it is plugged into?
(I had to replace the breaker mine was plugged into.)

As a rule of thumb, if a fridge is over 10 to 15 years old, replace it.

If any motorized appliance(fridge, washer, dryer, furnace blower, air conditioner, etc) malfunctions a couple of times, but restarts, check the electrical circuit. The breaker may not be tripping, but something may not be quite "clean and tight" enough.

[Night Owl]

Grimlins!!! Thats my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

[circle_c]

I dont know about new ones, but the older fridge's had a sensor time device that turned your freezer and stuff on and off. Mine got stuck and fortunatley had a good neighbor jar mine into operation with the heel of his hand. My son has it now and its still going strong after about 25 years. It was a small round device located under the fridge.

[xzochye]

For some reson the ice maker got jammed and the motor froze up when it couldnt cycle properly. I thawed out the device, and it started working again.

How do you thaw out the motor? Is this possible without thawing out the entire freezer? My ice maker has quit working and I sure do miss it. I keep hoping to win the lottery so I can replace it but luck just hasn't been on my side!

[sojourner truth]

How do you thaw out the motor? Is this possible without thawing out the entire freezer? My ice maker has quit working and I sure do miss it. I keep hoping to win the lottery so I can replace it but luck just hasn't been on my side!

There are a couple of ways but the easiest is to thaw the whole fridge. It's possible to turn the thermostat for the freezer section to a temp above freezing, but the take a lot of time. One thing you may want to check is if the "tray full" bar is in the up position. Most ice makers have a little lever or bar in above the catch basin that, when it is in the up position, will stop the ice maker. Another possibility is if the water line supplying the ice maker is crimped and not supplying water to make ice. In this case, you should still hear the motor run every once in a while. If all this fails, it may be time to replace the ice maker. Sears or any aplliance repair company can do it. If you are real brave, you can get the make and model of the fridge and go to the sears store in Belton and they may have the part. If not, they can get it for you. I don't reccomend doing it yoursel unless you are a real good mechanical type person. The problem with mine was simply a piece of hard ice formed in the wrong place and stopped the little arm mechanism from kicking out the cubes. I just reached in and broke it with my hand. It still had another little piece later so I broke that off too. You have to watch it and see if it is attempting to move and goes through a whole cycle. If you don't see or hear any activity after all this, call the repairman.

[CenTexDave]

I have a refrig in my garage that I bought when I moved here in 1984. It has never needed a repair and still works good. If it dies it goes. With my luck it will outlive me. :))

[sojourner truth]

I have a refrig in my garage that I bought when I moved here in 1984. It has never needed a repair and still works good. If it dies it goes. With my luck it will outlive me. :))

Let me know if there's any beer in it when ya go Dave.

[xzochye]

Let me know if there's any beer in it when ya go Dave.

What are you thinking man? He is taking that with him!

[CenTexDave]

Yo mean there ain't no beer in heaven??

[engteach64]

I have a pretty good fridge. I find myself hoping it will die becuase with my home warranty I could get a new one for 60.00. It is covered under my policy. I'm praying that the fridge, oven, range, microwave, and dishwasher all go out at the same time so I can get a really nice new set. :)

[sojourner truth]

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Just leave the front door open during the day, and it will all dissappear.

[JoAnn Purser]

Does that fall under warranty?

[sojourner truth]

No, homeowners theft insurance.

[curmudgeon]

Repair man came out today. It was the Condenser motor starter.

[circle_c]

I was thinking all along it was the starter capacitor...:)) Just kidding of course, glad the problem is corrected.

[Ludwig]

If you have dealt with A/C units, those are the weakest components in the system other than the circuit breaker. From the information given, or rather not given, a long-distance diagnosis even by the most skilled tech was impossible.

[sojourner truth]

Starter/capacitors are generally good for about 5 to 7 years if you are lucky. The home AC unit, when it goes out, will usually be a starter capacitor every time, as Ludwig said. The AC guys always tell you you need a new compressor, which is BS. The new and very expensive compressor comes with a new starter capacitor, ensuring that the problem gets fixed and the repairman has made a killing off of you.

[Ludwig]

Starter/capacitors are generally good for about 5 to 7 years if you are lucky. The home AC unit, when it goes out, will usually be a starter capacitor every time, as Ludwig said. The AC guys always tell you you need a new compressor, which is BS. The new and very expensive compressor comes with a new starter capacitor, ensuring that the problem gets fixed and the repairman has made a killing off of you.

I hope everyone reads this and pays heed. You are so right.

[CenTexDave]

I learned that the hard way. Also have a pool and the same thing. Initially the repair tech tried to con me into new pool motor and new A/C condenser. Told him I'd get back to him and called a friend, and yep, was the starter/run condenser. Last time the one on the home A/C went out cost me $90 to have replaced. Went online, found the one I need and now keep two of them in reserve. They were $15 each online.

[Mestral]

Starter/capacitors are generally good for about 5 to 7 years if you are lucky. The home AC unit, when it goes out, will usually be a starter capacitor every time, as Ludwig said. The AC guys always tell you you need a new compressor, which is BS. The new and very expensive compressor comes with a new starter capacitor, ensuring that the problem gets fixed and the repairman has made a killing off of you.Everyone needs to have tech's they can trust. (I am fortunate, I have those.)

Goes for car, AC units, computers, etc.

Or at least have friends that can tell you if the diagnosis is reasonable.

That is what we have here (doing best we can do).

[CenTexDave]

Roger that, Mestral.