How to Fix a Refrigerator Compressor?

a refrigerator compressor

Figure 1: A Compressor inside the refrigerator.



The refrigerator compressor is the core of a refrigerator and achieves the cooling effect. Due to the frequent use of the refrigerator, the refrigerator compressor will inevitably occur faults. Many people do not know how to fix the refrigerator compressor, and this article will introduce to you how to fix it.

Working Principle of Refrigerator Compressors

The air conditioner of the refrigerator is composed of four major parts, including the compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator. In addition, according to the needs of control or use, you can choose to install the pressure controller, temperature controller, filter dryer, and other auxiliary devices, the four major parts are necessary, though.

When the compressor is working, the gaseous refrigerant is compressed into the high-temperature and high-pressure gas and enters the condenser. The condenser is equivalent to a heat exchanger, which turns the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant into low-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant.

The low-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant flow through the expansion valve. An expansion valve is a throttling device, the pressure of the refrigerant out of the expansion valve drops, the temperature drops, and finally, it becomes two phases of gas and liquid. The expansion valve of a refrigerator is replaced with the capillary tube commonly because it arrives suddenly from a big tube to a small tube, and there can be the effect of throttling likewise.

The refrigerant enters the evaporator again for transferring heat and being gasifying, thus becoming the gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and low pressure, and finally returns to the compressor to continue the above cycle.



Parker Sporlan Expansion Valve EBSVE-15-GA Inlet size [in] : 7/8 Outlet size [in] : 9/8

Figure 2: Parker Sporlan Expansion Valve EBSVE-15-GA

Fix a Refrigerator Compressor that is Running Non-Stop

If a refrigerator compressor fails to stop, the key point for its maintenance is the cooling effect. If the refrigeration effect is normal, the temperature controller will be failed. Otherwise, it is because the cooling system lacks the Freon and the temperature can not drop to the control point, which leads to the failure of stopping. Therefore, it is crucial to detect leakages during repair, and then pump out the Freon. When you encounter a non-stop fault, you should first stop the compressor power for a few minutes, and then determine the cause of the fault according to the following phenomena.

Freon Leakage

If you touch the exhaust pipe of the compressor by hand, it does not feel hot, nor does the intake pipe of the condenser. And the temperature of the liner cannot drop, which indicates that the Freon in the system has been leaked out. The temperature in the box is not reduced, the contact of the temperature controller is constantly disclosed, and the power supply of the compressor can not be cut off, thus the compressor has been running. This phenomenon is called Freon leakage.



compressor exhaust pipe

Figure 3: The exhaust pipe of the refrigerator compressor.

Lack of Freon

There is another phenomenon that the system lacks Freon. This also leads to the system temperature is high, so that the compressor does not stop. But the system can cool, even if it is not so good. You feel the exhaust pipe of the compressor and the intake pipe of the condenser that is hot, about 50℃-60℃.

In addition, there are obvious temperature differences in the upper, middle, and lower parts of the condenser. To determine the cooling effect, you can put a bowl of cold water in the freezer of the fridge, and put the thermostat in a strongly cold position. Generally, after an hour, the water in the bowl will form solid ice. At this point, the temperature of the refrigerated room can be reduced to less than 10℃. Under normal circumstances, it can be reached in 30 minutes.

If the cooling effect can be achieved, it indicates that the cooling system is normal. Therefore, the compressor cannot be stopped because the temperature controller is faulty. If this cooling effect is not achieved, the system is low on the Freon and you need to refill it. After you release the Freon from the system, you need to inspect leaks, pump it and add the Freon, seal it, and follow the maintenance process described above.

Temperature Controller Troubleshooting

The premise of troubleshooting the temperature controller is that the refrigeration effect is normal, and the compressor can not stop.

First, you should check whether the temperature tube is out of the normal position, whether the set screw of the temperature controller is loose. You should re-adjust them to observe the cooling effect. If the refrigerator has dropped below 10℃ and the freezer dropped below 0℃, you should adjust the temperature controller appropriately. If the compressor still does not stop, you need to examine the temperature controller again.

There's an easy way to tell if a thermostat contact breaks. You remove the thermostat, put it in the freezer, then close the door, short-circuit the two wires connecting the thermostat, and make the compressor run for about 30 minutes.

Then you take out the temperature controller and quickly test its two contacts to see if they disconnect with a multimeter R×1. You must adjust the thermostat to a medium-cool mode before putting it in the fridge. If it is still not disconnected at a low temperature, it may indicate that the thermal agent has been completely leaked.

If the contact can be disconnected and the heat detector does not deviate from the normal sensing position, it shows that the system is lacking the Freon. For this, you need to add the Freon to it. The contacts of the thermostat are closed at room temperature and can be disconnected at preset low temperatures.

You can make a judgment that if the temperature controller is normal according to this principle, as well as whether the system lacks the Freon. However, it should be noted that the ice in the liner is too thick or the food is of extremely high temperature and the quantity is large, which will also lead to the compressor not stopping.



midea temperature controller

Figure 4: The temperature controller of a fridge.



If your refrigerator has a defrosting circuit, you should check the defrosting circuit to see if it works properly. If your refrigerator does not have a defrosting circuit, you can first shut it down, and artificially frost it, and then turn on the power, so as to solve the non-stop fault.

If you're confused about how to fix a refrigerator compressor, please check out this article. In fact, it is rather difficult to fix a refrigerator compressor. Therefore, when you are faced with problems in the refrigerator compressor, it is best to ask professional maintenance workers for help, so as to avoid damage to the refrigerator compressor.

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