![]() ![]() It will still run just not circulate/cool. ![]() It’s usually caused by a faulty valve in the compressor. While it’s possible for a compressor to fail like this, it’s not common. That does not add to a cheap job, and is exactly why repairing a fridge adds up to half the cost of a new one. Add on the technical expertise, specialised tooling, compliance costs (incl disposal), callout(s), guarantee/warranty on work. Replacement/repaired compressors might be cheap, and new fittings/lines probably so as well, but the refrigerants are definitely are not – at least in small quantities. Since most joints are going to be soldered/brazed that’s hotwork in a cramped space full of what is probably flammable insulation.Īnd then you still need to pay for all this. Modern ones also operate at higher pressures than older ones, meaning the quality of work needs to be higher and the tolerances for air/water/oil contamination much lower. (a fridge tech once told me a particular refrigerant + flame = some nerve gas). Some of the refrigerants are dangerous, either poisonous or flammable or both. There’s tools and skills or course, as well as legal requirements. These combinations probably add up to 20 or 30 different compressor styles that need to be stocked. Pretty standard item right? Just need to match the size and flowrate, the refrigerant and oil type compatibility, the operating pressure, the electrical operation. They’re probably better just used to evacuate the lines for a ‘proper’ repair Vampire taps might be ok to top up and get a few more years out of one, but they’re a serious leak potential to noone is going to guarantee. A factory soldered joint is much more reliable than a fitting in terms of its likelihood to leak gas. The refrigerants have their own handling precautions, with safe collection and disposal being a major environmental and safety concern.Īdding ports and valves and unions not only adds cost and complexity to the design, but it also adds failure points. These are the reasons that domestic refrigerators and freezers are disposable items – lack of serviceability, and the barriers to servicing them.Īnd for some good reasons too. It may not be a big deal for many techies here, but for people closer to the poverty line that’s quite significant for such a vital technology. It really is a depressing realization that you should be budgeting hundreds of dollars a year towards refrigerator replacement. If you need a fridge less than 36″ wide your options are already limited. So if you buy a 4 year old model and it craps out after 5 years you could be shit out of luck. Refrigerator repair companies are in decline too – mostly older guys approaching retirement with few young people willing to sign up for a job that is increasingly just telling customers that their fridge can’t be fixed due to a lack of parts.Īpparently manufacturers now only have to support fridges for 8 years in MA, and that 8 year clock starts when the model is introduced. That remaining supplier couldn’t get the part I needed anyway. There is effectively only one parts supplier left in my area as the pandemic killed off many of the older Mom and Pop suppliers who’d barely been hanging on for years anyway. I recently tried to get parts for a 15 year old fridge. Posted in Teardown Tagged compressor, fridge compressor, lubrication Post navigation You can see the full video below the break, but meanwhile this isn’t the first fridge compressor we’ve seen. The compressor has a lifetime of around ten years baked into it from manufacture, whether the designer intended it to or not. The designer had picked a very light oil in pursuit of low friction for lower energy consumption, but had ended up with one too light to provide adequate coverage within the bearing. As the teardown proceeded the conclusion was that the fault lay in the oil being too low viscosity. Cutting the lid off revealed the motor, and it was soon established that the bearing had failed. It’s both an opportunity for a look at the inside of a fridge compressor, and a commentary on the quality of consumer grade hardware.Įlectrically the unit seemed unhurt, but the motor wouldn’t pump anything. An interesting teardown of a failed fridge compressor comes from, who gives us a professional analysis of how shortcomings in its construction caused it to fail. ![]() It’s not uncommon to find fridges many decades old still in use, and fridges are far more likely to be discarded due to broken fittings rather than a failed compressor. Probably one of the most reliable devices you will have in your house is the refrigerator, as its compressor has the minimum of moving parts and carries its own lubrication.
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