In the kitchen of nearly every home there is a refrigerator. The refrigerator is one of those miracles of modern living that totally changes life. Prior to refrigeration, the only way to preserve meat was to salt it, and iced beverages in the summer were a real luxury.

Because of careless use, miss-handling or old units begin giving trouble very often. Well, the reasons may be many. However, the one that is most usually trouble the overall functioning of the refrigerator is its compressor. Compressor seems to be the vital part of a refrigerator since it helps in cooling.

Sometimes, the compressor stops working in your fridge and the unit fails to cool. With this article the homeowners will explore the basics to trouble shoot the faulty compressor of the fridge. You should check to see if all the electrical controls of the fridge are working.

We should also check the temperature knob for its position. Sometimes, this knob is placed at its lowest position, if so it must be corrected. There is a fan installed at the bottom for the cooling of compressor. If this stops, see if there is any dust or obstruction, hindering its rotation. It is to be done away with.

On noticing that the compressor is very frequently producing a clicking sound, see the compressor relay may have gone bad. Check for a dust or carbon deposit on relay contacts. This cuts off the supply and in turn shuts off the compressor.

Before making any replacements and the repairs, cut off the power supply to the fridge. At the bottom of the refrigerator, compressor is located where the relay is wired on its extreme right. Locate the relay terminal cover. Remove the cover, and the relay will be right under the cover.

Remove the wire by pulling the connector that holds it to the relay not the wire. Check the relay and the wiring for corrosion and other build ups. Finding the corroded part should be replaced. Also, scrape off the dirt and dust from it.

Set your multitester to read ohms, usually the RX1 or X1 setting, depending on the model of tester. Touch one of the tester’s probes to one of the terminals and other probe to touch first one of the other terminals and then the last one. The tester should display a reading of “zero” ohms for each test. If the compressor motor fails any of these tests, it will need to be serviced by a professional refrigerator repairman.

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