OT - Refrigerator Quit Working!

civil eggineer · January 2011

My refrigerator quit working last weekend after only 5 1/2 years. It couldn't have come at a worse time so I thought I would try to diagnose the problem and perhaps fix it myself. After googling for information and checking numerous items...it finally occured to me a faulty $6 door switch was the culprit. Since the switch was bad, it was sending a signal that the door was open preventing the fan from blowing cold air into the fridge compartment. Ordered one online, replaced on the fridge and it is working like new again. I could have easily just bought another $1000 fridge and had this one hauled away. Hope this might help an egger in the future!

Rascal · January 2011

Is it the same switch that operates the light?

Jeffersonian · January 2011

Hey, that's EE work!! :laugh:

Spring Chicken · January 2011

Good save...

Almost all problems have a simple solution if we seek it out.

Back in the 'old days' I used to fix everything that stopped working. A $19 perculator could be fixed with a $3 part. A dryer belt could be replaced with a $5 part. And TV's could be repaired simply by testing and replacing the vacuum tubes from a local electronics store for under $3 each. The list goes on and on of things we used to easily fix and happily. But not in today's 'toss it and replace it' world.

But yesterday I took on the challenge with one of my 21v cordless drills. Had it about 9 years but rarely use it in favor of another one.

So I charged up the batteries for a project and within seconds of pulling the trigger my garage was filled with the unmistakable smell of burning electrical wiring. Then there was smoke, lots of it.

I wanted to know 'why' it broke more than I was upset that I only got 9 years use out of it. So I took it apart and messed with it a bit before concluding that the problem must be in the motor wiring and that wasn't something I was prepared to fix. The funny part was that there was no sign of burned wiring anywhere.

So I reassembled it (took a couple of times) and inserted another battery in it. Ran the thing for at least a minute at high and low speeds and in reverse. No smoke and no smell.

Then I tried the other battery the thought being that perhaps it could well have been the battery. Nope... ran perfectly.

All I can figure is that the manufacturer built in a 'poison-pill' feature which activated at some point after the warranty ran out so that the owner would make a quick run to the store to buy another one.

But they didn't recon on dealing with a curious SOB like me.

Now life is normal again at the Chicken Ranch.

Spring "Poison Me Once And I Learn To Question The Next Attempt" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

tach18k · January 2011

just to add here, depending if one needs a new fridge, Sears has outlets that have scratch and dents discounts up to 50%, everything that can not be sold as new, meaning out of box is discounted the same. I got a $1700 fridge for $850, cause it was out of box. and it wasnt a Kenmore, Gen Elect. Customer who got it didnt want it, never was pluged in or the plastic removed.

civil eggineer · January 2011

It is the same switch that operates the light. Now with everything needing to be efficient, they also wired the cooling fan to the switch so it doesn't blow when the door is opened thereby saving energy. Of course everything now goes through a computer board in the fridge so I am not sure where the signal is sent through. Since I am a Civil, electrical diagram readings are still a little Greek to me.

fishlessman · January 2011

mine was going a couple years ago, fridge was getting too warm. what had happened is i made it a point to eat everything in the freezer, once the freezer was empty the fridge would not go down to temp, a bag of ice fixed it, i now keep a 2 litter bottle of ice in there.

civil eggineer · January 2011

That is similar to what tipped me off. The freezer was working fine but the fridge was increasing temperature at a pretty significant rate. Turns out the light wouldn't go out so it was raising the temp pretty fast. You wouldn't think a 30 watt bulb could do that but it was.

fishlessman · January 2011

we used to have a 100 watt bulb in a fridge to keep the coating on welding rods dry, kept it around maybe 150 degrees and could heat a small pork pie by break time if you put it in first thing in the morning. course the fridge was unplugged

stevesails · January 2011

They call that an easy bake oven!!

stike · January 2011

ground meat at 150 for 4 hours :laugh:

how are the pancetta cramps? if they are on the right side and rising lo to hi (ascending colon) then it is probably the juniper berries. thse will be absorbed and metabolized over the next week. no issues other than blurred vision, painful urination, and ringing in the ears.

if the pains are dead center, stabbing, moving right to left across your lower back (transverse colon), then it could be the rancid pork fat. it will pass as the bile breaks down the fat.

if they are low left, accompanied by feverish sweats, you may want to head it off at the pass and sit directly over the toilet with a heavy tarp over you lap (to the floor ) and the ceiling fan on 'high'. keep a plunger near by, or a basin snake, and plenty of water within arm's reach.
a long-handled toilet brush wound with a damp bath towel is optional. for cleaning yourself, not the toilet..

fishlessman · January 2011

the dogs digestive system must work faster than mine, blood squirts and screams this morning, something to look forward to tonight. tasted good though :laugh: just reheating the english pork pies from the butcher shop, much hotter near the light bulb

stike · January 2011

hope she (he?) is going to get better

OT - Refrigerator Quit Working!

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