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12-07-2018, 08:26 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-07-2018, 08:30 AM by Gary G™.)
Mrs G called and said the fridge stopped working.
The lights work but both fridge and freezer stopped.
No hum. Nothing.
What do I look for?
Is it safe to bypass capacitors for a moment just to see if one of them is the issue?
Of course, my multimeter is at the other house!
If it matters, it’s an Amana side-by-side counter depth 20 year old unit.
Gary
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The first thing I would check is to find out if your power supplier gives you a stipend for turning in that old inefficient appliance. ?
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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Even is they don't provide the stipend, it may be time to move on.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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First thing I'd look for is to see if the defrost timer is stuck.
I've replace more than one over the years.
Five minute job.
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It’s Energy Star
I don’t understand why the defrost would impact the fridge side.
I don’t hear any noise when it’s plugged in—no motor hum, no coil hum. Nothing.
I don’t know much about the electronics but this is why I’m thinking capacitor.
I believe the schematic on the rear shows two.
Gary
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12-07-2018, 09:36 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-07-2018, 09:39 AM by barnowl.)
(12-07-2018, 09:31 AM)barnowl Wrote: First thing I'd look for is to see if the defrost timer is stuck.
I've replace more than one over the years. Actually, the timer can be turned manually, to test it.
What a defrost timer does is disconnect power from the compressor, and put power to the heating coils in the walls,
so frost doesn't build up. Then, after a short length of time, turn off the heaters, and re-power the compressor.
Five minute job. The ones I did wet located underneath, behind the toe kick grill, right in front, on the left.
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For testing, should it run if there’s no defrost control connected?
If yes, this isn’t the cause.
Gary
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(12-07-2018, 10:37 AM)Gary G™ Wrote: For testing, should it run if there’s no defrost control connected?
If yes, this isn’t the cause.
No.
It won't run, because the timer interrupts the power to the compressor.
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Ok, thanks.
Is there any way to reset one stuck in defrost manually for testing?
This video shows using a flathead to turn it back on but I don’t find anything similar in the Amana.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eaMaPQyiJqY
Gary
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12-07-2018, 11:05 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-07-2018, 11:05 AM by barnowl.)
(12-07-2018, 10:55 AM)Gary G™ Wrote: Ok, thanks.
Is there any way to reset one stuck in defrost manually for testing?
This video shows using a flathead to turn it back on but I don’t find anything similar in the Amana.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eaMaPQyiJqY
Yup, he mentions it at the 2:40 mark. And explains how it works.
You can usually rotate the timer somehow. the ones I did 20 years ago had a little knob sticking out.
I don't know how handy you are with electricity, but basically the timer is two sets of contacts.
One set for the compressor circuit, one set for the heater coil.
Know this... most times, the fridge side is basically a slave to the freezer side, and has no cooling coils of its own.
Heating coils either.
Just the freezer does.
The fan sends cold air from the freezer into the refrigerator.
HTH.
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