Pro tip: Stop blaming the compressor when the start relay is the real problem

Been seeing a lot of guys swap out compressors on fridges that just needed a $12 start relay. I did it myself once on a Whirlpool side by side back in 2019. Wasted half a day and the customer was not happy when the same issue came back a week later. Now I always test the relay with a multimeter first. Anyone else ever make that mistake?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_rivera631mo ago

Yeah I remember reading somewhere that like 70% of no start issues on fridges are actually the start relay or the overload. I learned the hard way too, now I just keep a few of the universal ones in my truck. Saves a lot of headaches.

paige5141mo ago

Keep a couple universal relays on hand myself. They're cheap enough that it beats making an extra trip to the parts store when you're already elbow deep in someone's fridge.

paulb9811d ago

Not really, I mean, a bad compressor can absolutely have a bad start relay too but a humming compressor with a stuck relay is a whole different story. Maybe it's just me but I've seen plenty of compressors that test fine but still won't kick over with a fresh relay.