This evening when I came home I reached into my fridge for some juice, and when I went to drink it, it was distinctly uncold, as was the rest of the contents of my fridge. The freezer was being kept moderately cold by the large block of ice that had accumulated since I had last defrosted.
When I adjusted the thermostat, there was no effect no matter where I turned the knob. The light in the fridge works so I know it is getting power, but nothing I do seems to make the compressor kick on. The fridge is an ordinary, no-frills Sanyo of indeterminate age that was here when I bought the apartment.
So, is there anything I should try to bring my fridge back to life, perhaps a hidden circuit breaker or something. Or do I have to make a trip to the appliance store to get another this weekend?
Fortunately, the fridge is on the empty side, so there won’t be much food wastage.
I have not once but twice had the misfortune of having a fridge go kaput.
First fridge did exactly what you describe. Unfortunately, a week later, the dishwasher missed it’s friend so much that it decided it just couldn’t go on. About a month after that, the stove died of lonlieness. So I had the unique privelidge of replacing all three in a short period of time.
Second fridge I had did the same thing. Only it didn’t believe in long goodbyes. One day cold, next day…ack
I’ll think happy thoughts for you and your fridge, but I agree with ftg. Dosen’t sound good. Just remember that if it does die, seek kcounseling for your other appliances immediately
You say it was there when you moved in. Does your apartment complex offer maintanance? If so, they may be able to fix it if it’s theirs. Otherwise, I can’t give you any other advice, other than, no it doesn’t sound good.
You may not be all that bad off… Here is kinda how your refrigerator works. The freezer gets cold and diverts some of the cold air via a fan to the refrigerator compartment. Changing your refrigerator coldness opens and closes a vent that allows less or more cold air to exit the freezer and enter the refrigerator. If you have a large amount of ice build up, it will block the airflow and your refrigerator won’t get cold. Is your freezer really getting cold? If so, this is most likely your problem. A good defrosting will take care of it. It is possible that your fan might be bad but that is a minor repair. The fan is usually located behind the back wall of the freezer, accessable after removing a couple of screws. You can probably hear it if it is running properly. You kind of need an “ear” for it so you do not confuse it with the sound of the compressor working. It sounds like…well… a fan. Think of your little computer fan. If your freezer is not getting cold, then it is most likely that your compressor is bad or leaking refrigerant… That is a major repair that could doom your refrigerator depending on its age. However, most companies warranty their compressors for at least 5 years. Even if you do not have the receipt for the refrigerator, they can tell how old it is by the serial number. There have been cases of GE (which also makes Hotpoint and others) of extending their compressor or “sealed system” warranty. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
Uh…whoops…sorry for the basic primer. You say your compressor won’t turn on. You obviously know what you are looking at. For that, you are beyond me. My little diatribe fixes a lot of problems but not a non functioning compressor. You still might want to look into the warranty situation. I know it doesn’t help with the lost food. Here is a last minute and probably hopeless but why not try it thing… I think the compressor is just a motor that turns and compresses the refrigerant. It is usually located at the bottom rear of the refrigerator behind a cheesy cardboard cover. You could try lightly tapping it with a hammer just in case it is stuck. It is unlikely to work, but a lot of people with an old stuck starter motor on their car have tried this sucessfully. Sorry I wasn’t more helpful
Even though the phone lines come into the building on the opposite wall, I think the water heater’s been monitoring what I read here. I came home last night to find no water at all. So much for getting some laundry done. :smack:
I was about to call the landlord and ask if they’d paid the water bill, but decided to take the recycling down to the garage first. Landlord’s there, surrounded by piles of pipe fittings, rebuilding a jungle gym of plumbing and replacing the water heater. Apparently the thing developed a squirting leak yesterday morning.
First, get rid of the block of ice. It may be insulating the thermostat from sensing the warm air.
Second, pull the thing out from the wall and vacuum underneath. If you have exposed coils, clean them off. While you have it out, check for a reset button on the compressor, or an inline fuse somewhere near it (unplug before messing with it). I’ve never seen one, but who knows.
Thirdly, if your refrigerator is overstuffed, clean it out. Too much food blocks air circulation (although this won’t necessarily keep the compressor from running).
If none of this works, get ready to write a check.
Cherry2000, I somewhat recently replaced my stove, so I hope that appliance expiration isn’t catching. I think I’ll spend some quality time with my dishwasher tonight. Unfortunately, I own my apartment, so appliance maintenance is my responsibility. Zyedcat, thanks for the primer, it always helps to go back to first sources.
Chefguy, I think I’m going to move the stove and get behind the darn thing before ordering a new one. I’m crossing my fingers.
This was my first thought, since I’ve had this happen before with different refrigerators. The ice is keeping the sensor cold, so the compressor doesn’t get turned on. Time to clean it out and let it defrost, then if it doesn’t start hit it (the compressor) with a mallet or something similar and if that doesn’t work, well you tried the cheap fixes first. ;j
I had a little office-sized fridge that has been running flawlessly for years(10+) after a friend whacked the compressor housing with a screwdriver handle. Only thing that ever went wrong with it. I gave it away a few years ago and it still works today!
