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Posted by Don Young on November 3, 2007, 9:59 pm
>I came home yesterday from work and noticed the power must had gone
> out during the day cause I had to reset the microwave. Then I noticed
> the fridge was not running. The compressor was very hot, not running
> and the inside of the fridge was not as cold as it should have been.
> This happened 2 years ago during another power blip when I was home to
> witness.
>
> So I let it sit for about 1 hr unplugged thinking I needed to let the
> compressor cool; although I doubt I really needed to unplug it. It
> finally kicked back on and ran for about 1.5 - 2 hrs straight cooling
> the fridge down properly. It worked fine overnight and so far this
> morning.
>
> Chances are this has happened other times and it has reset itself
> without my realizing cause I've sometimes noticed a thin layer of
> solid ice on the bottom of the ice maker bin.
>
> One thing I noticed when I pulled the fridge out was that the tile
> grout under the compressor had absorbed some oil. Does that mean it
> is freon, or could it be something else? How could it loose freon
> without continuing to do so and without completely not working?
>
> Thanks in advance
>
Compressors often will not restart immediately after stopping because of the
gas pressures. They will try to start and get hot until the thermal overload
cuts them off. When they cool down a little, the overload will close and the
compressor will try to start again. If it still doesn't start, this cycle
may repeat several times. Eventually the gas pressures will equalize and the
compressor will restart when the overload closes. It is pretty normal and
generally causes no damage, but it is easier on the system if you keep it
turned off or unplugged long enough for it to restart on the first try.
The oil may be from the compressor and eventually it may lose enough
refrigerant to cause a problem. However, it might take a very long time and
there isn't much you can or need to do to prevent it in the meantime. The
oil may be from the fan motor or just left over from the manufacturing
process. A slight oil stain under machinery is fairly common and should not
be a cause of concern. I don't know but would not be surprised if the heat
from the compressor and normal airborne oil in a kitchen might cause a
noticeable stain.
Don Young
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