When Do You Know That Your Refrigerator Compressor Is in For a Repair?
What can you say about the refrigerator? A ubiquitous sight in every household, it stands, unobtrusively, in one corner of the kitchen and goes about performing its duties day in and day out throughout the year. And that too, without much maintenance and care from the home owner in most cases. Sometimes it is also subjected to abuse-when in tearing hurry, we often yank open the refrigerator door, stuff in food or snatch out a bowl or two, and then slam the door shut. Indispensable it may be, but the refrigerator is still taken for granted.
Obvious Signs
Meanwhile, you can keep in mind and look out for some tell-tale signs that the compressor is malfunctioning. Ensure that you call only a BBB-accredited repair service provider to do the fixing job; this certification is a guarantee that you will be offered only the highest-grade service.
Here are some glaring pointers that the compressor needs to be repaired:
* The refrigerator makes clicking noises. It may be that the compressor is working too much, becoming over-heated, and thus switching itself off as a precautionary measure and then restarting. It may also be that a loose bolt or a screw in the compressor start/stop switch is causing these noises. Whatever may be the reason, the wisest course of action is to call in a professional to take a look and fix the matter.
* The refrigerator is not cooling adequately. This is a definite sign that the compressor is wearing out and may break down any day. The wear and tear on a compressor is brought about by many factors, the primary amongst them being the component overheating repeatedly. As the compressor heats up, it generates acidic substances from the refrigerant, which in turn, wears out its parts. The efficacy of the compressor is thus lost-the freezer might still be cold but food items inside won’t be cooled adequately.
* The refrigerator is laden with frost. Excessive frost inside the freezer compartment or on the compressor head are certain signs of a faulty compressor that is unable to process the refrigerant. The root cause may also lie in too much or too little of refrigerant; in either case, the cooling mechanism fails to control the temperatures inside the refrigerator and the compressor thus cannot work as well. This is one problem that only a professional can analyze.
* The compressor makes loud noises. Compressors that are about to break down make a lot of noise. Sometimes these are buzzing or grinding sounds; other times, louder-than-usual running sounds may emanate from the refrigerator. When the compressor groans, moans, shrieks, or complains loudly, you can be sure that some mechanical component within it is faulty and about to break down. To keep your compressor and refrigerator in peak working order clean the coils once a year or as needed. Buy a coil cleaning brush from Home depot or any hardware and clean the coils. Sometimes you can not reach the coils with the brush and the coils must be blown out.