Refrigerator repair and installation: principles of operation of different types, typical malfunctions, components. We repair an old refrigerator An overview of common breakdowns

It is necessary to determine the causes of failurerefrigerator. How to make a diagnosis with your own hands. You will find all this on our website. Error codes and how to troubleshoot.

Every year, new models of refrigerators of various brands appear on the home appliance market. The modern design, applied engineering and technical solutions allow refrigerators to work for a long period without breakdowns. However, as everyone knows, there is no eternal technology. Sooner or later, but consumers have to deal with the repair of their food custodian.

Self-diagnosis of the refrigerator.

The first thing that comes to the mind of domestic consumers, try to repair refrigerators with your own hands. This makes a certain sense, since indeed some problems can be easily fixed by yourself with minimal financial costs. To perform a small repair, it is enough to know the general design of the refrigerator, small skills in working with a measuring tester and knowledge of electricians.Replacing the seal yourself.

If a your refrigerator is not working, check to see if power is being supplied to it. voltage. To do this, just open the door of the refrigerator compartment. If light appears in the refrigerator and there is a light indication on the information boards, then voltage is supplied to the refrigerator.

Next, check the work thermostat. To do this, use the temperature controller to set the level to maximum cold. If the operation of the refrigerator does not resume at the same time, then the malfunction should be sought both in the thermostat itself and in the compressor motor or in the start-up and protection circuit. As a rule, repairing a relay thermostat, or rather replacing it, is quite simple. It is enough to buy a new one and install it instead of the faulty one.

work thermostat made on the basis of an electronic sensor, you are unlikely to succeed on your own. The relay-based compressor start system is also easy to check with a conventional tester. If necessary, replacing a faulty one takes no more than ten minutes if a new one is available.It is not difficult to restore the operation of the refrigerator when breakage of visible electrical conductors or oxidation of various contacts on the relay. Malfunctions in this case are eliminated by the usual stripping and connection. Bad smells in the refrigerator can be eliminated by thoroughly cleaning the compartments of the refrigerator and clearing clogged drain pipes to allow condensate to escape freely. How to properly defrost a refrigerator.

Do-it-yourself refrigerator repair with No frost system.

Modern refrigerators are complex devices,built on the basis of microprocessor-controlled electronic units that process information from various sensors and sensors, and also control the operation of all systems. In case of failure of electronic control units DIY refrigerator repair you can not. Naturally, you will not be able to eliminate compressor malfunctions, violations of the tightness of the refrigerant pipes either. It is better to entrust the performance of all these works to qualified specialists. Only they can restore the normal operation of all systems. This is especially true for refrigerators with the Nofrost system with complex systems of sensors, heaters and cold air circulation. Do not repair the refrigerator yourself. Trust it only to professionals, who will perform all operations with high quality and without failwill give you a guarantee.

Do-it-yourself refrigerator repair is primarily an economic justification. The Bible loves to explain everything in parables, and the following historical anecdote goes around in scientific circles:

The elder Kapitsa, Petr Leonidovich, at the beginning of his scientific activity, in the 20s of the last century, underwent an internship in the USA. In the city where he trained, one of the first automatic lines at that time was mounted at the factory of some company. Collected, turned on - and it wedges. They called the manufacturer's specialists, they suffered, suffered, and it wedges and wedges. It got to the point where the owners advertised in the local newspaper: $10,000 to anyone who would launch. The amount for those times, before the Great Depression, is desperately huge.

Pyotr Leonidovich went according to the announcement. I asked several times to turn it on and off, looked closely. Then he strongly kicked somewhere with his foot: “Turn it on!” Turned on - it works! Turned off, turned on - it works !! We loaded the raw materials, turned them on - the products are coming !!! We took samples, checked - TU corresponds.

The head of the company then: “Mr. Kapitsa, the word of an American businessman is more precious than his life. Here is your receipt. But tell me the truth, 10,000 bucks for a kick is a little too much? - "A kick costs $1." - "And the rest for what??!" “For knowing where and how to kick.”

Note: with all the easy money received, P. L. Kapitsa purchased scientific equipment for the USSR Academy of Sciences.

With household refrigerators, the story is somewhat similar. For example, among a certain category of individual masters, Indesit refrigerators with drip self-defrosting (the so-called “crying”, see below) are known as “sweet”. Indesit refrigerator repair of this type in 6 cases out of 10 (!) comes down to replacing a certain module in front of the owner (hostess). The amount of payment is assigned “according to psychology”, how, in the opinion of the artisan, this client is rich and bred. They also give from above for joy.

Further, the same “master” performs some simple manipulations with a screwdriver right on his knee, in his car, with the spare part removed, and goes to the next challenge, where the repaired part is put in place of the unusable one. Then history repeats and repeats. Module cost approx. 250 rub. and goes in circles, each time bringing more than 1000 rubles. This specialist is not afraid of making claims under the law or informally: after an express repair on the go, the removed unit becomes operational and quite reliable. Five such calls a day - and why run somewhere there, wag your nerves and be afraid later that you will fall for something somewhere?

The material in this article is intended primarily for beginners who love to craft:

• His main goal- explain what, where, how and why in the refrigerator, as well as where and how you can “kick” it with your own hands, without risking ruining it more seriously and running into more expensive repairs by a specialist.
• The second is to give knowledge which will allow you to properly control the quality of the work of a specialist in the case when self-repair is impossible. 1000 rub. for repairs in the epic described (we will recall this later), the price is generally fair, taking into account possible losses from the downtime of the refrigerator and the cost of delivering it to the service center and back. The main thing is that the master should be a master, and not a hack or a dropout; for a quick good job and from above I don’t feel sorry for it from the bottom of my heart.

About brands of refrigerators

The text below will mention brands (trademarks) of refrigerators, but this does not mean that they break more often than others. The same Indesites are not at all bad refrigerators. But it is possible to judge characteristic malfunctions only by their statistics, and, of course, it is the more reliable, the more products of this type are in operation. For example, there are such Swiss-Chinese miracles - Liberton. In them, as they say, a breakdown sits on a breakdown and drives a breakdown. But in view of its strongest, in a certain specific sense, reputation, Libertons are sold and bought a little. If we take only the number of breakdowns, then this brand, you see, will come out unkillable.

Secondly, for examples of typical breakdowns, you need to take products typical for a given clone of device brands, which can be more reliable than their counterparts. In general, the design of household refrigerators has long been established and, with proper operation, it comes to minor repairs no more than once every 5 years, and their total service life exceeds 20 years. The author has at his disposal the Armenian Aragats of 1964 (!), which is used as a backup and as a test bench. Shabby - they put it in a landfill more beautifully, but it freezes regularly. Even the door seals (simple rubber, non-magnetic) are still native.

What can you do where?

In any household refrigerator, the following structural systems (circuits) can be distinguished:

1. Actually refrigeration- you can climb here yourself only in exceptional cases, for example, if the refrigerator is in a remote outback and there is no way to call the master. But it is necessary to know what's what in the refrigeration circuit, because. it is here that unskilled and / or careless repairs can cause the greatest damage in the future, up to the need to purchase a new refrigerator;
2. thermoregulation system- This is the most active source of breakdowns. Self-repair is possible quite often if you have some technical knowledge and skills. However, first it is necessary to compare the cost of calling a specialist and buying replacement items at retail, plus losses from waiting for them: spare parts for refrigerators are sold in household stores only in large cities, you will most likely have to order via the Internet;
3. electrical system- do-it-yourself repairs are almost always possible if you have a tester, the ability to solder and the initial skills of an electrician or a radio amateur;
4. mechanical system– suspension of doors, compressor, fastening of covers/shelves, seals, etc. Self-repair is possible in some cases, but does not require any special qualifications.

How does the refrigerator freeze?

According to the methods of cooling the contents, household refrigerators are divided into 3 types:

• Evaporative compression, or just compression, or just evaporative.
• Evaporative absorption (absorption, simply).
• Thermoelectric (semiconductor).

In the first 2, a coolant that is liquefied under normal conditions is used - a refrigerant or a refrigerant. The latter are purely electrical, without pipelines, valves, etc. Refrigerators of all 3 types are used in everyday life, but evaporative compression refrigerators are the most common. They also differ in the greatest variety of designs.

Note:“under normal conditions” means that the given substance is capable of passing from liquid to gaseous phase and vice versa at room temperature and slightly higher only under pressure. In "real" gases (oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, etc.), the so-called. the triple point lies at a temperature much lower than room temperature and it is impossible to turn them into a liquid without cooling to a temperature below it, only by pressure.

Compression

The principle of operation of a compression evaporative cooler is shown on the left in Fig. The pressurized refrigerant is injected into the evaporator coil through a narrow nozzle - a spinneret. Domestic refrigerators require a relatively low cooling capacity, so they use non-profiled dies in the form of a segment of a capillary tube with an internal diameter of approx. 0.8 mm. In the evaporator, the refrigerant expands rapidly, instantly boils and evaporates, absorbing an amount of heat equal to its heat of vaporization. The evaporator is placed in a thermally insulated refrigerating chamber; the temperature in it drops and the products are cooled.

So that the pressure in the evaporator does not increase and the refrigerant does not stop evaporating, its vapors are continuously pumped out by the compressor. As a result, their temperature rises. For cooling, the refrigerant vapor enters another coil (radiator) - a condenser. Through it, the heat of condensation, exactly equal to the heat of vaporization, plus the heat corresponding to the power consumed by the compressor from the mains, and very little, equal to the heat loss in the system, is released into the environment. At the same time, the refrigerant cools down, liquefies under the pressure created by the compressor, and enters the evaporator through the capillary again, the refrigeration cycle is repeated. The capillary, evaporator, compressor, condenser and pipelines connecting them make up the refrigeration circuit.

The main advantages of compression refrigerators- cost-effectiveness and the possibility of using chemically neutral and harmless refrigerants, as well as fairly fast freezing. External energy is consumed only for pumping the refrigerant, the thermal efficiency of the refrigeration circuit is close to 100% The freezing rate is determined by the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant and the speed of its circulation in the circuit; both can be increased by purely constructive and production-technological methods.

The main disadvantage of compression refrigerators- the presence in the design of moving parts, detachable connections and mechanical connections of the refrigeration circuit with the external environment (compressor motor shaft, etc.), requiring the use of seals. However, over a century of technical development, the design of compression refrigerators has been brought to high reliability; this is a living example of how the most difficult problems in principle are solved by many individual improvements.

At present, the pinnacle of the evolution of the compression system are refrigerators of the No Frost type (no frost), which do not require a stop for defrosting and do not form (in good condition) an ice coat inside the refrigeration chamber. No Frost refrigerators are complex in design (see the diagram on the right in the figure), but, oddly enough at first glance, they are the best to repair with your own hands at home. How the No Frost refrigerator works, see next. video, and we will return to them in more detail when it comes to repairs.

Video: how No Frost works + about its repair

From the point of view of the user, a significant disadvantage of compression refrigerators is that they cannot be kept turned off in a charged state for a very long time. In a “heated” refrigerator, the pressure in the circuit increases several times, metal fatigue accelerates, and the likelihood of microcracks, through which the refrigerant will leak out, increases sharply.

Sellers with craftsmen often do not know about this feature either: now no one buys goods for years to come and refrigerators are sold much sooner than the allowable period of their storage in filled form expires. But, if you leave the compression refrigerator for the winter in a non-residential area, then the pressure surge when you turn on the tubes can burst, and - an expensive repair with refilling. Which, according to all the rules (see below), is also not a cheap pleasure.

About one failed theory

As a refrigerant in compression refrigerators, organic low-boiling substances - freons are most often used. Everyone knows that freons perforate the ozone layer of the atmosphere and, in general, almost Chernobyl. Now, that's not true. Moreover, a deliberate, carefully planned and organized commercially directed lie.

Holes in the ozone layer were discovered in the late 60s. Freons also got into the extensive list of substances capable of causing them. This was noticed by the leaders of the world monster called DuPont, the largest chemical concern. The DuPont company immediately, trumpeting with might and main, undertook to finance research on the effect of freons on ozone. Selectively, grants were allocated to specialists fanatically striving to prove the destructive effect of freons to the detriment of scientific objectivity.

At the same time, and even more generously, but very quietly, their own research was funded to find substitutes for freons; in the refrigerant segment, DuPont has long been under pressure from competitors. As a result, DuPont became the monopoly owner of all patents for alternative refrigerants and “removed the dough immeasurably” on the wave of anti-freon hysteria: by the 80s, DuPont “broke through” the Montreal Conventions, according to which the use of freons was limited, and some countries rashly banned them altogether. And now she still cuts good profits on the foam from her.

In the meantime, by the beginning of the 2000s, groups of independent researchers in Japan, the USA, and then in Russia had proved that:

• Ozone holes much larger than they are now, in the course of the geological history of the Earth, have arisen many times.
• Ozone holes are clearly tied to areas of increased tectonic activity and do not correlate at all with the places of freon emissions and their migration routes in the atmosphere.
• Ozone holes are unequivocally caused by hydrogen flowing out of the earth's crust and light inorganic hydrogen-containing compounds.
• The earth at the lowest possible minimum of tectonics “gasses” with hydrogen 10,000 times more than freons were emitted at the peak of their uncontrolled use, and at the maximum of tectonics, the natural yield of hydrogen exceeds the release of freon by 1 million or more times.

In general, do not be afraid of freon and freon refrigerators. In general, freons are more environmentally friendly and safer than their substitutes.

Absorption

The refrigerant of an absorption refrigerator is a low-boiling substance, highly soluble in a sufficiently high-boiling liquid - an absorber. An absorber is also a vessel in the refrigeration circuit, which contains a consumable supply of a concentrated refrigerant solution, see fig.

A thermal pump (just a vertical copper tube heated by an electric coil, not to be confused with a heat pump!) Drives the solution into a steam generator, also heated by electricity. The excess of weak solution from the steam generator flows back into the absorber through another tube, this is the so-called. small outline.

The mixture of refrigerant and absorber vapors enters the dephlegmator - a radiator with an internal labyrinth. Here, the absorber condenses and flows back into the steam generator, while the refrigerant vapor goes to the condenser, whose role is identical to that in a compression refrigerator. Then the liquid refrigerant flows by gravity into the evaporator, where it cools in the same way. Instead of a compressor with a pump, the vapors of the refrigerant that absorbed the heat are sucked out by the absorber, which greedily absorbs them.

The advantage of absorption refrigerators is the complete absence of moving parts and detachable joints with seals, as a result of which their service life is basically unlimited. Another consequence is low cost; both circuits are just pipelines between tanks without any complicated mechanics. However, since only part of the total flow branches into the refrigeration circuit, then the absorption refrigerator consumes 1.2-3 times more electricity per unit of cold produced than the compression refrigerator.

Note: Absorption refrigeration systems outperform compression refrigeration systems with relatively little cooling of large volumes, e.g. vegetable stores or as air conditioners in large buildings.

Another drawback is that refrigerants suitable for this system in terms of heat engineering have a low heat capacity, heat of vaporization and not very low boiling points at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, absorption refrigerators freeze poorly and slowly. The standard temperature in the freezer of an absorption refrigerator is -6 Celsius, i.e. ice cream will melt there. In domestic Crystal-9 and 12-18, the temperature of the freezer was brought to -18, but they still freeze for a long time.

Safety is also important. The usual refrigerant in an absorption system is ammonia; the solvent is water. That is, ammonia circulates in the circuits stronger than what is in the pharmacy vial. What will happen if several liters of such ambrosia leak into the apartment, there is no need to explain.

Several companies (Exmork, Samsung, etc.) produce absorption refrigerators on propane or isobutane refrigerant and with an organic absorber, but propane radish turns out to be bitterer than ammonia horseradish. For technical reasons, it is impossible to add a fragrance to a combustible gas - a refrigerant, and the refrigerator becomes explosive. If ammonia is smelled in the smallest concentrations and the user has time to take action or simply run out in the event of an accident, then a leak of pure saturated hydrocarbons into the air will not manifest itself in any way until someone flips the switch and sparks. Therefore, there is no legal import of absorption refrigerators on combustible gases in the Russian Federation and many other countries.

Nevertheless, absorption refrigerators have their own stable and well-founded niche of application: they can be stored indefinitely turned off and refilled. Excess refrigerant vapor is absorbed by the absorber and the pressure in the circuits is kept within acceptable limits. Therefore, absorption refrigerators are most often bought at the dacha or for seasonally inhabited premises.

Semiconductor

The action of a semiconductor thermoelectric refrigerator is based on the direct and inverse Peltier effect: when an electric current is passed through a junction of dissimilar semiconductors in one direction, it heats up in excess of the Joule heat, and in the opposite direction it cools until it is completely compensated and frozen, see Fig. The Peltier effect makes it possible to obtain temperatures down to –40 Celsius and below, but thermoelectric refrigerators are even more voracious than absorption ones, and Peltier elements, due to the diffusion of minor charge carriers through the junction under the action of an electric current, are subject to degradation and their resource is limited.

The advantages of thermoelectric refrigerators are, firstly, a very low sensitivity to mechanical influences: shocks, shocks, shaking. There is simply nothing to burst, crack and flow out of them. Secondly, by switching the direction of the current, the refrigerator can be turned into a heater and quickly defrost the contents. Therefore, thermoelectric refrigerators are mainly used as automobile and transportable for temporary use at picnics, etc. events. From household thermoelectric refrigerators, several types of refrigerating bars are sold in the Russian Federation, as well as cased floor-standing desktop Kholodok and Chaika.

How to repair a refrigerator?

Absorption refrigerators are not subject to self-repair due to the danger and high complexity of this kind of work. Thermoelectric or do not break, or you need to change the battery of thermocouples, that when buying it at retail, it will cost more than repairs at a service center. Occasionally, contacts burn in them (the current through the thermopile is large at low voltage); a novice amateur electrician will cope with this breakdown. Therefore, next we will focus on the repair of compression refrigerators, especially since in everyday life they absolutely dominate and are more prone to malfunctions than other systems.

The simplest

It is enough to introduce a thermostat into the compression refrigeration circuit to turn it into a refrigerator that maintains a relatively stable sub-zero temperature in the chamber. Since the cheapest and most reliable compressor drive will be a single-phase asynchronous electric motor with a magnetic start, it will need a starting and protective device in case of an accident in the starting circuit, see the diagram in the figure on the right. If the starting winding is left energized during the working stroke, the motor will warm up until the insulation of the windings burns, short circuit in the electrical circuit and, possibly, fire. According to this scheme, refrigerators of the “old time” and the current ones with manual defrosting were built. Their characteristic faults are as follows:

• The refrigerator does not turn on - either the power supply circuit (power cord, plug, socket, detachable contacts in the compressor compartment) is to blame, or the thermostat (does not ring by the tester), or, optionally, a protective relay (also does not ring). Do-it-yourself repair is possible.
• The power supply circuit has been checked and is OK. The compressor does not turn on or, making a sound, stalls. Repeated spontaneous repetition of the described situation is possible. Faulty start relay. Do-it-yourself repair is possible.
• Starting the compressor lasts more than 3-5 seconds or does not happen on the first attempt. The start relay is screwed up. It is most often possible to fix it with your own hands.
• The compressor starts, but makes a lot of noise and after 30 seconds - 5 minutes the refrigerator turns off. It turns on again no earlier than after 10-15 minutes and also turns itself off. The current protective relay is out of order or out of order, see below. Do-it-yourself repairs are possible, incl. and without buying a new replacement.
• The refrigerator does not freeze well, but it reacts clearly to the thermostat. The compressor heats up, goes into overheating protection, shakes. Starter and thermal protection relays are OK. Diagnostics of the compressor motor for an inter-turn short circuit in the working winding and, most likely, its replacement.
• The compressor does not start, purrs. Starter and thermal protection relays are OK. Turn short circuit most likely in the starting winding. The result is the same as before. case.
• The same, but the compressor noticeably heats up to the touch after exposure under voltage for 10-30 s (no more!). Compressor internal fault. Repair is sometimes possible in a specialized workshop.
• The same, but the compressor motor with a combined magnetic-capacitive start, see below, about No Frost refrigerators. Check the working electrical capacitor, also see below. If it’s unusable, you’re lucky, do-it-yourself repairs are simple and inexpensive.
• The refrigerator is very cold. The compressor runs either continuously or until the thermal protection trips. The thermostat (thermostat) regulates freezing, but barely; in fact, it can only stop the compressor by setting the knob to 0. The noise of the compressor is louder than usual. The consumption of electricity on the meter is too high. Start relay stuck. Dangerous, the compressor may burn out, which at current prices is tantamount to buying a new refrigerator. Self-repair is possible.
• A refrigerator with a properly set thermostat does not freeze well, the freezer freezes evenly. By the time the compressor is turned off, the condenser is heated normally: it feels hot to the touch, the hand withdraws. Most likely the thermostat is faulty. Do-it-yourself repair is possible subject to the purchase of a new replacement. In some cases, see below, it is possible to repair the old one.
• The refrigerator turns on, freezes too much or, conversely, too little. The degree of freezing does not depend on the position of the thermostat. Compressor sound, condenser heating and freezer frosting are normal. Faulty thermostat. Repair - as before. case.

• The refrigerator freezes badly and works on a short cycle: the compressor often turns off, the condenser is barely warm by that time. The freezer freezes slightly, but evenly. The thermostat or thermal protection relay is faulty, do-it-yourself repairs are almost always possible.
• The same, but the compressor runs for a long time (long cycle); possibly continuously. The freezer is frosted over in the area of ​​​​the refrigerant supply pipe. On the opposite side, it remains free of ice, even if a thick layer of ice has frozen on the other. The situation is stable. The reason is the loss of freon in the system due to a self-healing microleak or, if the refrigerator is not more than a year old, its absorption by low-quality structural materials. Need system diagnostics for leakage and refilling with freon; in exceptional cases - topping it up. It is strongly not recommended to do this on your own.
• The refrigerator is running on a long cycle. The temperature inside it varies widely, which is noticeable by the freezing of food in the freezer to its bottom or walls. The thermostat has been adjusted. Repair is possible without replacing it, if you work very carefully.
• Refrigerator is not cold. The compressor turns on, works with a knock and ringing. Feel the vibration of the refrigerator case. Freon leak. Call the wizard to diagnose, fix the leak and refuel. When calling, be sure to describe the situation and ask: how much will the repair cost? Probably more expensive than a new refrigerator.
• The compressor runs on a short cycle, but the refrigerator freezes heavily. The sound of the compressor is loud, strained, champing or sobbing. Refilling freon with unskilled service. Wet running refrigeration circuit: not refrigerant vapor enters the compressor, but freon mist. Stop the refrigerator immediately and call a qualified technician to diagnose and recharge. Otherwise, the compressor and tubes will go haywire, which means a new refrigerator without options.
• In the summer, in the heat, the refrigerator freezes so that the thermostat has to be set to the position from 1 to 3-4. Compressor gets hot and noisy. Sometimes there is a smell of burnt insulation; on examination, burnt contacts are found. The bimetallic plate of the thermal protection relay has loosened, see below. Do-it-yourself repairs are sometimes possible without cost and serious difficulties.
• Everything is fine, but the freezer freezes too quickly. Possible causes, in addition to warm, moist products, are a malfunction of the door seals, its skew, a malfunction of the backlight switch, or a violation of poor-quality thermal insulation of the chamber. In the first 3 cases, do-it-yourself repairs are possible and uncomplicated; in the latter, it is cheaper to buy a new refrigerator.
• Everything is fine, but the compressor is too noisy, the vibration of the case is felt. Check and adjust compressor suspension (see below). It didn’t help - the reason is the mechanical wear of the compressor, you need to calculate the replacement option for money.

It would be completely irresponsible to give detailed step-by-step repair instructions for each of the described cases. The company's guide to troubleshooting specific problems with one specific model or group of similar models is a plump book printed in small print on thin paper, and there are hundreds of models on sale. In addition, every repairman knows how often "impossible" and uncharacteristic malfunctions occur. Therefore, below we will describe a typical arrangement of the nodes most prone to breakdowns in interaction with the associated ones and methods for their repair. And then look: think for yourself or call the one who ate the dog on this and ate the cat. And talk to him already with knowledge of the matter.

Compressor and suspension

How the “bowler” compressor installed in the vast majority of compression refrigerators is shown in the figure:

There are desperate technologists who disassemble it, rewind windings, etc., but then you still have to buy a new one: air with moisture vapor and dust inside the compressor is unacceptable. However, if you, for example, sorted out a car engine, then, guided by this scheme, you can determine by the sound whether it is worth sinning on the compressor in this particular case or whether you need to dig somewhere else.

With a compressor suspension, things are easier. It is necessary to check the elastic movement of its mounting paws up and down. On fig. on the right, the arrows show 2 paws, but you need to check all 4. Their stroke on the shock absorbers should be at least 8-10 mm. Replacing worn shock absorbers is inexpensive and simple, but before removing the hangers, the compressor must be securely fixed in the working position, and the family should be told to bypass the refrigerator far and without breathing: the compressor can break the tube with its weight, and this is an expensive repair and refueling.

At the same time, and even before, moving the refrigerator away, you need to listen to the noise and determine: is it really the compressor that is making noise? Maybe some kind of tube is beating against the case? In this case, it is better not to bend it, but to wrap it accordingly. section with felt or cloth and fasten the strapping with cotton or woolen thread. Foam rubber or synthetics and elastic are not suitable, on a cold tube they will become brittle, and on a hot tube they will fall off and stick together. A trifle with tubes, by the way, is not a trifle at all: if the tube is rubbed or tired and cracked, the repair will be expensive.

Refueling and refueling

Runet and YouTube show many ways to fill refrigerators with refrigerant like “it’s harder to hammer a nail”. But reliable results - and how long did this refrigerator work after? - something is not visible. The fact is that when refueling the refrigerator in amateurish ways, air with water vapor and dust inevitably enters the refrigeration circuit, and pumping freon with a regular compressor means its forced operation on a wet course. The water in the system will freeze, according to Murphy's law, exactly where the ice can cause the greatest damage, and dust particles, according to the same law, will settle on the rubbing parts of the compressor, manufactured with precision.

Filling / topping up the refrigerator with freon is correctly carried out from a special gas station, see fig. on the right, during which disconnected The refrigerator performs the following operations:

1. Injection of clean, dry air (optionally nitrogen or inert gas) into the system for pressure testing.
2. Optionally - blowing (pumping) with the same gas / air to remove possible traces of moisture and dust.
3. Pumping out the system to technical vacuum.
4. Filling the system with freon in the volume specified for this model.
5. Checking the pressure in a warm system and, optionally, topping up / releasing part of the freon.

Here you can, firstly, make sure that the brand of the injected refrigerant (eg R12, R13, R126, etc.) and its volume correspond to those indicated on the compressor housing. Secondly, make sure that the pressure in the system is controlled not immediately after injection, but after some time, when the circuit warms up. Otherwise, an excess of freon and a wet running of the compressor are guaranteed.

And thirdly, and most importantly, make sure that the master is registered as an individual entrepreneur or represents a legal service center, that his contact details are reliable, his location is known and that he gives a guarantee. Six months is quite enough, during such a time all possible flaws in refueling will appear. But, by the way, do not think that in these six months it will be possible to blame all other malfunctions on him. Good masters live by their work and know not only their business, but also all the tricks of overly ingenious customers. Including some that you may not even know about.

Start and protection

The starting and thermal protection relays are structurally combined into one unit. Its typical design and switching circuit are shown on the example of the Orsk-7 refrigerator, see fig. below. The start relay works as follows:

• Immediately after switching on, until the motor rotor spins up, it consumes a starting current 3-7 times more than the nominal one. By the way, the assertions that the starting current corresponds to the rated power consumption indicated in the refrigerator passport are simply ignorance. The rated power consumption of the refrigerator is defined as the average long-term, at +25 outside, the middle position of the thermostat and some average operating conditions: the degree of loading with products of a given humidity, the frequency and duration of opening the door, etc.
• From the starting current, the starting contactor PC (starter) is activated, supplying current to the starting winding.
• The motor spins up, the current consumption drops.
• The PC releases, de-energizing the starting winding, the motor goes into operating mode.
• Suddenly, the PC is faulty and the starting winding is constantly powered, the protective relay is switched on: its winding is heated by the current of the starting winding, the bimetallic plate bends and opens the common power circuit.

In some models of refrigerators, the current protective relay is supplemented with the same, but without winding, thermal protection relay. It is placed directly on the compressor housing. Not the best option, I must say. The reliability of the entire compressor power supply circuit decreases, and if it starts to warm up excessively by itself, then its thermal protection does not save from expensive repairs.

You can open the start protection by carefully drilling the flared aluminum caps in the mounting holes. When reassembling the cover, it is better to glue it with a not very strong plastic adhesive, for example. PVA. “Tightly” it will be grabbed by standard set screws.

Where and how can you “reason” an unusable start-up protection without resorting to replacement? In addition to the obvious - cleaning burnt or contaminated contacts - there are 3 more weak points that you can fix yourself. By the way, the obvious in this case is not so obvious. If the starter contacts are melted and soldered, it is necessary to check the starting winding for a turn short circuit, which is fraught with the replacement of the compressor with all the consequences.

But let's not talk about the bad. First, you need to inspect the armature (core) channel of the starter. It happens that dust accumulates in it, the contacts of the starter stick and the compressor goes into protection all the time. But it turns out that it’s too early to grab the heart, it’s enough to clean it.

Secondly (this also applies to the thermal protection relay), if the bimetallic plate is noticeably curved in the cold state, but still springy, it can be carefully bent back, and the start-up protection will still serve. Thirdly, if the adjusting screws 13 are loosened and converged, the compressor will behave as if it has a turn short circuit in both windings at once. Then, having unscrewed the right (according to the diagram) screw to the initial gap of 1.5-2.5 mm and having cleaned the contacts of the current protection, again there is no need to grab the heart.

In modern refrigerators, the overall health of the start protection can be checked much faster:

• Remove the power plug from the socket.
• We move the refrigerator and remove the cover of the compressor compartment.
• We find the input connector (contact group), the power cord fits to it, pos. 1 and 2 in fig. below.
• In the connector we find 2 wires that are not tightly closed. Usually they are in various combinations or brown (pos. 3), or red, or red with a brown stripe.
• We are preparing a technological jumper from a wire with a cross section of at least 1 sq. mm, pos. four.
• Tightly, so that there is good contact, we put the jumper in the sockets of open wires, pos. 5.
• For a short time, no more than 3-5 s, turn on the refrigerator. If it starts up, the start protection is to blame.

Note: if you have a two-chamber refrigerator with separate compressors, then it is even easier to check the start protection - we change the input connectors in places. Suddenly, for example, the non-working common chamber came to life, and the previously serviceable freezer stalled, or vice versa, the case is acc. start protection.

There is a nuance in the reverse installation of the start-up relay. The starter armature is heavy, and its core spring (pos. 5 in the figure above) is weak. So it is necessary that the starter contacts close / open sharper and spark less. But then, if the starter protection is put in place upside down, the yoke of the moving contacts 7 will fall on the fixed contacts 8 and the starter will be closed all the time. From this, the motor, barely starting, will go into current protection all the time. Therefore, before removing the start-protective relay, mark the top with something on its base (not on the cover). If the start protection is combined with thermal protection and mounted directly on the compressor housing, the problem disappears, because. when installed vice versa, the contact pins simply will not fit into the sockets.

thermostat

Refrigerator thermostats are thermomechanical and electronic, in refrigerators with electronic control. In the latter case, there is no thermostat as a separate unit: the sensor (s) - thermistor (s) are connected to a common control board by wires. Self-repair of "smart" refrigerators requires a thorough qualification of an electronics engineer. In such a case: analog temperature sensor circuits. The resistance of the thermistor, unless otherwise specified in the refrigerator specification, at +20 should be no more than 2 kOhm, and at -15 at least 100 kOhm. We will return to traditional designs.

The thermostat of a conventional refrigerator (see Fig.) operates on the basis of a vessel of variable volume made of an extensible metal fur - a bellows - and a capillary thermotube. This container is partially filled with freon, and 5-15 cm of the end of the thermotube are fixed on the evaporator so that good thermal contact is ensured; this part of the thermotube serves as a temperature sensor. When it changes, the freon partially liquefies or evaporates, the pressure in the vessel changes, the bellows expands or contracts under the pressure of the return spring, and the electrical contact through which power is supplied to the compressor closes or opens, respectively.

However, in its “pure form”, as on the left in the figure, such a thermostat is inoperative. The bellows compresses and stretches slowly, between the contacts at the first opening an arc will stretch and they will either burn (the refrigerator does not turn on) or fuse (it freezes continuously). Therefore, existing thermostats are supplemented with a mechanical trigger that instantly changes the contact when the pressure balance from the bellows and the return spring changes.

A typical operating diagram of a refrigerator thermostat is shown on the right in fig. The trigger consists of the bellows lever 11 and the Ω-shaped transfer spring 9. The transfer spring itself tends to separate the contact pair, therefore, if it breaks, the refrigerator will start to freeze continuously at any position of the adjustment knob and even a broken bellows or a broken thermotube.

The bellows lever presses on the transfer spring, preventing it from opening the circuit. When the bellows contracts from cold, spring 9 breaks at a certain moment and opens the contacts. If the screw 13 is self-tightened and the gap between the open contacts is less than 2-2.5 mm, an arc may occur and the contacts may burn or fuse. Another possible case - in the summer, in the heat, the regulator of a weak refrigerator is twisted to the maximum to failure. The contacts are heated, from cyclic heating, the spring gradually loses its elasticity. In autumn, they try to reduce the frost, but the thermostat can no longer “let go”.

A thermomechanical temperature controller necessarily has a hysteresis, or differential: the opening and reversing temperatures of the contacts are different. In simple refrigerators with manual defrosting, their values ​​are resp. -(11-15) and -(6-9) Celsius. Sometimes there are those who want to reduce the differential for the sake of better cold by turning screw 8. You don’t need to do this, you can drive the compressor out of order. In the best case, an arc will be pulled between the contacts that are too close together when they open, which means the replacement of the thermostat. The adjusting screw of the return spring 5 does not need to be touched at all, it is locked when assembled by the manufacturer.

The thermostat is considered non-separable and non-repairable, and in general this is correct. The fact is, firstly, that the end of the thermotube is glued to the evaporator with a special heat-conducting glue, it is also filled with a special sealant over the gluing and only then is it closed with a protective casing. It is almost impossible to separate the thermotube from the evaporator without damaging one or the other, without special tools and skills, especially if the freezer is foamy, and a broken evaporator is tantamount to buying a new refrigerator. Secondly, the thermotube itself must be handled with extreme care: the radius of its bend must be at least 6-10 of its outer diameters.

However, you can dig deeper into the thermostat without removing it from the refrigerator. To do this, carefully remove the latches (shown by the red arrow in the inset at the bottom right), then the terminal block will be removed. It will be possible to inspect and, if necessary, clean the contacts, check the chipper screw and the transfer spring. A new one instead of a broken or weakened one can be made from a fragment of a clock spring or spring steel, the bellows pusher presses very hard. When reassembling, you need to make sure that the tongue of the movable contact enters its window and the transfer spring falls into place as it should.

"Crying"

On the inset just viewed, 2 seemingly superfluous contacts are visible. In fact, they are involved and needed for refrigerators with drip self-defrosting, the so-called. crying. They provide users with generally the same conveniences as No Frost refrigerators, but at a much lower cost.

A typical electrical circuit of a refrigerator with self-defrosting drip is given in fig. on the example of the refrigerator Stinol 101. As you can see, in the thermostat there appeared in addition to the working thermostat p, the defrost thermostat o; it is non-separable and non-repairable, it operates from a bimetallic plate.

Operating principle

For drip self-defrosting in the evaporator, a section is structurally isolated in the form of an aluminum plate that has good thermal contact with the common chamber - a steam trap or just a trap. The trap is placed on the rear wall of the chamber on the path of rising less cold air.

When you first start the crying refrigerator, it initially works as a simple one under the control of a working thermostat; the defrost thermostat contacts are normally closed. Water vapor settles on the trap and freezes. When the temperature on the "sausage" shelf drops to approx. +2 or up to +4 in the vegetable compartment, the defrost thermostat is activated and de-energizes the entire circuit, except for the backlight. The bimetallic contact cools down and closes back slowly, its differential is greater than that of the working one: the frost on the trap has time to melt, and the condensate drains through the drain into the drain pan, then the cycle repeats.

Typical malfunctions

Since weeping refrigerators use part of the cold produced to trap moisture vapor, they require more compressor power. Therefore, the protective relay of the circuit for starting it is often separated from the starting one and mounted directly on the compressor housing, now it works both from the starting current and from overheating of the compressor. Because of this, in the summer heat, if you set the thermostat to the maximum, the refrigerator may start to turn off, on the contrary, too early. If you return the regulator to the middle position, its performance is restored.

Also, if the defrost thermostat is defective, the compressor will not turn on, although the indicator and backlight work. The tester detects that in a warm refrigerator, the defrost thermostat contacts do not ring. In addition, other typical malfunctions for this class of refrigerators are possible:

• Everything is in order, but it's too cold: Antarctica is in the freezer, and vegetables freeze.
• An ice (snow) coat is formed.
• The refrigerator stinks, there is water on the shelves.

All these problems are interconnected: when one of them appears, you need to check what concerns the others.

refreeze

The most likely cause is the failure of the same defrost thermostat, but now its contacts are ringing in extreme cold. You need to check as soon as you open the door and as quickly as possible so that the control unit does not have time to heat up. Repair - replacement of the entire thermostat. An ice coat is formed necessarily.

snow coat

An ice coat in weeping refrigerators is formed in the same way as glaciers in nature: not from frost in winter, but from excess moisture in cool summers. The center of the fur coat is the condensate that did not have time to drain on the trap, and then the process goes on increasing until the entire chamber is covered with frost. Conclusion: if the cause of the fur coat is found and eliminated, the fur coat will most likely not resolve itself. It is necessary to unload the refrigerator, completely warm it up and start it from scratch, i.e. from room temperature.

In Atlant refrigerators, a snow coat may form if the defrosting thermostat malfunctions and without Antarctica, their designers tried to prevent potatoes from turning into cobblestones, and carrots into stakes. Other manufacturers are now following this example, so when looking for the causes of a fur coat, you should first of all check the defrost thermostat.

Note: according to statistics, in more than 80% of cases, the cause of a fur coat in crying refrigerators is still an overload with warm park products. The steam trap is not a No Frost system, its self-defrosting capabilities are limited. But this is no longer a technical malfunction, but the result of careless / illiterate use.

Another technical reason for a fur coat is a constantly burning backlight, which knocks down internal convection. This is “glorious” for Samsung refrigerators and “sweet” Indesitas, which were discussed at the beginning. To check the backlight switch, you do not need to fence home-made light guides from scraps of plastic bottles and use other amateur tricks. It is enough to press the flag of the backlight switch with your finger, see fig. The lamp should turn off when it is recessed no more than 1/3; half is bad. After removing the cover of the control unit, the switch can ring and / or move to the flag, if it is on screws. The switches, fixed tightly, turn off the backlight regularly.

Indesit and some other manufacturers provide separate models of their weeping refrigerators with a claim to the “steepness” of No Frost with a quick freeze switch. It can be quite serviceable, but if it is used often or one day you forgot to turn it off for a long time, the process of internal glaciation will start. The possibilities of weeping refrigerators are limited in this aspect as well.

The next most common cause of a fur coat is the misalignment of the door and the violation of its seal, which is typical for Nord refrigerators. The door is regulated in almost every model in its own way, the controls for its adjustment are shown in the user manual. But with regard to seals, general recommendations can be given.

First, check their folds for cracks, along the entire contour, pos. 1 in fig. Then buy a repair kit of the right size. In addition to 2 L-shaped blanks of the seal itself, the kit must include a pair of connecting flat corners and a tube of special glue. When gluing joints with random glue, scarring is inevitable, which will bring the repair down the drain, as well as assembly without gluing.

Further, magnetic strips are removed from the "native" seal, pos. 2. Then the blanks are cut to size at 45 degrees according to a template or square, pos. 3 and 4, and are assembled on the corners with gluing, pos. 5. The finished seal is placed on the door with standard fasteners (most often on small screws or self-tapping screws).

Note: By the way, another anecdote. Lecture on physics at the infantry military school (now - the institute). "Comrade cadets, the boiling point of water is 90 degrees" - "Comrade Colonel, 100 degrees." “Audience, stand up! Sit down! Get up! Sit down! How many degrees, comrade cadet? - "With ... with ... a hundred degrees ...". The lecturer rummages through his notes, then - “Comrade cadets, I beg your pardon, I was mistaken. The boiling point of water is indeed 100 degrees. 90 degrees is a right angle.

Water

The reason for the appearance of liquid water in the refrigerator is most often faulty drainage. In weeping refrigerators, it is certainly made with a water seal, because, unlike No Frost, in this system the condensate dries for a long time and organic matter from food inevitably gets into it. Drainage failure also causes the formation of a snow coat, but the root cause in this case is not overfreezing and violation of convection, but excessive air humidity.

A typical diagram of the drainage of a refrigerator with a water seal is shown in fig. for domestic Biryusa. The condensate trap overflows in the same way as a toilet bowl or sink, from a clogged water seal. It clogs with anything, from dust from potatoes to worms from apples and radishes. But it is impossible to break through the water seal with a thin plumbing cable, the drainage is all plastic.

To clean the drainage of the refrigerator, you need to take a thick, from 1 mm, fishing line with the end melted to roundness and smoothness. After cleaning, the drain channel is washed with 1.5-2 liters of water with the addition of dishwashing detergent. You need to pour the solution in a fairly thick stream so that it stays in the tray, completely covering the drain hole. After washing, the drain is rinsed in the same way with clean water.

no frost

Let's repeat the video tutorial at the beginning, now using the electrical circuit of the non-electronic refrigerator No Frost of the Whirlpool clone, see Fig., This is a typical and one of the most simple and reliable construction of it. The general thermostat t works like in all other compression refrigerators. In the electromechanical timer 4, the contacts (2-3) are initially closed. The PTC Relay Module starter is of conventional type.

Simultaneously with the compressor, the evaporator fan 1 turns on, blowing cold air into the freezer and the chamber. If it is defective, when the evaporator has cooled down to approx. –(25-35), the normally closed overload thermostat p will operate and turn off the compressor; the role of the optional working electric capacitor will be recalled below. With the refrigerator turned on, after a while, the start attempt will be repeated. Outwardly, it looks like "turns on, turns off, but does not cool."

During normal operation, when the evaporator has cooled down to operating temperature, bimetal contact 3 on it will turn on the timer micromotor. Test open contacts 3a are designed to test the micromotor, because otherwise it is very difficult.

The compressor and evaporator fan, meanwhile, will turn on and off from a common thermostat. The timer cam drum will rotate slowly, but contacts (2-3) are still closed. When they open, the desired temperature will be reached in the refrigerator. At the same time, the moving contact (3) will switch to contact (4). The compressor with the evaporator fan will stop and the evaporator heating element will turn on. The frost on it will melt, and the melt water will flow through the drainage into the drain tray. If the heating element is pierced on the body or overheats due to a malfunction of the timer, the thermal fuse 2 (fuser, fuser) will turn it off.

The timer motor is still spinning! It receives power at the lower end of the circuit through an independent internal circuit! Only a bimetallic thermostat 3 can turn off the timer. Which will happen, with a delay and a differential, when the evaporator warms up and dries out from the remaining condensate. Therefore, the appearance of a snow coat in No Frost refrigerators is almost always caused only by improper use. Now the contacts (2-3) are closed again in the timer, the cycle repeats and repeats.

About the running capacitor

The No Frost refrigerator compressor requires even more excess power than a weeping refrigerator. Therefore, cos φ of the motor in the working stroke on one winding turns out to be too small; cos φ for electrical machines is roughly similar to the mechanical efficiency, but also characterizes the electrical reactivity of the installation. In a number of countries, incl. In the Russian Federation, the requirements for the reactivity of electricity consumers are very stringent. In this case, cos φ reaches the norm by a working phase-shifting capacitor, as in a conventional asynchronous electric motor with a capacitor start. The loss of capacity by the working capacitor is manifested in a heavy unstable start of the compressor and / or in the ignition of the “Return” indicator on the electric meter, and its breakdown is triggered by the apartment circuit breaker or traffic jams

They check the working capacitor with a tester and a 15-25 W incandescent bulb (control). Under no circumstances should you take fluorescent lamps-housekeepers, LEDs, etc. with built-in electronics for control! The tester checks the capacitor for a short breakdown. If the capacitor is in good condition, the tester should, after showing some resistance for a short time, immediately "go to infinity", i.e. show break.

Loss of capacitance and breakdown under voltage are checked by a control connected in series with the capacitor in the network. The lamp should glow dimly or barely (the current through a 1 uF capacitor at a voltage of 200 V 50 Hz is approx. 30 mA). If the control does not shine at all, then this is a loss of capacity. If it blazes at full heat, then the breakdown is under tension.

Fan, timer and fuser

This trinity is the specific Achilles heel of No Frost refrigerators, which, by the way, does not exclude the occurrence of “simple” malfunctions in them. But first you need to decide where this specificity is in yours.

The fan is accessible for inspection from the freezer. It can be open (pos. 1 in the figure) or hidden under the cover, pos. 2. In an electronically controlled refrigerator, the freezer is usually without removable panels. Then the timer is electronic, in the common control unit (red arrow in pos. 1). Without special knowledge and experience, it is better not to climb there.

If the timer is electromechanical, then in general there are 2 options: Samsung type and Whirlpool type. In the Samsung clone, after removing the lattice panel in the freezer, both the fan and, to the right of it, the timer (red arrow at position 3) are visible. In the Whirlpool design, there is a blank removable panel under the cold air duct, and under it on the right is a timer (red arrow in position 4 and a common thermostat (green arrow in the same place).

The fan impeller should immediately be tried to turn with your finger. If it is tight or stuck, then a plastic plug will be found on the axle in front or behind; Possibly branded. You do not need to tear the sticker right away, just rub it with your finger so that the cork is outlined.

After removing the cork, we find a steel or plastic split washer. Steel is removed with a special tool or platypus pliers with sharp ends. Plastic is bred and removed with a pair of sewing needles. Under the split washer there will be 1 or more ordinary Teflon ones, they must be removed with tweezers and saved.

Now you can take out the rotor with the impeller, clean the axle channel and the axle itself in it, and lubricate it. Low-temperature lubricant is needed at - (35-45) or lower. The other will thicken in this place. After the reassembly, the refrigerator is checked, maybe everything was in the clogged fan.

Suddenly you have to go further, you will need to open the refrigerator from behind. The fan is turned on through some kind of black box. If it is at 220 V, then this is a surge protector, if it is a low-voltage one, it is a small switching power supply like a telephone charger, only for a different voltage and more powerful. To check, you need to connect the fan to its standard narrow terminals, and connect the network to the standard wide ones (shown by red arrows in position I of the figure).

Doesn't spin? Perhaps the fan itself is in order, but the matter is in the box. Then we look: in No Frost refrigerators, most often there is also a compressor blower fan. It may be different, but its "box" is almost certainly the same type of suspicious, which is determined by the inscriptions on their nameplates. We change the “boxes” in places and finally make sure what and how with the fan.

The next step is the timer start thermal and the fuser. They are located side by side in the evaporator compartment (green arrow in pos. II). The control nests of the thermals are usually brought to the side (marked with red and red arrows in the same place). The fuser in a detachable plastic case hangs freely (item 2 on pos III), and the thermal is glued to the evaporator, item. 3 there.

First, we remove the fuser from the connector and call the tester, it should show a short circuit, i.e. zero resistance. No - you need a new fuser, it is disposable. But first you need to check the evaporator heater for a breakdown.

Next, we collect everything disassembled, with the refrigerator turned off, we close the control sockets of the thermals with a jumper from the wire and try to turn on the refrigerator. It should work abnormally, on a short cycle, because. the timer starts immediately. An alternative is to turn off the compressor, turn on the refrigerator disassembled and listen to the timer, you should hear a slight buzz of the motor. There is - it's in the thermal. It very rarely fails, but it cannot be repaired, you need to buy a replacement. And - attention! - we have no more than 3-4 s to check the thermal by closing the test sockets, otherwise the timer adjustment will fail!

Did the timer buzz? Well, there's nothing left. But now, for the above reason, attention and attention again. If you have read the previous one, then it is clear to you that the timer has no feedback from other nodes. He stupidly flips and flips contacts while his motor is energized. To set up a downed timer at random is a long and painful procedure, and if the master takes it, he will take it from the heart. His.

The timer cover can be easily removed, but before that, you need to mark the colors of suitable wires on its body with a marker, pos. IV. Opening the timer, you will see the gear train, cam drum and contacts, pos. V. Here, either one of the gears is jammed, or the cam is stuck under the moving contact. In the latter case, the evaporator heating element will heat up all the time, but it is difficult to determine this by touch on an unassembled refrigerator, the heating element is low-power.

The timer gear is checked by alternately moving the gears with a thin flat screwdriver. You need to move carefully, turning the gears by no more than 1 tooth. As a rule, a speck of dust is pushed out of the bushing of some gear and the gear comes to life. If it is immediately clear that the wrong contacts are closed, then the cam is pushed off the dead center in the same way. You just need to examine it under a magnifying glass - is it worn out? Didn't it slip off, didn't the groove eat out with the contacts? If yes, then you need to change the timer, after starting the refrigerator on the next defrosting cycle, the cam will get stuck again.

(2 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Household appliances in a diverse assortment fill the life of every modern person. There are devices that you can easily do without, even though they make our life easier, but there are those devices that life is impossible without. As you know, all equipment tends to break down, but more grief comes at the moment when a very necessary equipment breaks down, the repair of which is often very expensive, and the purchase of a new one is even more expensive. We will talk about a refrigerator - a device that is in every home, and the breakdown of which will upset any owner.

Few people know that you can repair the refrigerator without contacting a service center. During the time that refrigerators live in our house, many craftsmen have gained successful experience in eliminating the most common problems that arise during operation. The main advantage of modern equipment that generates cold is its device, which even an inexperienced master can figure out.

Cold formation

Naturally, before proceeding with the repair, it is necessary to understand how a household appliance works. The most important thing that is in the refrigerator is a unit that produces cold. The production of cold in the chamber is carried out due to the main three components that are connected to each other by a piping system: evaporator, compressor and condenser. Inside the closed system there is a refrigerating gas. Previously, freon-12 was used for these purposes. However, in modern household appliances, as cooling, it is customary to use safer substances that contribute to the production of cold.

The cooling of the refrigerator walls is due to the compressor, which pumps out the cooling gas with the help of an electric motor, and the gas is injected with the help of a condenser. The radiator system cools the gas and converts it into a liquid state, followed by its return to the evaporator. As a consequence, a continuous cycle allows for constant evaporation.

Refrigeration cycle

In order to reduce energy consumption, as well as increase the life of the device, reduce the wear of the mechanical parts of the refrigeration unit, the device is equipped with a large and massive door that performs a protective (insulating) function of the refrigerator chamber from external influences. The compressor motor does not run constantly due to a special system that controls the on and off of the refrigerator, allowing you to maintain the desired temperature in it.

Temperature control inside the appliance is carried out by means of a temperature switch, which operates in the correct mode, constantly controlling the compressor on and off. This happens when the temperature inside the refrigerator drops or rises above the set parameters. Automatic mechanisms are designed to create a continuous cycle of work.

At the moment when the refrigerator produces cold, the compressor motor moves at rated power, an electric current flows through the main network, supplied from the mains through the temperature relay, through closed contacts. At the same time, the relay that activates the "defrost" function is in the position of closed contacts. As a result, a closed working circuit is formed. The electricity consumed by a working refrigerator is equal to the rated power, which can be found in the instructions or technical data sheet.

When the temperature inside the refrigerator drops, a signal is sent to the relay, and the contacts open, and the compressor motor turns off. Accordingly, an increase in temperature entails the closure of contacts and the inclusion of the compressor.

Then the following happens: when the compressor motor starts, and the refrigerator motor does not spin, a starting start occurs, at the moment of which the consumed amount of electricity increases several times. The trigger mechanism of the relay responds to such changes, as a result of which the contacts close. When the contacts close, the starting winding of the motor is connected to the electricity network, and after the motor starts rotating, the power consumption is reduced from starting power to rated power. It is worth noting that starting the engine in a refrigerator that is in good working order occurs in a matter of seconds.

In turn, if a household appliance breaks down and it is impossible to start the engine the first time, the bimetallic plate heats up. The process lasts about 15 seconds, after which the plate opens and breaks the circuit. The subsequent flow of current will be only after the plate has completely cooled down and another attempt to start the engine will follow. If it fails, the circuit will open again.

Thus, the automation of the refrigerator begins to work at the time of startup.

After a detailed study of the principle of operation of the refrigerator, you can begin to identify faults, as well as to find methods for eliminating them. It is necessary to clearly understand what kind of breakdown has occurred, as well as to soberly assess the chances of fixing it with your own hands.

In fact, all the breakdowns that occur in refrigerators can be divided into two parts:

• the refrigerator interior does not cool even though the engine starts normally. In such a situation, the cause of the breakdown should be sought in the main components of the unit;
• the refrigerator does not turn on, or turns on for a short time, after which it turns off. With such a breakdown, the reason lies in the malfunction of the electrical circuit of the household appliance.

The case of the master is afraid:

that's right, the help of refrigerator repair specialists is necessary in the first case, due to the fact that it will not be possible to fix the malfunction at home. The refrigerator may have leaked refrigerant gas, which is a consequence of the loss of tightness. In addition, it may be necessary to completely replace the main working systems.

Household chores:

if any electrical mechanism breaks down in your device, most likely, the malfunction can be fixed without the help of specialists. Naturally, the first step is to diagnose the breakdown and determine whether it is possible to fix it without replacing the main part.

Tools and Diagnostics

So, having determined that the breakdown belongs to the second group, you need to arm yourself with tools: a universal tester and a screwdriver, a meager set, but quite effective. The first thing to do is to determine the quality of the voltage in the network. With high quality, its performance will be equal to 220 Volts, anything lower may lead to a failure in the operation of the device.

Then you need to carefully inspect the cord and mains plug, which ensures the necessary contact. They should not be damaged, fractured, should not spark or heat up.

After that, you need to check the compressor terminals, they should also have the proper appearance. Here you should check the voltage, and if it is of good quality, unplug the refrigerator from the outlet. Further, all manipulations occur only in the off state.

It is also necessary to inspect the compressor itself. It is located at the bottom of the back of the household appliance. The compressor should not have any damage, if any, it will be possible to determine the location of the breakdown.

After a visual inspection, you should proceed to checking the integrity of the windings, in the same area there is a relay responsible for starting the refrigerator. Before inspection, the flexible wires must be disconnected. Typically, terminals have appropriate designations that indicate their purpose.

To check the winding circuit for integrity, it is necessary to switch the tester to the ohmmeter mode, then fasten the free wire to the tester, and check the rest of the tester with the other end of the tester. In addition, diagnostics should also be performed in pairs. If the tester does not show any movements (deviations of the arrow), there is a possibility of damage to the circuit winding or short circuit. If this is confirmed, you need to change the compressor motor.

You also need to check the control circuits. This can be done by shorting the two wires disconnected from the relay and checking the contact between the wires and the power plug. If contact is detected, then the cord, defrost rail and temperature sensor are in good condition. In the absence of contact, each unit is checked separately in order to determine faults.

If there are kinks on the cord or near the plug, then they must be well examined, as practice shows, often in these places there is a breakdown.

Inspection of small parts

Quite often, the cause of a breakdown lies in small details, as a result of which, as a result of a malfunction, the integral operation of the system of the entire unit is disrupted.

Temperature sensor

To check this part, as well as the defrost controller, you must first remove them and disconnect the wiring. This can be done with a screwdriver. Using a tester, check each wire, if there is a short circuit, the sensor is faulty and needs to be replaced.

If the defrost function does not work, you can simply install a jumper. It is made with a metal bug. The only thing worth noting is that this method is only suitable for older models of refrigerators. Otherwise, if freezing is not controlled, a more serious failure may occur. This is due to the fact that the device will work without shutdown control, this will need to be done manually. When installing a bug, you must do everything possible to fix the problem and remove it as quickly as possible.

The temperature sensor must be replaced if it breaks.

Refrigerator thermostat replacement

Self repair

If during a full diagnosis it was found that the circuit is working normally and has no breaks, the start and protection relays should be checked. This can be done by removing the cover. It can be removed only if the aluminum rivets are drilled out, after which the cover is fastened with special screws and nuts.

On old-style refrigerators, such a cover is fastened with latches, which are pushed aside with a screwdriver and the cover is removed.

The biggest problem of the relay is the burning of the contacts of the pair, it can also jam the core in the coil, the stem breaks and the spring wedges. The first thing to do in order to fix the breakdown, you first need to get the coil, its fastening takes place on the latches. After that, the core and contacts with the stem must be removed from the coil. The next step is to clean the parts from dirt and dust. You can use alcohol impregnation and a soft cloth. If necessary, the core is cleaned with sandpaper or a file to ensure free play in the coil channel. Also, all contacts are subject to cleaning.

Quite often, the result of a breakdown of the start and protection relay is a breakdown of the stem. You can replace the factory stock (plastic) with a homemade stock. It is made from a nail measuring 5x35 millimeters, moreover, a metal part will last longer than a plastic one.

After installing the stem, the start and protection relay is assembled in the reverse order of disassembly, installed in place, and contacts are connected.

As you can see, refrigerator repair, in case of breakdowns of the second group, often does not require the help of a specialist. It is enough just to understand the circuit of your household appliance and evaluate your abilities. If you feel that you are unable to fix even an elementary breakdown, it is recommended that you take your household appliance to a service center or call a specialist at home. You can follow his actions and subsequent breakdowns of this type, if any, eliminate them yourself.

In any case, each self-repair should be deliberate, you may damage the refrigerator more than fix it, and you will have to buy a new one, which will entail large financial costs.

Refrigerator repair Refrigerator compressor replacement

The refrigerator is the appliance that worries you the least. Almost all models have a huge resource, this can explain the widespread distribution of old, Soviet refrigerators in the CIS countries.

But these reliable "monsters" are already becoming obsolete, and new technologies are not always beneficial, because they lead to unnecessary complication of mechanisms and components. Considering all this, it is not surprising that refrigeration repair service centers have no shortage of customers.

Problems or breakdowns can be of a very different plan, but most of them are easy to fix with your own hands!

cooling mechanism

The physical one of the same name is ideal from a thermodynamic point of view. After its embodiment in metal and plastic, it lost some of its efficiency, but still remains in business. Based on it, the so-called steam compression refrigeration machines work.

Their principle of operation is the same: from small household refrigerators to huge industrial cameras. The selection of heat from the chamber (one could say the production of cold, but this is not entirely true) is carried out by the refrigerant circulating in the pipeline.

The pipeline has at least 4 main components: compressor, condenser, evaporator and throttling device.

The principle of operation of the refrigerator

Coordination and regulation of work is carried out by electrical devices: thermostat, start-up relay, compressor electric motor.

So, when the thermostat shows that the temperature in the chamber is higher than it should be, the relay starts the compressor, activating the entire refrigerant line.

Refrigerant (freon, freon) is a special substance. A colorless gas with a specific odor, having a negative boiling point, which allows it to cope with the task: to take heat from the internal volume, boiling at the same time, and then give it out, turning back into a liquid.

Is there something wrong with him?

Malfunctions occur in a variety of ways, and diagnosing them is a whole science. The task is complicated by the fact that one problem can be caused by different breakdowns of the technical plan, and sometimes by several:

• The classic “The refrigerator is not cold, what should I do?” You should understand the reason, see if the motor-compressor is working, if the wiring and electrical equipment are working. If the compressor is working, it may not have enough power. It is possible that there is a freon leak or the filter is simply clogged.
• If the motor does not respond to the power supply- pay attention to electrical equipment. The problem is in him. Perhaps the starting protection relay is faulty, perhaps the thermostat. Maybe the compressor windings are out of order.
• Another option is when the refrigerator works without turning off. It's either the thermostat, or the fact that it can not reach the desired temperature. That is why you can not put hot pots in it and stuff a full freezer of warm meat.

In general, there are many nuances, it’s impossible to fit everything, but the problem search algorithm is understandable. In this video, you will learn how to repair the Atlant refrigerator with your own hands. Happy viewing!

It's time to touch on the topic of repair.

What can I do for him?

In fact, all you can do for him without special knowledge and equipment is to replace some parts with new counterparts.

But usually no more is needed. Consider the most common malfunctions with which people turn to service centers. Remember that all manipulations must be done with de-energized equipment.

Breakdown of the starting relay

The purpose of the starting protective relay can be seen in its name. It controls the start of the motor-compressor, distributing the current between the working and starting windings of the engine.

How to repair the start-up relay of the Stinol refrigerator with your own hands

The protective function is that the current will be turned off if it exceeds a certain strength indicator. Interference in the network is often the cause of the failure of this relay.

The refrigerator simply does not respond to the current supply. The start-up relay has a plastic case and is located near or on the compressor. The diagnosis can be confirmed by soot or melted contacts on it. Remove it by carefully sketching the wiring diagram.

There is no shortage of spare parts. Come to a specialized store, show, ask for the same, put it in place, referring to the diagram.

Malfunction in the thermostat

Thermostat - a device that measures the temperature in the refrigerator and compares it with the desired one. If it has already reached the mark, it opens the contacts and the work stops.

It is located in the refrigerator compartment, it is on its wall that the temperature regulator is located. Depending on the nature of the breakdown, your refrigerator will either not work at all, or it will thresh without stopping.

In the first case, the diagnosis is simple: remove the thermostat (by sketching the wires, of course), close the wires that fit it directly. If the motor hums, take it to the store and ask for a replacement.

Compressor breakdowns

In this video, you will be shown how you can repair the refrigerator compressor, in this case, the Indesit brand, with your own hands. Watch and remember!

These are the most difficult faults. Self-repair is impossible here, and not everyone will take it from specialized offices. It is cheaper to buy a new used refrigerator than to replace the compressor.

So, a kind of "heart", pumping freon through the pipeline, has its own service life. Over time, the parts wear in, the piston compression drops, the windings overheat and fail.

In case of improper operation, there is a risk of “wet running”, when liquid freon (or steam saturated with drops) enters the working chamber, which is very harmful to the valves.

Sometimes this leads to water hammer. It can bend and pull out valves, bend a connecting rod, tear off a piston. After that, the compressor can be taken to scrap.

Problems with No Frost

The system that has become widespread also has its drawbacks: it involves more equipment. There was a need for automatic defrosting of the ice layer, so a fan with a heating element was used.

. What is its principle of action and how effective it is, you can find out from our website.

A comparison of dicing combines, in particular from Kenwood, can be found. We recommend you check it out!

Read reviews on electric glass-ceramic stoves.

Therefore, if something happened to your No Frost refrigerator, pay attention to these parts.

When the heating element burns out, an ice coat begins to build up on the evaporator. When it reaches a certain thickness, the fan will begin to cling to it with its blades, making a characteristic noise.

Their replacement and maintenance are not difficult, by analogy with the first two points.

Electronics faults

Many modern models are controlled not by simple automation, but by electronic boards. They are even more prone to power surges, but can significantly increase the efficiency of the refrigerator.

Unfortunately, the failure of such a board will necessarily entail a call to a specialist. The possibility of repairing a refrigerator (and its successful outcome) in practice depends on its age.

The old technique is more clumsy, but made according to the principle "the simpler - the more reliable", so even a non-specialist can understand its device.

The new ones absorb a lot of complex technologies.

The world of home appliances has been steadily expanding and improving in recent years. Without some of them, our life is already unthinkable. And who does not know what grief the breakdown of an indispensable appliance in the house brings?

However, repairing the refrigerator at home is quite possible without contacting the service. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, over the past half century, the refrigerator has become a truly indispensable appliance in the household. The prevalence of refrigerators allows you to accumulate some experience not only in operation, but also in the elimination of malfunctions arising in its process. Secondly, despite the size, the refrigerator is relatively simple, even a fifth-grader can understand the principle of its operation.

The article that we offer will help you independently understand not only the device of the refrigerator, but also eliminate most of the malfunctions that occur in everyday life of this truly indispensable device.

Part One: Where does the cold come from?

Before talking about the repair of refrigerators, let's look at the device and the principles of operation of this important household device.
The basic principle of operation of the refrigeration unit

The main part of the refrigerator - the refrigeration unit - cools the main part, the working chamber of the refrigerator. The refrigeration unit consists of three large modules interconnected by a piping system: a condenser, an evaporator and a compressor, which is the "heart" of the refrigerator. The system of the refrigeration unit is closed, it is filled with a special refrigerant gas, which was previously used as freon-12. Now, substances that do not pose a threat to the ozone layer of the earth are used as refrigerant gas. The schematic diagram of the refrigeration unit is shown in Figure 1.

The compressor, equipped with an electric motor, pumps refrigerant gas out of the evaporator, providing cooling to its walls. The gas is injected into the condenser, where, thanks to a system of radiators, it is cooled and passes into a liquid state. The liquid refrigerant gas enters the evaporator again, where, under low pressure, it evaporates, giving off heat to the internal walls of the evaporator. Thanks to the continuous cycle, when the motor is running, continuous evaporation is ensured.

Refrigeration life cycle.

In order to save electrical energy and prevent premature mechanical wear of the refrigeration unit, the working chamber of the refrigerator, as a rule, is isolated from the environment most of the time by a massive door. To maintain a certain temperature regime in such conditions, there is a control system for periodically switching on and off the compressor motor.

The main mechanism of the temperature control system is a temperature relay that operates in a certain corridor. If the temperature of the refrigerator chamber is above the upper limit of this temperature corridor, then the relay turns on the compressor motor; when the temperature drops below the set limit, the relay turns off the motor. In addition, temperature control systems are usually equipped with a motor overheat protection relay, which, when the compressor reaches a certain temperature, also turns off the motor. These elements of the automatic operation of the refrigerator ensure the continuous operation of the system; they are schematically shown in the circuit diagram in Figure 2.

In addition, the refrigerating chambers are equipped with signal lamps, additional lighting lamps, forced defrosting heating elements and many other additional modules, the influence of which on the basic principle of operation of the refrigerator is insignificant. They are not shown on the circuit diagram of the refrigerator.

Let's visually go through the diagram and try to understand in more detail how the refrigerator works.

In the "work" mode, when cooling is in progress, and the motor compressor of the motor rotates at rated speed, current flows through the main circuit - from the network through the closed contacts of the temperature sensor-relay P1, the contacts of the defrost sensor-relay P2 are also closed. Thus, a closed circuit is formed with the working winding of the motor compressor motor, the starting relay coil K, the heating element P2, the bimetallic plate BM, and the contacts of the thermal protective relay KK. The current consumed by the refrigerator in this mode is equal to the nominal value - what is written in the device's passport.

When the temperature in the refrigerating chamber falls below the specified temperature corridor, the relay is activated and opens the contacts P1, after which the current stops flowing through the network, the motor of the refrigeration unit stops.

When the temperature in the refrigerating chamber reaches the upper limits of the temperature corridor, the relay is activated again and closes the contacts P1, the compressor motor turns on.

This is where the most interesting thing happens in the whole process of continuous cyclic operation of the refrigerator. At the initial start-up moment, the refrigerator compressor motor motor does not rotate, and the current consumed by the motor (the so-called “starting current”) is three to five times higher than the rated current, depending on the model and capacity of the refrigeration unit. Coil K of the starting relay responds to increased current consumption. The starting relay is activated and closes the CD contacts. Through these contacts, the starting winding of the electric motor is connected to the network. After the motor rotor starts to spin, the motor reduces the current consumption to the nominal level, the current passing through the coil K is insufficient to hold the CD contacts, they open and the refrigerator starts to work normally. This whole process, called "start-up work" in a working refrigerator takes no more than two or three seconds.

If the refrigerator is faulty, or it was simply not possible to start the compressor motor the first time, and the increased starting current will pass through the circuit for 5-10 seconds, then the BM bimetallic plate will heat up. When heated, the BM plate will bend and open the KK contacts, breaking the circuit. The current will not pass until the BM plate cools down and returns to its original position. After that, an attempt will be made to restart the engine, if it fails, the overheating protection system will work again.

It is this cyclical principle that underlies the automation of both the entire operation of the refrigerator and its very initial stage.

Part Two: Refrigeration Doctor is Easy

Now let's move on to the actual diagnosis and troubleshooting. First, let's try to classify the malfunction, to understand for ourselves what happened to our refrigerator. We will evaluate our capabilities, how realistically we can help our pet on our own.
Flies - separately, cutlets - separately

The main malfunctions encountered during the operation of the refrigerator are divided into two large groups:

When the refrigerator is turned on, the compressor motor starts normally, the operation of the refrigeration unit is heard, but there is no cooling inside the chamber itself. In this case, figure 1 should be used to identify the malfunction, since the cause most likely lies in one of the large modules of the unit.

When plugged in, the refrigerator does not turn on, or it turns on for a very short time, after which it automatically turns off. After that, either attempts to restart the compressor motor occur at some intervals, or attempts to restart do not occur until the refrigerator is turned off and turned on again. In this case, the fault should be sought in the electrical circuit of the refrigerator and be guided by Figure 2.

What we can't - we leave to the master

As a rule, if the refrigerator malfunction belongs to the first group, then it is impossible to repair it yourself, at home. The reason may be, for example, the depressurization of the refrigeration unit system, which led to the leakage of refrigerant gas. To troubleshoot the first group, you will have to turn to specialists, as it may be necessary to replace the condenser, evaporator, compressor, or the entire refrigeration unit completely.

What we can - we do it with our own hands

Consider the malfunctions of the second group regarding problems in the electrical circuit of the refrigerator - more precisely, those that can be fixed at home, with your own hands. It is clear that, for example, an interturn short circuit in the motor windings or a clogging of the evaporator capillary tube will require the replacement of the entire module, so we will not consider these malfunctions. However, it is necessary to carry out preliminary diagnostics in order to exclude, or, conversely, confirm these malfunctions.

The main tools you will need for diagnosis are a screwdriver and a universal tester.

If there is a suspicion of a malfunction in the electrical circuit of the refrigerator, then, first of all, using a tester, you need to make sure that the voltage in the electrical network is normal - it should be 220 Volts ± 10%. At a voltage of 195 volts and below, many refrigerators will not be able to work.

After that, you need to make sure that the power outlet and the plug of the cord are working, provide full contact, do not heat up and do not spark.

And instead of a heart, a fiery motor

Pay attention to the compressor terminals, they should not be melted, charred or cracked. After you use the tester to make sure that there is normal voltage at the motor terminals, the refrigerator must be disconnected from the mains and all further work must be carried out only with the power turned off.

The compressor is usually located at the bottom of the back wall of the refrigerator. It is necessary to inspect the motor for mechanical damage, deformations that may indicate a thermal effect on the part, charring. Anomalies will clearly indicate the place where you should look for a malfunction.

If visual faults cannot be localized, then the next thing to do is to check the integrity of the compressor motor windings. As a rule, a start-up relay is fixed on the hard terminals of the compressor, or directly next to it. Before checking, it is necessary to disconnect the three flexible wires coming from the relay to the motor terminals (often these terminals for connecting to the start-up relay are specially marked - “start”, output of the starting winding, “slave”, output of the working winding and “common”, a common output for these windings).

You need to check the integrity of the winding circuit. To do this, one of the probes of the tester (in ohmmeter mode) is fixed to one free terminal, and the other probe must in turn touch the other two remaining terminals and the engine housing. After that, it is also necessary to measure two other conclusions in pairs. For a pointer tester, the presence of contact will be indicated by the deviation of the arrow of the device in ohmmeter mode. For a working compressor motor, the instrument should indicate the presence of contact between any two motor leads and the absence of contact between any of them and the motor housing. If this is not the case, then either the winding was broken or the winding was shorted to the case. In this case, the compressor motor needs to be replaced.

Check control reliability

If everything is in order with the windings, refer again to Figure 2. You will need to check the control circuits. To do this, two lead wires previously disconnected from the start-up relay should be closed together and check for contact between them and the contact pins of the mains plug. If the tester shows the presence of a contact, then the plug and the power cord, the temperature relay sensor P1 and the defrost relay switch P2 should be excluded from further troubleshooting, since these blocks are part of a single circuit.

If there is no contact, then each of these blocks should be carefully checked separately.

It makes no sense to dwell on the malfunctions of the power cord and its plug, since this type of malfunction is quite common in everyday life in general. One has only to say that you need to pay close attention to the bends in the power cord - in these places there may be a break in the current-carrying cores.

Part Three: The smallest one works the most

Let's pay closer attention to the small details. Agree, sometimes it is annoying because a small, insignificant detail that performs routine simple work in the entire mechanism becomes a bottleneck, does not allow the large body of the refrigeration unit to function fully.

Bug - not always good

To check the temperature sensor and the “defrost” relay, you must first remove them with a screwdriver by disconnecting the supply wires. Then the tester needs to check each relay individually, a short circuit will mean that this relay is faulty and needs to be replaced.

In principle, in the event of a malfunction of the “defrost” relay, it can be replaced with a simple jumper, a metal “bug”. But, strictly speaking, this can only be done for old refrigerators that do not have complex balancing systems, maintaining a microclimate inside the refrigerator compartment and other high-tech sensors that can become unusable from uncontrolled freezing. After all, the refrigerator will work without interruption, the work process will be controlled only manually, by turning on and off the power cord from the power outlet. Yes, and in this case, you need to take care of more frequent cleaning of the freezer, as excessive ice buildup can deform the evaporator and thus damage the entire system of the refrigeration unit. As soon as possible, the metal "bug" will need to be replaced with a working relay as soon as possible.

For a faulty temperature sensor, no “tuning” methods are acceptable; it must be replaced with a serviceable relay.

Let's play DIY

If the control circuit turned out to be serviceable, then it is necessary to check the start-up relay. To do this, it is necessary to remove the cover, having previously drilled out the aluminum rivets (after repair during assembly, the cover must be fixed with M3 screws with nuts).

In some models of domestic refrigerators, the cover of the start-up relay, as one of the vulnerable blocks, is fastened with latches. In order to open it, you just need to bend these latches at the base of the relay with a screwdriver.

For most start-up relays, the device corresponds to the schematic designation in Figure 5. The most common is burning of the contact pair 1-2, jamming of the core 5 in the coil, breakage of the stem 3 and jamming of the spring. To eliminate these malfunctions, first of all, you need to remove the coil 4 (it is usually fastened with latches). It is necessary to remove core 5, contacts 2 from it (they are removed together with stem 3). After that, you need to clean it all well from dirt, for example, with a clean cloth rag soaked in alcohol. If necessary, the core 5 will need to be lightly cleaned with a file or sandpaper so that it can freely enter the coil channel. Be sure to clean the working surfaces of contacts 1 and 2 with sandpaper.

A common cause of failure of the start-up relay is a breakdown of the stem 3.

As a rule, the original stem is made of plastic, but it can be replaced with a homemade stem made from a 2.5x35 mm nail. The metal stem in the relay, instead of the plastic one, works long and reliably. Figure 6 shows the dimensions of stem 3 for the most common start-protective relay of the RTK-X (M) type or its analogue. For any other type of relay, the dimensions can be checked on site.

After this, the relay will need to be assembled in the reverse order, put in place, secured and connected to the underwater wires.

If the cause of the malfunction was oxidized contacts 1 and 2, and after a short time of operation, after you cleaned them, they oxidized and burned again, then you need to contact a specialist for a deeper repair, since the reasons for this behavior of the contacts may be in violation of the operation of the entire electrical circuit of the refrigerator.

Last in order - not last in value

Another malfunction, which is also quite common, is the burnout of the R2 heater in the thermal protection relay. This is easily determined using a tester with the starter relay cover removed. If this is the fault, the start relay must be replaced with a new one.