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Appreciation post: My old way of testing fridge compressors was a real pain
For years, I would pull the whole unit out, hook up my gauges, and listen for the click... it took forever. Then, about six months ago, a guy at a supply house in Dayton showed me his Fluke clamp meter trick to check amp draw right at the plug. I tried it on a Whirlpool last week and had a solid 'bad compressor' call in under two minutes. Anyone else have a faster way to check these without pulling the fridge all the way out?
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mark_hunt6mo ago
The thermal overload trick works for me.
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terry_hayes186mo ago
Ever try the amp draw method @mark_hunt? I find it more reliable than thermal overloads, which can be slow to trip. The clamp meter gives you a solid number right away.
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kai_stone995mo ago
Oh man, I gotta say I read a thing from a motor repair guy once who swore by the amp draw method for catching issues early. He said thermal overloads are fine for the really big stuff but can be sluggish on smaller motors, which makes sense if you think about it. @mark_hunt, I get why you stick with the thermal trick though, it's dead simple and doesn't need extra gear. A clamp meter is cheap and gives you that instant number though, I always keep one in my truck for this exact reason.
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