Found a stat that makes me question how we handle fridge compressors

I was reading through some service bulletins from Copeland last week and saw that over 40% of compressor failures in residential fridges are actually caused by improper start components, not the compressor itself. That surprised me because most of us just swap the whole thing without testing the relay or capacitor first. I'm curious how many people here actually check those parts before condemning a compressor.

3 comments

3 Comments

wadejenkins18d agoProlific Poster

You ever actually caught a bad start relay yourself (wish I had years ago)?

the_felix18d ago

Jumped on a bad start relay just last month on a 2000s era fridge. You gotta listen for that single click but no compressor hum... that's your giveaway. Pulled the relay off, gave it a gentle shake, and could hear the internal contact rattling around loose. Snagged a universal replacement for like 12 bucks and had the fridge running again in 20 minutes. It's one of those fixes that feels way too easy once you've done it the first time.

river_thompson18d ago

Read an old appliance repair blog that said shaking it is the dead giveaway for a bad relay.