Low Voltage Set Point

~100v...

Once again I thank you

2 failures in 6 years, I've seen where kitchen cabinets (too close on all sides and top) hold in the condenser heat, and cause early compressor failure. Do you have enough space above the refrigerator, to let all the heat out from the rear? Just want to state another possible failure issue that may not be obvious to cause issues.

I currently have a Whirlpool side by side that has doors that annoy me to want to crush it. They only swing open 120 degrees, and as it's a 33 inch wide, are always in the way. That and the glass shelves that are always covered in some film requiring cleaning. My previous, had wire shelves, it failed from a leak at a aluminum to steel tubing joint. Lasted 22 years.

I had, still have in the shed, the same fridge. I retired it, still working, after 19 years. It was really guzzling juice. I manged to keep it going with minor repairs..easy to fix.

I was able to open the doors out wide so didn't have access problems. I didn't notice any film build up on the glass shelves though. I like glass shelves as they contain leaks better than racks.

I have a Panasonic fridge now. Smaller, but enough. My power bill plummeted.

I like glass shelves as they contain leaks better than racks.
You know Wal, I'll have to agree with you there......I didn't believe it at first........but you are dead set right..........I tried liquid on the wire rack shelve and look what happened!!!

Sorry Wal...........but, I could not resist that one.

Typical and acceptable voltage range variation allowable is +/- 10%. Equipment manufacturers are also aware of this as well... and therefore designed and normally tested their product to function marginally for a short period of time up to as low as 95 volts. So the 100 volts mentioned earlier is a good safety limit..

Low voltage, under 100 volts where you are and under 200 volts where I am, causes single phase motors often to overheat.

A badly installed fridge, as someone mentioned already, would be even more susceptible to failures through over heating.....a fridge MUST have cooling air passing over the rear coils to remove heat (as well as for the compressor motor!).

The fridge efficiency, even if the over heating doesn't actually cause the fridge to fail, will still be far worse than they should be. E.G. More electricity is being used, temperature maybe not as cold as it should be, food freezing may take longer etc etc etc...it could even become a health problem in some cases....

Just a thought or two!!

Lets not forget to clean those coils regularly. We've overheated our fridge by forgetting to move it away from the wall and get a vacuum cleaner after it every couple of months.

If correctly ventilated, they do get REALLY dirty.....you make a very good point!!!

Most if not all new domestic refrigerators have there condensors under the skin of the cabinet on one side. No external condensors to get covered in fluff, hair and what not. Can push it right up against the wall but the sides and top need air circulation.

Let's ask: Do you have a power quality problem or do you want to just throw money at it?

Are we talking about a simple refrigerator where all you have is a defrost timer, motor and thermostat or some expensive microcontroller thingy or even an ifridge or something?

If lightning is an issue, there are ways of dealing with that. If surges are the problem, there are ways of dealing with that. RFI? brownouts? For those critical things, there is always a UPS.

If lightning really is an issue, then consider lightning rods.

Probably the best thing you can do is do an electrical inspection. A whole house surge suppressor is also worthwhile. That at least has a chance against lightning.

If you want to find out what you need, rent a power line disturbance monitor for a week.