How do you test a refrigerator capacitor?

Function. A refrigerant capacitor is responsible for starting the engine on the compressor system, the part of the refrigerator that pushes coolant through the coils. The compressor pushes the refrigerant into the condenser for cooling, then into the evaporator, where it draws heat away from the inside of the refrigerator.

Hermetically sealed compressors use motor starter capacitors to help them develop the extra torque required to start under load. Engine starting engines may fail for many reasons, age and heat being the two biggest causes. Under no circumstances will the refrigerator start.

The thermostat closes and the hermetically sealed compressor / engine starts to noise and continues to smile until the “Starting current” motors, which can be up to 30 amps, stop the circuit breaker circuit or blow the circuit breaker fuse. Testing and replacing an engine start capacitor is easy.

If your refrigerator is loud, it dims the lights, triggers a circuit breaker or blows a fuse every time it tries to start, the problem may be a malfunctioning relay of the compressor. The purpose of the relay is to connect the starting winding in parallel with the winding to provide the additional torque required for starting and then disconnect the starting winding once the compressor has reached its operating speed. Startup relays are easy to test and inexpensive to replace.

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