back to the master list of frequently asked questions

back to the list of Intermittence

Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:

Flow in system stops and compressor labors

I have a White-Westinghouse refrigerator with freezer on top. When it starts making this louder than usual noise it usually means in a few hours my ice cubes will be water. So I turn it off for at least 4 hours and then turn it on and it's quiet again for about 4 days and my ice cubes are still frozen. Then it starts again. The noise comes back and now I just shut it off for at least 4 hours and turn it on again. This seems to be working for now. But the problem is it'll be working when a repair person comes by and they'll just say it's working and do nothing and then charge me for a service call. What's wrong with my fridge? It's 7 years old and never been serviced before. Everything is clean behind the fridge. The coils are clean. There aren't any obvious leaks. Any ideas? Thanks in advance

If this refrigerator uses the new replacement refrigerant 134a it’s likely an oil restriction. We’ve had quite a few problems with this lately on 134a systems. Check on the refrigerator’s name tag, the one with the model number on it, and it will state what refrigerant is used. Most 134a systems should still be on warranty at this time. Describe what you’ve said here to the warranty technician. He will have heard of it many times before.

If it has Freon R12, I've seen this one happen before. It appears you have a restriction or partial restriction in the sealed system. When it happens, flow stops and you get high head pressure, hence the noise, and the cooling effect stops. After you shut the unit down, the restriction clears and it again works for a while. It's hard to say at this point what it is. It sounds like moisture. However moisture is very rare in a factory-charged unhampered system. (Was it a Monday morning at the White Westinghouse factory?). Another thing you could check, is the filter, (gas dryer), placed so the capillary outlet is facing downward? The small end of the filter should always be pointed downward. This is the little tube at the end of your condenser in the circuit just before the capillary line, the smallest diameter pipe that the refrigerant is circulated through. Read the web page article I've posted back on the web site:

Placed a hyper link to "How the Hermetic System Works" in Section 1

Nonetheless this is going to be a hard one for you to get resolved. Check your warranty. Sometimes these were sold with a 10 year warrantee on the sealed system, otherwise in most cases an evacuation and recharge of your system with a new gas dryer installed will likely solve this problem. If you phone someone to come out, tell them that's what has been recommended and
that's what you want done. Don't let them come out and just charge you for a service call and do nothing, saying they don't know what it is. Actually book the appointment for an evacuation and recharge. You could get a few phone estimates while you're at it. You also want to find the best technician you can for a sealed system repair. Please read this article:

Placed a hyper link to the Section 1 article "Finding a Good Technician "