Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:
A floating restriction?
Our refrigerator works sometimes and not others. When the problem started, my wife had a technician over to look at it. They replaced the thermostat, and charged us over $100, but this obviously did not correct the problem. I called them again and the next technician said this particular model was prone to a what he called a floating restriction. The warrantee just lapsed so it isn't worth the expected $250 - $300 charge for him to guess.
Someone told me this problem could be cased by water in the system could water vapor could cause this?
Yes, but if the system was never tapped into then water won't be the problem. Sorry, but I have, in 15 years of domestic refrigeration work, never heard of a "floating restriction". Some designs I've come across did have an anti back flow valve situated in the hermetic circuit after the gas dryer. It's a disk like apparatus about 2" in diameter. This valve can and will stick intermittently. You could check for this yourself by taking a look down at the back at the very bottom of the condenser to see if it's present.
Since your refrigerator is off warranty anyway, see the article back at my web site called "Finding the Best Technician" The repair could easily be half the price they quoted you.
I keep thinking, if it is a restriction, why doesn't the pressure that builds up in the compressor when the restriction happens, cause an overload, or a circuit breaker to blow?
Because the volume of refrigerant in the condenser is volatile enough to provide a cushion to the high side of the compressor, and compressors are made to press high pressures, up to 400 psi in some cases.
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