Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:
Fridge had shudder stop now stopped altogether
I lost all my food yesterday. The fridge has been clunking for several months when it turns off. It made its final clunk last night. Now, while the air is still blowing and the light is still going on, Neither freezer or fridge are working. This is a 1988 manufactured Whirlpool and its hard to know if I hire a technician whether or not it will cost more than to just go into the recycler and buy a used refrigerator. I'm pretty handy. Any suggestions?
What you describe is what we call in the trade shudder stop. This is an internal problem inside the compressor itself most common to Embraco brand compressors manufactured in Brazil. Although, I have seen this lately in Techumse compressors that have recently started to come from Brazil. Techumse was previously a stateside brand.
I usually say, how long will it live despite the noise?
That varies, I've seen some go down as early as 6 weeks after it began, and others have gone on for years, but yours is gone in several months. What usually happens on these is that the wires break off inside the compressor case from all the banging.
I'm sorry to say you'll need a compressor replacement which is a job you will have to get a technician in for. Depending on where you live this can cost upward to $300. And that’s typically what a decent recycled one sells for.
So now you’ll have to weigh the cost of compressor replacement versus getting a different one. If yours is in otherwise good condition you may be better off getting yours overhauled. This is because if the job is done right your overhauled unit will last a lot longer than a so called reconditioned one that has it’s original compressor in it when you make the purchase. The chances of all the minor things that go wrong are the same in this one or a replacement, and if you’re handy like you say you may be able to repair those things yourself. Hope this helps.
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