Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:
Replacing a compressor in a vintage design
I have a very old and neat looking refrigerator that will need a new compressor soon. Call me crazy, but I want to keep it and have it repaired. The original rating is 1/4 horsepower @ 3.4 amps. Can I just buy any ol' compressor close to that rating, then have a technician simply swap the new with the old? I know some modification the to frame that holds the compressor may be necessary. Thanks.
In the city where I work I advertise that I repair vintage designs so I've done quite a few conversions. Yes it is possible for even though the mounting of new compressors is different the horsepower and amperage ratings you noted are the same. We used to be able to buy mounting conversion kits but most of the time I weld my own up. You’d better find someone who knows what he's doing for sure though, depending on the age of the thing it can be a very tricky job.
One other piece of advice, don't buy the compressor yourself. You will have a hard time getting anyone to do it if you supply the part and most of the time you will pay the same price from the store, if they even sell it to you, as you will from the technician.
When we replace compressors, it doesn't matter how experienced or careful we are, at least one out of 10 installations requires going back to reseal a weld that may test perfectly at first but cracks through after it works for a while. Most customers don't expect to pay for this service so the industry has built in a higher profit margin on compressors to cover this occurrence and make it worthwhile for us to do the job.
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