Refrigerators - What I know about them
Posted by: Hvac at May 20th, 2009
I am very sorry but refrigerators are not my strong point when it comes to hvac, but then again because I know the refrigeration cycle, I can still trouble shoot refrigerators and most of the time I can pinpoint the problem and I can fix it. Although the design of a refrigerator compared to an air conditioning system may be different, teh principles of the refrigeration cycle will stay the same.
One thing that you will have to remember when you are working on refrigerators, that many of them will use different types of refrigerant than the common kinds that are found in air condtioning systems. This is because refrigerators do not need as much pressure, so the refriegerant will vary in a lot of cases. To be able to troubleshoot the freon part of refrigerators you will have to have a type 3 epa 608 certification, the last type there is and in my opinion it is the most difficult of the three certifications that you can get, as I failed the type 3 test the first time that I took it, and then I passed the second time.
Back to refrigerators, if you want to become an hvac technician, you will have to expand your knowledge past just heaters and air conditioners. I know that leaks on refrigerators are very hard to pinpoint, but they are alot less common than you may find on air condtioing systems. This is because the welds that are on refrigerators are made in the factory, and they are tested several times in the factory before they are shipped out. I myself have been in this business for many years, and I have never had to do a leak test on a refrigerator.
Like air conditioning systems, there is a condensate line on refrigerators, the older models will just usually go to a drip pan, while the newer models will actually go through an evaportion process. So just like air conditioning units, these can get clogged up just as easy, and you will have to either blow or suck out the condensate line. If you do not then the freezer could build up excessive ice, causing the fridge not to cool, and eventually the ice will expand until it hits the blower fan that is in the freezer or even the fridge. Another reason why a freezer may freeze up, or a refrigerator may not cool, is because the defrost cycle might not engage.
If a freezer never defrosts, then ice just keeps building up, this is no good, and also, the food that you have in the freezer may get freezer burn. So make sure that if your fridge is not set to defrost automatically, then you will have to do it yourself manually. If you have a newer fridge you should not have this problem, but if you do the defrost button should be located in the fridge, and with a small skinny screwdriver you will be able to engage it and start the defrost cycle.
Sorry I could not go over more on what I know on fridges, but as an hvac technician I am able to successfully troubleshoot 90% of the service calls that I get by explaining what I know.
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