I'm guessing, with no real knowledge, that the compressor went. There was a burning smell, the fuse blew, and when I ran an extension to the refrigerator to get that working, smoke came from the big black thing at the bottom. So, I'm guessing compressor. Is that likely?
If so, a new compressor is around $180, much cheaper than a new refrig. The parts guy (Sears) says that anyone can replace the compressor, that I can get a do-it-yourself guide for $15.
A new model would be around $600 and a big pain. Is replacing a compressor so hard?
If it is like any compressor I've ever seen in a refrigerator- you'd need to drain the freon- capturing it without contaminating the lines or the atmosphere; cut some tubing, solder it back up and recharge the lines. Special skills- special tools.
The parts guy is a liar. Unless you have the proper license to handle the refrigerant and the proper equipment to do the job right you can't even start it. The equipment is probably over $1000. Vacuum pump, gauges, etc. This is not a DIY job.
If the refrigerator is old, it will pay for itself in electricity savings in a few years. OOH, if may be a capacitor or other modestly priced part. Trouble is, a service call is probably $100 to diagnose it.
Another thought though, is to call you local appliance dealer. Explain the situation. He may be willing to check it out and do the repair for normal cost, but if it is not fixable, he may credit you a portion of that amount towards the cost of a new fridge. Today, most local dealers belong to buyer's co-ops and sell at similar prices as the big box stores. They also offer better service.
We just bought a new fridge, washer and dryer a few months ago. So far I've only seen one power bill that covered only the period we had the new appliance, and our power usage was down 20% from the same period a year ago.
I don't know how old my fridge was (it came with the house), but I'm quite certain that's what's making the difference. And newer models are SO much nicer than what they used to sell. Mine has a bottom freezer with a pull-out drawer, I love it.
In a nutshell, if your fridge is older, I wouldn't bother trying to fix it. Newer models are not only more functional, they're more energy efficient.
And I'm quite certain that you the data you have is far from conclusive of anything. My energy bills can vary 20% up or down without changine anything. Have an especially cold Jan, more energy usage. Have an especially hot Jul, more energy usage.. And I hope you're comparing killowatt hours, not the bill.
Now that I agree with. If you;'re facing a major repair and have an old fridge, it's better to replace it. I replaced a 24 year old Frigidare a few months ago. I used a killowatt meter to measure the before and after change. Bottom line, for a similar size side by side, 24 vs 25 cbft, with the new one being the larger, I'm saving about $100 a year. Note that $100 a year isn't anywhere near 20% my average bill. It's more like 5%.
I used to be in domestic refrig business 30 years ago, since then in the larger commercial and industrial applications. replacing a compressor takes special skills and tools (vacuum pump, oxy acty torch, proper refrigerant charging aparatus etc).. further a replaced compressor has a much shorter life than a new one due to contamination introduced when changing the the compressor... if the old one burnt out its internal windings it is toast, too contaminated to consider replacing the compressor... clean up is possible but a costly nightmare, no guarantees either.
id buy a new one.
There is a chance that if you saw smoke its not an internal compressor problem but the compressors external 'start relay and capacitor' .. give sears the model number of the refrig. order a new start relay and capacitor kit and replace it.
check first.. if it smoked you will see burnt wiring. ... it could also be a burnt fan motor, visual inspection should do, see if the fan blade rotates etc.
compressor replacement takes insight on how the compressor is wired internally.. its easy to screw up if you are not a tech.
age of refrig... over 10 years forget it entirely, under 5 years maybe consider repair... under a year it might be worth repair..
Perhaps comparing the same period last year isn't all that scientific, so perhaps not 20% savings. But certainly a savings.We'll see how the next few periods average out. My usage has never been higher than 13 kWh a day over the past two years, and my July bill in 2007 was 10 kWh a day. This year (post-fridge) it's 8 kWh a day.
And yes, I am comparing kilowatt hours rather than actual $ on the bill. Our power consumption doesn't really vary much from season to season - my heat is oil, so is my water heater. Here in Atlantic Canada it doesn't get hot enough for an extended period to make an air conditioner necessary for us. While the furnace does use a bit more power,in the winter, I think that lights are probably the primary difference since. We use CFLs, and I think that makes a difference as well.
$100 savings on my power bill would probably work out to about 16%. Not huge, but I like it. :)
In my area we have used appliance dealers who pickup, deliver and haul off. You may do well to find one in your area, tell him the problem and you could make out with a trade in of your dead fridge. The last repair I priced out for a good customer was $250.00 to replace the computer board in a late model GE fridge that had cost them $1200.00 a few years ago. In their case the repair was worth it.
That's probably a sea otter. Are you sure the smoke wasn't just from his cigarette?
The way you describe it, yes.
I get a lot of my advice from parts guys. I'll never forget the one who explained that I didn't need a press to get the lug bolts out of my front wheel hub, or to get them back in, like the shop manual said. He was 100% right, and saved me much time and money.
But this wone seems to have ignored the need for freon, and the need to pressurize the system, and probalby the need to evacuate it first.
Is he saying that freon comes included with the compressor?
I'll have to read the other answers to find out.
Thanks to everyone for answering. I'll send the compressor back; I know nothing about HVAC. The dead refrig is around 9 years old, reasonably efficient but not worth trying to fix.
I guess, like everythjing else, Sears is not what it once was.
I'll look for a reasonably priced used one but transportation is a huge issue there. It needs to be about free.
I'll also check with a local non-big box dealer and ask them to check out the refrig or sell me a new one.
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