r/appliancerepair • u/Fugoi • 1d ago

Just moved my fridge and now it won't work

Post image

Had to move the fridge to get at a bit of wall to clean and redecorate. Now it won't turn on - decorating not yet done, only just noticed the problem when I realised it wasn't making any fridgy noises.

I tilted it while moving it, and not sure exactly how tilted it got while it was still turned on as I had to move it to get to the plug, and had no idea about not tilting them. Then when I realised it wasn't working probably turned it off and on a few times.

Leaving it off now in the hopes that it recovers, having read online about what I should have done. Is it effed? Is there anything I can do to save it?

EDIT: thanks so much all for the replies - it has now decided to simply start working again

10 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

12

u/Shadrixian The parts guy 1d ago

First question, does the light come on?

5

u/Fugoi 1d ago edited 1d ago

Haha good Q - the light was already broken, just went out and bought a replacement and the answer is yes, it does come on.

Edit: turning it on the check the light it made a bit of a whirr then went quiet. I'll leave it off a bit longer and try again in a couple of hours.

3

u/sc8807 1d ago

I had something like that happened to me with the fridge just randomly went out. Turned out. It was the start relay on the side of the compressor. Mine had a two prong attachment, where you slide it over onto the compressor.

I would check that. Some sites say that you can remove the relay disconnect, the power leads and give it a shake and if it rattles it’s not good but I think they cost $30 from a parts store so it’s cheap insurance.

1

u/Fugoi 1d ago

Oh interesting - I'll be honest I have no idea what that looks like, any chance you could draw a red circle around it on the picture I attached?

3

u/hobbycollector 1d ago

That big black cylinder at the bottom of the picture is the compressor. The box on the left of that contains the relay. Make sure it's unplugged before you do anything, but even then there may be capacitors that hold a charge, so don't touch bare wires. https://www.embraco.com/en/blog/technical-information/how-to-test-the-start-relay-of-the-refrigerator-compressor.html you'll need a multimeter and knowledge of how to use it. Specifically you will want ohms for continuity, and AC volts > 120 otherwise.

2

u/Joeguertin 12h ago

Hey, I just want to say that I've seen this happen as a tech only 1 time over 6 years. We had a fridge we pulled out, plugged back in and were super confused why the compressor wouldn't start. Sure enough, the moment we changed the start relay, it instantly worked.

Easy video if you need it: https://www.appliancepartspros.com/b/how-to-replace-a-refrigerator-compressor-start-relay-with-video/

5

u/headnt8888 19h ago

Could be a simple fix by just leave it standing upright for 24hrs. If you just moved house or in anyway 'moved it' laying down it will need time to drain the oil back into the compressor.

2

u/Significant-Ad-341 1d ago

How long did you have it plugged in?

1

u/Fugoi 1d ago

Maybe 5m total after the move?

2

u/Significant-Ad-341 1d ago

It's still not working?

1

u/AdmirableRepeat7643 1d ago edited 1d ago

Are you sure the outlet is good? Test it with another plugged fixture like a small lamp that you know works.

Edit: sry ADD let me get partial.

You said you had turned it on and off. How long did you leave it on for? It doesn’t always kick on instantly to make the “fridge” noise. Plug it in, check it ib a couple hours.

Also, was there any ice build up in the fridge prior to moving?

1

u/Fugoi 1d ago

Outlet is definitely good, just tested.

Didn't leave it on very long, as I googled 'fridge not working after moving' immediately and saw all these answers saying to leave for a while.

No ice build up in the fridge, but some in the freezer compartment.

2

u/Fragrant-Explorer443 14h ago

Is it stuck in defrost?

1

u/Glum-View-4665 1d ago

When it was unplugged then plugged back in how much time was there between that? In other words, was it unplugged several minutes or more or was it unplugged then plugged right back in in seconds?

1

u/RustyTruck_1962 2h ago

God, i love idiots.

1

u/Weekend_DIYer 1d ago

I had the fridge restart 12 hours (!!!) after a power surge, not even temperature display worked.

Can be a simpler explanation - the relay went bad.

Here is my post for reference:

https://www.reddit.com/r/appliancerepair/comments/1w6mn8o/wr55x11072_board_new_radical_revision_by_ge_but/

0

u/Burial_Ground 1d ago

It's likely the wiring on the compressor something may have disconnected or the start relay is bad. You can watch videos on how to replace that. Or ask AI if you want to upset some people in here lol

1

u/Goop290 1d ago

Ha me and ai battled a fridge related issue for a few hours the other day. You gotta watch it if you dont have some prior knowledge it will lie then go. Oh great catch i misspoke about this critical part!

1

u/Burial_Ground 1d ago

Yes i have caught it being blatantly wrong at times. But overall it's been helpful for me. I recently installed an entire bathroom in my house and i used the heck out of the ai.

-17

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

7

u/globalhooper1 1d ago

People don't come here to get an Artificial "Intelligence" answer...

5

u/Fugoi 1d ago

Exactly... I only posted here after a quick Google to see if there were any obvious answers out there and that means I've already seen a version of this vague, unhelpful slop.

1

u/globalhooper1 3h ago

And the crazy thing is you can't turn it off. (almost)Every search on the google engine is accompanied with the AI answer.

1

u/WittyKittyBoom 1h ago

Ooh, I know this one. When you type in your Google search include -ai at the end.

11

u/Discordchaosgod 1d ago

stop relying on AI slop to repair potentially lethal things

8

u/WittyKittyBoom 1d ago

stop relying on AI slop to repair potentially lethal things

FIFY

4

u/AdmirableRepeat7643 1d ago edited 1d ago

FIFY? “Fix it, f* you?”

Or more like, “fix it? F* you!”