Advise needed: Fridge keeps blowing the power

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danepak

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#303341 2-Feb-2023 21:33

Our fridge in our house has recently started shorting the power.
When we switch it on, the mains power goes.
We moved the fridge, gave it a good clean and emptied the drip tray, which had a bit of water in it. We plugged it in again this morning. Solved the issue, but only for 12 hours and the issue has returned.
Is it likely to be an issue with the fridge (which is rather old, maybe 15-20 years old).
We have not added any new appliances to the house, which could have caused issues.

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#3031075 2-Feb-2023 21:38

Sounds like it's time to replace your fridge. 15-20 years is a very good run for a fridge. A newer fridge should be more energy efficient, hence cheaper to run.

Jiriteach

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#3031077 2-Feb-2023 21:41

Faulty motor - we’ve had this issue a few times with some older fridges. Get a fridge tech to come have a look and it likely needs a new motor. We’ve replaced a few that was triggering the fuse in our garage. Replaced the motor for ~ $180 and sorted.

-- opinions expressed by me are solely my own. ie - personal

SomeoneSomewhere

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#3031078 2-Feb-2023 21:42

What device trips? If it has a test button, it's probably an RCD, detecting earth leakage. No test button means just a standard circuit breaker.

12 hours means it's probably tripping when it goes into defrost and powers the defrost element. This failure is not exactly uncommon. You can probably replace the element or get it replaced, but at 15-20 years, it's probably new fridge time. Seals are likely stuffed on the old fridge so the efficiency will be even worse than when it's new.

sir1963

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#3031080 2-Feb-2023 21:44

Tried it on a different power point ?

Is it on its own fuse/breaker ?

Is it tripping the breaker or an RCD ?

If its an RCD/RCBO/etc is that device at fault ?

Has it been electrically tested (PAT/Megger) ?

Has there been any pictures etc hung, mice etc that may have damaged the house wiring ?

sir1963

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#3031081 2-Feb-2023 21:45

pih: Sounds like it's time to replace your fridge. 15-20 years is a very good run for a fridge. A newer fridge should be more energy efficient, hence cheaper to run.

My chest freezer is about to hit 40 years old.

15-20 years should be normal age , not "a good run".

surfisup1000

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#3031103 2-Feb-2023 23:43

SomeoneSomewhere:

What device trips? If it has a test button, it's probably an RCD, detecting earth leakage. No test button means just a standard circuit breaker.

12 hours means it's probably tripping when it goes into defrost and powers the defrost element. This failure is not exactly uncommon. You can probably replace the element or get it replaced, but at 15-20 years, it's probably new fridge time. Seals are likely stuffed on the old fridge so the efficiency will be even worse than when it's new.

Our Fisher & Paykel fridge defrost element has been replaced 3 times over the years. The good thing is that when the RCD starts to trip we know it is time to replace the fridge element .

Our F&P dryer motor start capacitor also blows up every 5 years or so. But, that at least doesn't trigger the rcd trip.

Any appliance with internal motors, heaters and actuators are suspect for RCD trips.

A while back we had an electrician install an RCD on every circuit , rather than just having 2 RCD's for the 20 odd circuits in our house. This seems to have decreased the sensitivity to defrost element failures. So, you might also want to look at your RCD setup too.

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#3031122 3-Feb-2023 07:59

SomeoneSomewhere:

What device trips? If it has a test button, it's probably an RCD, detecting earth leakage. No test button means just a standard circuit breaker.

12 hours means it's probably tripping when it goes into defrost and powers the defrost element. This failure is not exactly uncommon. You can probably replace the element or get it replaced, but at 15-20 years, it's probably new fridge time. Seals are likely stuffed on the old fridge so the efficiency will be even worse than when it's new.

A couple of years ago I watched a video where they showed time vs seals and temperature regulation, vs food safety, vs power usage and it was very alarming. I wouldn't keep a fridge beyond 10 years, and I'd be replacing the seals every 5-7.

blackjack17

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#3031126 3-Feb-2023 08:25

We had a slug fry itself on ours.

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mattenz

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#3031129 3-Feb-2023 08:32

Probably defrost element, you can test them with a multimeter, although it is sometimes not conclusive.

sir1963

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#3031196 3-Feb-2023 10:43

surfisup1000:

A while back we had an electrician install an RCD on every circuit , rather than just having 2 RCD's for the 20 odd circuits in our house. This seems to have decreased the sensitivity to defrost element failures. So, you might also want to look at your RCD setup too.

One RCD can have a maximum of 3 breakers attached to it.

sir1963

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#3031197 3-Feb-2023 10:44

blackjack17:

We had a slug fry itself on ours.

Dead mice in the back of free standing stoves/ovens is popular.

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danepak

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#3031199 3-Feb-2023 10:45

Thanks for all the inputs. Much appreciated.
We’re probably just going to get a new fridge.

Here’s a photo of the board:

John19612

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#3031259 3-Feb-2023 13:03

sir1963:

surfisup1000:

A while back we had an electrician install an RCD on every circuit , rather than just having 2 RCD's for the 20 odd circuits in our house. This seems to have decreased the sensitivity to defrost element failures. So, you might also want to look at your RCD setup too.

One RCD can have a maximum of 3 breakers attached to it.

Only if installed and certified under the requirements of AS/NZS 3000:2007 (Amendments 1+2). Earlier versions of this standard allowed different numbers and configurations of circuits with regards to RCD protection.

Scott3

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#3031262 3-Feb-2023 13:09

danepak: Thanks for all the inputs. Much appreciated.
We’re probably just going to get a new fridge.

Here’s a photo of the board:

If it is one of the RCD's tripping (the ones with orange test buttons), there is (could be small) leakage of power from the appliance to ground.

If it is one of the other breakers, the circuit is overloaded (perhaps caused by an appliance fault, like a short somewhere).

surfisup1000

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#3031313 3-Feb-2023 14:59

sir1963:

surfisup1000:

A while back we had an electrician install an RCD on every circuit , rather than just having 2 RCD's for the 20 odd circuits in our house. This seems to have decreased the sensitivity to defrost element failures. So, you might also want to look at your RCD setup too.

One RCD can have a maximum of 3 breakers attached to it.

Yep, not in our house with our dodgy electrician. We had a commercial electrician fix it for us and he also found that the electrician hadn't tested some circuits before signing off his own work.

This is why I think an independent electrician should sign off each other's work. Cost increase, but, our guy was a shocker and is still out there .

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