Do we get refrigerator relays in local electric shops?

6pack

6pack

ex-Mod
My LG double door fridge stopped working today. Only light is coming inside and compressor does not start. It was working in the morning and seems to have stopped working sometime after. Compressor does not start if I change the settings inside the fridge or freezer to high cooling. Last time, the relay had died so I'm guessing the relay died this time too. Is the relay same for all fridges and do local electrical shops sell these? What is the normal cost for that device?
 
Overload relay can be bought for 50-200 and yes they are different for different refrigerators.
Some are 2 pin, 3pin and 4pin.
Check which one is attached to your compressor and buy exact one.
 
I called a repair guy. Almost forgot I just got cured of sciatica and can't sit down to pull heavy things like a fridge.
 
You do get the relay, but different compressors have different relays. I matched mine which looks the same and also has the same ohms rating.
 
You can use urban clap's rate list for an idea about the cost of parts and labor charges.

However, of you procure these parts yourself, cost will be lower. There are dedicated shops that sell spare parts for microwave, fridge and washing machine.
 
Urban clap does not support my area.
But I don't know how to check those parts if they're working or not. I think it was worth calling the technician since they have more knowledge on such things and they finished the job in an hour vs days if I did not call them.
 
Of course it is better to call a technician to do the job. Saves you time and frustration.

My point is that you can check rates for common parts on urban clap ( no matter whether it supports your area), so that when your local technician quotes you a price you have an idea beforehand.
 
6pack said:
I called a repair guy. Almost forgot I just got cured of sciatica and can't sit down to pull heavy things like a fridge.
Click to expand...
Why aren't you calling some one from LG ?

unless you can find a service manual for your fridge, matching parts will be harder.
 
blr_p said:
Why aren't you calling some one from LG ?

unless you can find a service manual for your fridge, matching parts will be harder.
Click to expand...

LG service visit is costlier and their spare parts cost more too. Besides that fridge is out of warranty and more than 15 years old. Old fridge parts are easier to find since they are more simple compared to all the new electronic boards etc in new fridges.
 
I have an old LG double door fridge as well. That timer from Amazon will definitely work. I even have a spare one lying around. Did he show you that the timer is not working. It's very easy to check, by rotating the timer pin manually.
 
6pack said:
LG service visit is costlier and their spare parts cost more too. Besides that fridge is out of warranty and more than 15 years old. Old fridge parts are easier to find since they are more simple compared to all the new electronic boards etc in new fridges.
Click to expand...
How long was the down time ?

That is from you discovering it did not work, to getting it repaired
 
2 months back when my panasonic fridge broke down I learnt only at 7pm night it was wasn't cooling, took 2hrs for me to figure out the reason. Another 1 hr or so to find the part online, the exact Japanese part from Murata Japan has been discontinued and was out of stock worldwide in major online semiconductor vendors . But the part number comes up in google search in import export data (which was a public info till 2016, government no longer give the info) with panasonic india importing a couple of hundred pieces in 2016 for about 600 bucks a piece.

.Next day I called up some one high up from Panasonic india who is a acquaintance I told him about the exact part number and he said there is only 1 in stock in bangalore and about 16 or so total in India, but will have to raise a complaint to get it fixed by one the outsourced service centers.

So I called the outsourced service centers after telling them about the part number they asked whether I was a Panasonic employee or former one. Took a good 5 mins to convince them the problem was due to the particular part. They said they will need 24 hrs to source the part from panasonic and it would cost 1.5k+ tax and 600 bucks has service charges+ tax it was coming to 2.5k total. By the next 5 mins I went to a local store and bought a similar spec chinese one for 100 bucks. Within 15 min the fridge was working again.

The original part from Murata lasted 8.5 years, so even if this chinese part last 1 year, it still is much cheaper to keep on replacing it.
 
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