On 10/27/2017 3:35 AM, Jack Frost wrote:
On 10/27/2017 02:01 AM, wrote:
What is a hard start kit and how do you hook it up?

Before I spent money on a hard start kit, I'd make sure all electrical
wiring connections to the fridge are tight.

I'd also check to make sure the refrigerator receptacle is nice and
tight when you plug it in.

Then I'd check the breaker panel connections to make certain they were
tight as well. This check would include the breaker-to-bus connection as
well.

And while the panel cover was off, I'd check the voltages of L1 and L2
to make sure they are within ~7 volts of each other.

Finally I'd check the refrigerator compressor's capacitor.

If all that is good, I'd go to Lowe's Depot and buy a new fridge.


I'd also concur with Jack's assessment up until the last sentence.

The OP has to determine what to do after diagnosing the problem. Too
often/too soon we relegate stuff to the junk pile.

Depends on what the refrigerator is being used for. In our case we had
an older, but not ancient, refrigerator that crapped out. We figured it
was getting about time and so bought the nice, new French Door
refrigerator that SWMBO wanted. I did some checking and found out about
the booster kit while attempting to find an OEM capacitor for the unit.
I picked up the booster capacitor kit for about $20, installed it and
got another six years of use out of that refrigerator as a garage
refrigerator for beverages and food that we bought in bulk.

7 years service for a $20 investment was not bad. YMMV but depending
upon the OP's particular situation it could be the deal of a lifetime. .
.. or not.