Hi All

Just got home and the circuit the fridge is on has tripped the RCD. On further analysis it looks like it is the fridge (Fischer and Paykel double fridge freezer) itself. Any ideas how to figure out what is wrong with it?

Any help appreciated

Thanks

Lee.

Well I wonder, does it have any capacitors for suppression of switches or
other things? If it was something major I'd expect it to just ping it every
time it was running.
Other than that fridges have way too much electronic clutter these days,
and this part obviously needs a power supply somewhere.
Could of course be something as simple as some melt water getting where it
should not. Dead spider? Don't laugh, it does happen apparently!
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
Remember, if you don't like where I post
or what I say, you don't have to
read my posts! :-)
wrote in message
...
Hi All

Just got home and the circuit the fridge is on has tripped the RCD. On
further analysis it looks like it is the fridge (Fischer and Paykel double
fridge freezer) itself. Any ideas how to figure out what is wrong with it?

Any help appreciated

Thanks

Lee.

After serious thinking wrote :
Just got home and the circuit the fridge is on has tripped the RCD. On
further analysis it looks like it is the fridge (Fischer and Paykel double
fridge freezer) itself. Any ideas how to figure out what is wrong with it?

Any help appreciated

First you need to make absolutely certain, it is the fridge tripping
the RCD, rather than the domestic wiring or some other faulty appliance
causing the trip. Does the RCD only protect the the one circuit, or is
it a whole house RCD. If it protects just the one circuit, could the
fridge be temporarily put on another circuit, protected by a different
RCD, even if a long extension is needed to do that? Even a plug in RCD
could be used on the different circuit.

If the other RCD trips, then obviously the fridge has a fault. Then
worth taking a look at the back of the fridge, to see if any condensate
water has overflowed the evaporator to drip onto the wiring around the
motor.

Yes definitely the fridge. On the normal circuit if the fridge is switched on the RCD will trip after a few seconds. Fridge boots up but then trips it.. With fridge is switched off circuit is fine. Also connected the fridge to another circuit and when switched on same thing happens. Assume it is something to do with when the compressor fires.

Hi All

Quick update. I have done some more troubleshooting... At the back of the fridge is a grey box which takes the incoming mains and there are 2 wires coming from it to a black box. I have tried disconnecting both wires (individually) at the black box end and powered up the fridge. Each time it trips. So my thinking is it must be something to do with the grey box.

Having taken the front cover (which says do not open due to risk of electrical shock!!) It has several plugs of wires and a "warranty void if removed" sticker. So I guess this must be the power supply / transformer and the brains of the operation.

Any ideas?

Ok so against their advice I took the grey box out and helpfully at the bottom are a load of connectors and thankfully they were labelled. I took the "defrost heater" plug out and the fridge seems to be working - well at least not tripping anything. Now investigating where the thing is and how I get a replacement one.

On 13/05/18 13:49, wrote:
Hi All

Just got home and the circuit the fridge is on has tripped the RCD.
On further analysis it looks like it is the fridge (Fischer and
Paykel double fridge freezer) itself. Any ideas how to figure out
what is wrong with it?



Almost certainly some kind of winding to reath short in the compressor
motor.

Unless its easy to replace and a cheap spare is available or the whole
iunit is under guarantee chuck it on the skip



Any help appreciated

Thanks

Lee.



--
"In our post-modern world, climate science is not powerful because it is
true: it is true because it is powerful."

Lucas Bergkamp

On 13/05/2018 18:12, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 13/05/18 13:49, wrote:
Hi All

Just got home and the circuit the fridge is on has tripped the RCD.
On further analysis it looks like it is the fridge (Fischer and
Paykel double fridge freezer) itself. Any ideas how to figure out
what is wrong with it?



Almost certainly some kind of winding to reath short in the compressor
motor.

Unless its easy to replace and a cheap spare is available or the whole
iunit is under guarantee chuck it on the skip



Fischer and Paykel fridges tend to be on the large side, coming from
New Zealand where they need to keep lots of dairy and meat cool.

You'll need a few friends to chuck it anywhere.

Yeah big indeed. Now I have figured out it is the defrost heater. Now sourcing one and finding out how to get to it is the next part of the drama

wrote

Just got home and the circuit the fridge is on has tripped the RCD. On
further analysis it looks like it is the fridge (Fischer and Paykel double
fridge freezer) itself. Any ideas how to figure out what is wrong with it?

Irs usually the defrost heater if its not a frost free system.

Brian-Gaff wrote

Well I wonder, does it have any capacitors for suppression of switches or
other things? If it was something major I'd expect it to just ping it
every time it was running.

Not when its the defrost heater.

Other than that fridges have way too much electronic clutter these days,

I love my frost free fridge and freezer. Leaves manually defrosting for
dead.

and this part obviously needs a power supply somewhere.
Could of course be something as simple as some melt water getting where it
should not.

Normally it’s the defrost heater having failed.

Dead spider? Don't laugh, it does happen apparently!

Shouldn’t trip the RCD, because there usually isnt
any earthed bit for the spider to commit suicide to.

wrote in message
...
Hi All

Just got home and the circuit the fridge is on has tripped the RCD. On
further analysis it looks like it is the fridge (Fischer and Paykel
double fridge freezer) itself. Any ideas how to figure out what is wrong
with it?

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
news
On 13/05/18 13:49, wrote:
Hi All

Just got home and the circuit the fridge is on has tripped the RCD.
On further analysis it looks like it is the fridge (Fischer and
Paykel double fridge freezer) itself. Any ideas how to figure out
what is wrong with it?

Almost certainly some kind of winding to reath short in the compressor
motor.

Much more often the defrost heater.

Unless its easy to replace and a cheap spare is available

It always is with defrost heaters.

or the whole
iunit is under guarantee chuck it on the skip

wrote

Yeah big indeed. Now I have figured out it is the defrost heater. Now
sourcing one and finding out how to get to it is the next part of the
drama

Its now surprisingly common to be able to find a youtube
that shows you your exact model and how to do it.