Is your LG refrigerator tripping breaker? It is very important to find a solution if your refrigerator creates this problem.
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LG Refrigerator Tripping Breaker
The LG refrigerator is faulty and that is why it overloads the breaker. This problem could lead to a fire outbreak in your home or wherever the refrigerator is in use. Hence, the reason your refrigerator keeps cutting off power.
Possible causes are:
1. A Faulty Thermostat
A faulty thermostat is the least notable and rarest of all the possible causes of the incessant tripping of a breaker. This is because the thermostat does not need lots of power to function.
Therefore, if the thermostat happens to be the cause of the power cuts, it is best to replace it.
2. A Faulty Compressor Relay
The compressor uses quite an amount of power to carry out the cooling cycle of your refrigerator. If your refrigerator’s compressor keeps tripping off the circuit breaker in an attempt to do the cycle, it suggests that it has a grounding problem that triggers the relay to be overloaded with power.
Use a multimeter to test the relay of the compressor for continuity. If you find none, it’s best to replace it.
3. A Faulty Defrost Heater
A defrost heater is usually installed in a refrigerator unit that comes with a freezer. This device ensures that there is no frost buildup in your freezer as it comes on every 20 to 45 minutes to melt the ice.
And when it is damaged and attempts to come on, it could cause the refrigerator to trip off the circuit breaker because it is overloaded with power.
Because the heater, just like the compressor, functions intermittently, it is usually difficult to immediately decipher which could primarily cause the circuit breaker to trip off. It will be helpful to note that the compressor doesn’t come on as often as the defrost heater. It does so every 30 or 60 minutes.
To verify if the defrost heater is the reason the circuit breaker trips often, you may have to leave the freezer door open and dry while testing the defrost heater connections. Because of the similarity in the way it functions like the compressor, you may have to wait for about 30 to 60 minutes for the compressor to come on.
The compressor usually comes on with a humming sound. And when it is the faulty part, it will trip off the breaker every time it comes on. You may also verify the exact cause of the trip-offs by disconnecting either the heater or compressor from the board before testing the refrigerator.
4. A Faulty or Dirty Fan
The fan which functions simultaneously with the compressor could primarily make the circuit breaker go off when it’s dirty or faulty. It is important not to mistake a fan issue for that of a compressor.
The overloading of a fan is usually not electrical but dirt. A dirty fan consumes more electricity while functioning and subsequently overloads itself. This is usually decipherable by the attendant noise from the fan section.
In fact, it is advisable to first ensure the cleanliness of a faulty fan before proceeding to electrical solutions. And if the fan has an electric fault, you will have to replace the faulty part of the fan.
5. Weakened Electric Wires
This is usually the case in old houses where the wires have worn out with time and the wire plastic coverings start falling off. This exposes the wires and when two incompatible wires make contact, they overload the appliances in the house including the refrigerator. This could lead to circuit breaker tripping. This also puts the building at a high risk of fire outbreaks.
Important Note
Ensure that the refrigerator is disconnected from power before carrying out any electrical maintenance. Make sure you replace every faulty part of the refrigerator with a replacement part from LG.
If you are not comfortable carrying out these repairs yourself, contact LG Support for assistance or get a licensed technician.
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