At first the lights started to flicker,
So, I emptied out all of the food, and Keri took the opportunity to clean it from top to bottom.
Fortunately, we had a small extra freezer in the garage for the frozen meats, and the garage temperature was cool enough to serve as a refrigerator :-) It was funny how the boys would still, out of habit, open the fridge to contemplate a snack - only to find it dark and empty!
I was able to track the problem down to the main 4" x 5" circuit board/control module,
where it was pretty obvious that part of it was fried :-( Fortunately, it was still within the 5-yr warranty :-) Unfortunately, the circuit board was covered only for the first year :-( So I went to the local dealer, who told me that the part would cost $120, but he did not have it in stock, and could not order it until Monday :-(
So we made do with our garage-fridge until the part arrived on Tuesday :-)
I installed the new board, re-assembled the fridge (with no extra parts left over!) - and it worked!! (Tanner was simply ecstatic - can't you tell?) :-}
The service/parts guy said that the bulging top on the component in the center of this picture indicates power surge damage, which, apparently, is not uncommon for our city. A power surge can wreak havoc with any appliance that happens to have a computer controller, board, or chip (don't they all have at least one?!) He recommended that we spend $500 to surge protect our entire home at the breaker box (yeah, right!)
We opted for the cheaper $6.88 1,120 Joule outlet surge protector - a bargain at twice that price if it prevents another blown circuit board! I also purchased a few others to protect our other main appliances, and replaced the ones for our computers!
"Yaaaaayyyyyyy - Foooooood in the Fridge!!!!!"
3 comments:
Sheesh, what a project! You lucked out being that you had COLD-NESS outside! They sure don't make Appliances like they use to, isn't mom's and dad's 25 years old? lol
Glad to see tanner so excited! =)
I have the same fridge (! - only 6 years old) and it has quit. Not sure if I'm game enough to take it apart. But, your story has been helpful :)
If you can get access to the back of the 'fridge, it is actually very easy to locate and remove in about 5 minutes. As soon as you take it out it should be obvious if it is burned up or not. No need to pay for a service call - YOU can do it! :-)
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