The time required for a residential refrigerator or air conditioning compressor to reset after a thermal overload trip, power outage, or sudden shutdown typically ranges from five to fifteen minutes. When a compressor shuts down, high and low side refrigerant pressures remain unbalanced, creating heavy back-pressure that prevents the electric motor from restarting immediately; forcing it to start too quickly will trip the thermal overload relay. Allowing five to ten minutes lets pressures equalize and internal motor windings cool down safely. You can troubleshoot compressor power using a multimeter. You can verify that the compressor has successfully reset when restoring electrical power after the waiting period causes the motor to hum, engage its start relay, and begin pumping refrigerant normally.
1 votes
Marked as accepted