A customer in Portland said my diagnostic method was too slow for their commercial fridge

They pointed out I was checking each part one by one when a voltage drop test across the whole circuit would find the bad relay faster. I switched to that method and now I carry my Fluke 117 for quick checks. What other fast tests do you guys use for refrigeration units?

4 comments

4 Comments

grant47813d ago

Honestly, the real time saver for me is checking the condenser fan motor amp draw first thing. A lot of those commercial unit calls are just a seized motor. Clip the meter on, takes two seconds. If the amps are way high or it's not pulling anything, you're already halfway to the fix before you even open the panel. Saves pulling out every single part when the problem is staring you in the face.

lily5713d ago

Ever check the contactor for pitting first? That one gets me all the time lol. Quick visual can save a lot of hassle.

jessej232d ago

Forgot my meter once, used a paperclip. (Don't do that.)

gray_morgan13d ago

Yeah the amp draw check is huge. I got burned last week taking apart a whole compressor circuit when it was just a bad fan motor lol.