How do I know if my refrigerator's thermostat is damaged?

The main function of a thermostat is to control the temperature of a particular place; We find it on the walls of our house, in the car, in heaters and in all our appliances. If this device fails, for example, in our refrigerator, we find ourselves facing problems that can directly affect our food, since thanks to the thermostat it is kept in an ideal environment and in good condition.

Are you wondering about How to tell if my refrigerator thermostat is damaged ? In the article on the Jaafar Shop website Next, we tell you everything you need to know about this control system component and show you what to do if your thermostat is damaged. Let's go there!

The thermostat is installed in the same electrical circuit that feeds the engine compressor, and consists of a capillary tube filled with gas or refrigerant. One end of this tube is in the thermostat and the other part is in the evaporator or freezer, which are responsible for detecting changes in temperature.

The maximum temperature programmed into the regulatory control causes the refrigerant or gas, located inside the capillary tube, to open the thermostat contacts, automatically interrupting the flow of current to the motor-compressor and turning it off.

After a certain period of time, once the temperature has already risen, the thermostat returns to supplying electrolytic fluid to the engine-compressor and it starts working again. Maintains an on/off cycle Maintains a stable temperature inside the refrigerator Within preset parameters on the thermostat.

How does a thermostat work?

Initially, the heat bulb is in contact with the wall of the evaporator, where evaporation ends. Temperature changes in the evaporator are detected by the lamp, which results in changes in fluid pressure, expansion or contraction of the diaphragm or thermostat bellows.

These expansion or contraction movements are transmitted by a system of levers and springs that maintain the system in tension. These components form a mechanism that amplifies the blower movements and transmits them to the connectors, causing the motor-compressor to be connected and disconnected when the temperature reaches the specified maximum and minimum values.

To maintain good operation of the refrigerator, it is recommended to regulate the thermostat properly. It is worth noting that the proper functioning of the thermostat depends not only on the temperature it reads inside the refrigerator, but also on the number of times you open the refrigerator door, the temperature outside, the amount of food stored, and the stability of the refrigerator. Mains voltage supply, etc.

We explain here How to adjust your refrigerator thermostat Correctly, step by step:

1. Like all equipment, your thermostat should come with its own instruction manual, so don't hesitate to take a look at it before you plug in your refrigerator for the first time.
2. After finding the ideal temperature for both the freezer and refrigerator portions and their different spaces, you should adjust the regulators. For a freezer that produces dry cool, the recommended temperatures are between -22 and -4°C. For the bottom of the refrigerator, which produces moist cold, ideal temperatures are around 5±3°C.
3. When connecting the refrigerator for the first time, it is recommended to place the thermostat in the middle of the selector if it is manual or in the middle of the electronic indicator if it is digital. Plug in the refrigerator and let it run for a full day before setting the thermostat to how cold you want it.
4. Most thermostat selectors have values ​​specified, generally from 1 to 9, in odd numbers. Thus, if you want a cooler temperature, you will have to set the limiter to 7 or 9, and when you want a cooler temperature, you will have to set it to 1 or 3. For normal operating temperatures For a refrigerator, we recommend setting the limiter to 5.

Take a close look at the operation of the refrigerator; If you see that it freezes and freezes on the walls of the freezer, the reason for this may be that the temperature of the upper cut is incorrectly adjusted, that is, it is too high.

Conversely, if the refrigerator takes time to start, the starting temperature may be higher than 8°C. In these cases, you should go to professionals to check the operation of the refrigerator thermostat or other components that may damage your device.

In this other article on how to regulate your refrigerator thermostat, we detail the process you should follow.

When your refrigerator stops working properly, one of the first items you should take into consideration is the thermostat. The thermostat turns the refrigerator compressor on and off for cold; That is, when it reaches the highest cold level, the thermostat detects it and orders the compressor to stop until it stops generating any more cold. On the other hand, if the temperature drops, it is because the compressor turns on automatically. So what is it? Symptoms that may indicate the presence of: Bad thermostat? We show them below:

• The compressor never runs : This means that the temperature of the refrigerator is not regulated, and therefore the food inside it will spoil.
• Never turn off the compressor : This results in excessive cold in the lower part of the refrigerator (where fruits and vegetables are usually stored). In this case, soft drinks, water and other liquids can freeze due to excessive cold.
• icing Another symptom is excessive icing on the evaporator. This obstructs water outlets and causes problems with food preservation. In this case, you may be interested in visiting this article on how to remove ice from the refrigerator.

Now that you know how a refrigerator thermostat is regulated and exactly how it works, let's see When should you change it? :

• When an open circuit is detected when measuring continuity between the refrigerator output terminals. This, of course, you do not have to know how to do it yourself, because a refrigeration specialist will be responsible for figuring it out.
• When the temperature change selector is very hard or you feel that it is broken from the inside and it is free, it rotates in several directions.
• When it stops cooling or causes ice to appear all over the refrigerator. However, it must be remembered that the refrigerator clock (or timer) has an automatic shut-off function from time to time (generally it is programmed to shut off every 8 hours) to then start the compressor (about 20 minutes off).
• If you measure the thermostat using a tester and this gives you a false reading.

when Measure the thermostat Using a tester, tester or multimeter, you should perform the following steps:

1. Turn off the thermostat in the refrigerator.
2. Set the thermostat knob to the coldest setting, i.e. 9.
3. Set the tester to the ohmmeter or continuity test option.
4. Measure with test leads on the thermostat terminals. The tester must determine continuity, that is, it must indicate zero on the indicator, whether analog or digital. If there is no continuity, this means you will need to replace the thermostat.
5. Perform the above steps but now place the thermostat knob at the lowest level, i.e. at 1.
6. The tester should put an infinity sign on the reading. If not, you will need to replace the thermostat.

If the timer fails, your refrigerator will show symptoms like the ones we mentioned above. However, a specialized technician will be the one who will have to identify which item is actually producing the error in question.