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Why does nobody talk about how fridge compressors fail after a voltage surge?

I was sure surge protectors for fridges were a waste of cash until I hit a customer's house last Tuesday in Austin where a storm took out three units on the same block. Replacing all three compressors ran the guy over $2,100. Has anyone else seen a pattern with this?

3 comments

3 Comments

dianahayes19d ago

Thirteen percent of fridge compressor failures happen within a week of a thunderstorm according to a 2022 study I read from the Appliance Repair Research Group. The issue is most people don't realize their fridge is plugged into a circuit that also has other big appliances like microwaves or window AC units sharing the same breaker. When those kick on during a surge, it's not just the spike that kills the compressor it's the backfeeding voltage from those other motors. Hit my own fridge last summer after a lightning strike took out the neighbor's pool pump and fried my control board at the same time. Surge protectors are cheap insurance compared to a 800 dollar compressor swap.

bell.felix19d ago

My own fridge bit the dust two days after a thunderstorm, I guess it didn't get the memo about the 13 percent study.

burns.jenny19d ago

Wait, backfeeding voltage from other appliances actually does that?

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