Frigidaire SDV-76 -- Not Running -- Room Flooded

mat1739
New Member

Posts: 3

Frigidaire SDV-76 -- Not Running -- Room Flooded Aug 27, 2018 18:11:04 GMT ckfan and turbokinetic like this

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Post by mat1739 on Aug 27, 2018 18:11:04 GMT

Good afternoon -

I have a restored Frigidaire SDV-76 in my "man cave".

2 weeks ago I went into this room (has a drain in the middle of the floor) and there was 8" of water laying on the floor. Long story short, my sump pump failed and it back flowed into the room.

The compressor of this fridge was under water from anywhere from 1-6 days, roughly. When I discovered the flooding, the fridge was making a noise from the compressor like it was trying to start, but couldn't. A "Humm" noise for about 2 seconds then would stop. It DID NOT blow the breaker in the room and the insider light in the fridge was and is still working with plug in.

A great friend of mine and electrician checked it out for me after about 2 weeks of drying with a dehumidifier in the room. (Note - He made me 3 new wires as the originals extremely brittle to touch) The compressor was making 1.3v when the relay energized, but would not given any higher of a read than that.

I had 3 Ohms between Neutral and start winding - Open between neutral and run -Open Between start and run.

Any input on this is greatly appreciated it. Didn't know that "losing" a fridge could make you this depressed!

Thank you all.

Mat S

turbokinetic
27 Cubic Foot

Posts: 3,164

Frigidaire SDV-76 -- Not Running -- Room Flooded Aug 27, 2018 18:27:52 GMT ckfan and icebox like this

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Post by turbokinetic on Aug 27, 2018 18:27:52 GMT

Aug 27, 2018 18:11:04 GMT mat1739 said:

Good afternoon -

I have a restored Frigidaire SDV-76 in my "man cave".

2 weeks ago I went into this room (has a drain in the middle of the floor) and there was 8" of water laying on the floor. Long story short, my sump pump failed and it back flowed into the room.

The compressor of this fridge was under water from anywhere from 1-6 days, roughly. When I discovered the flooding, the fridge was making a noise from the compressor like it was trying to start, but couldn't. A "Humm" noise for about 2 seconds then would stop. It DID NOT blow the breaker in the room and the insider light in the fridge was and is still working with plug in.

A great friend of mine and electrician checked it out for me after about 2 weeks of drying with a dehumidifier in the room. (Note - He made me 3 new wires as the originals extremely brittle to touch) The compressor was making 1.3v when the relay energized, but would not given any higher of a read than that.

I had 3 Ohms between Neutral and start winding - Open between neutral and run -Open Between start and run.

Any input on this is greatly appreciated it. Didn't know that "losing" a fridge could make you this depressed!

Thank you all.

Mat S

Hi Mat. The only way that water could damage the compressor is by corroding the wiring at the motor terminals; OR by damaging the start relay and causing the motor to receive incorrect starting sequence.

The resistance readings sound bad, I hate to say. It sounds like the main winding is open in the motor, but I would want to see the compressor terminals up close, after removing all traces of the original wiring first.

In the base of the fridge, there should be a "YT Relay" or some other start relay. Was this in the water? If it was, you may have damage inside it causing the compressor to not start. It is possible that the relay failed in such a way that the compressor was damaged. Hopefully not!

Normally, 3 ohms would be between common and run; with the resistance between common and start being higher, possibly 12 or 15 ohms.

elec573
14 Cubic Foot

Posts: 1,698

Frigidaire SDV-76 -- Not Running -- Room Flooded Aug 28, 2018 4:58:47 GMT birkie, ckfan, and 1 more like this

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Post by elec573 on Aug 28, 2018 4:58:47 GMT

Sorry about the fridge. I second what turbo said . I would strip all wires off of compressor after marking where they go . And take ohm reading at compressor.

If you read no resistance to ground or between common,start and run or any two of them . I would say it’s shorted out. You need resistance between them to work.

turbokinetic
27 Cubic Foot

Posts: 3,164

Frigidaire SDV-76 -- Not Running -- Room Flooded Aug 28, 2018 9:43:56 GMT coldspaces, birkie, and 3 more like this

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Post by turbokinetic on Aug 28, 2018 9:43:56 GMT

Aug 28, 2018 4:58:47 GMT elec573 said:

Sorry about the fridge. I second what turbo said . I would strip all wires off of compressor after marking where they go . And take ohm reading at compressor.

If you read no resistance to ground or between common,start and run or any two of them . I would say it’s shorted out. You need resistance between them to work.

We've been e-mailing. It looks like the water may not have reached the start relay level. If this is the case (the relay stayed dry) then there is hope the motor is going to be OK. The terminals had been rewired and it looks like the same mistake I made (not stripping the wires back far enough) may have been made.

Hopeful to hear a positive outcome!