Is 2.5 amps too high for refrigerator compressor?

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

Hi Gene,

I was told over the phone that my neighbor’s refrigerator was warm, and that there was lots of snowy frost on the back wall of the freezer. I assumed that there was a defrost problem, either a bad heater, timer, or defrost thermostat. The next day I looked at the unit, and it was unplugged and warm, so I never got to see the frost pattern on the coils, but I assumed that since they said there was so much frost, that it had to be a defrost problem. I tested the heater and found it was bad. Then I installed a new heater and cleaned the condenser coils. So far, so good.

Then I tested the amp draw of the compressor, and it was about 2.5 amps. I am concerned because this seems too high. Do you think they have a sealed system problem? Is it possible that there was a bad frost pattern on the coils even though they say the back wall of the freezer was all frosty? They say that the problem was building for maybe a month.

I guess I’ll find out tomorrow from my neighbor if the refrigerator is cooling or not, but I’m trying to understand this, and I want to figure if I analyzed this incorrectly (aside from working on a fridge that was not plugged in for a day or two). Can you help? Thanks.

2

Check the label, if it has R12 refrigerant, that is a normal current. If R134A, it is too high.

3

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I checked and it’s R-134A. I heard that the correct range should be 1.2 to 1.6 amps, that anything above or below that is bad. I haven’t yet heard back from my neighbor about a problem. What does it mean at 2.5 amps? Seems too low for a restricted system, is it just that the compressor is inefficient? Thank you so much for you help.

4

Usually a high current draw is due to high head pressure from non-compressables sucked into the system from a refrigerant leak. The low side pressure would be in a vacumm and cooling would be minimal. If a burnt winding, the compressor would not start.

5

Thanks again. Four days ago I installed a new defrost heater. I noticed the high amp draw when I finished and I told them to call me if there was a problem with the refrigerator but I haven’t heard anything so I assume the fridge is working OK. I was just curious about the high amp draw. Maybe the high amp draw is only a problem if there is a bad frost pattern or, as you say, minimal cooling. But since the rear of the freezer was so frosted, I assume that there was good cooling going on. The compressor was definitely running when I left, so not a burnt winding. They could still call at any moment to tell me there is a problem…

6

I would check on it, as a minimum, it is wasting power, at worst, it is not keeping the temperatures at safe levels

7

Good idea. I’m going to get them a refrigerator thermometer so that they can make sure that the temperature is at a safe level. Thanks richappy.