GE fuf21dlrdww Water Damage

[VtKen]

I'm hoping someone can help me decide on what direction to go with this. I have a two year old GE fuf21dlrdww upright freezer that was sitting in 4" of water when our shop flooded. The freezer was unresponsive after draining the water and drying everything out. I found the control board to be damaged and have replaced that. The freezer now comes on with not error codes but is not cooling. The outside surface of the freezer feels colder than the interior. I suspect that the condenser which was also submerged is bad and that is not allowing the compressor to run. The compressor is quite warm to the touch and does not sound like it is running. I'm trying to decide if it is worth replacing the condenser ($100) and the relay ($50) makes sense or if I should bail and buy a new freezer. I have $230 into it now for the new control board. I hate the idea of throwing things away so my preference would be to repair this unit if possible. A same model new runs about $950.

Thanks!

[Nathaniel Peterson]

How cold is it in your shop? Can't be below 55 degrees. The compressor and condenser is sealed. It's hard to say whether it's worth repairing this is one of those situations where eyes need to be on it. I would check for corroded connectors. The condenser fan may be bad if it has one.

[VtKen]

Thanks Nathaniel, we keep it at 50 degrees, but it has worked fine for two years. It is a "garage ready" unit. Not sure if that makes any difference. Good to know that the compressor and condenser are sealed! Seems unlikely that the compressor would be damaged from the water in that case. I'm going to test the PTC starter and OLP today. Surprisingly, all of the connectors that were in the water look clean and new. I will pull them all though to make sure they are clean and dry. I plugged it in again yesterday and I could hear it clicking on and off every few minutes, but no compressor noise.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

2 hours ago, VtKen said:

I plugged it in again yesterday and I could hear it clicking on and off every few minutes, but no compressor noise.

This is what you would expect to be happening if the compressor start relay has failed from being under water - sounds like the overload is still doing it's job but best to replace both, (both parts where under water and are not sealed, like the actual compressor and condenser).

The compressor being warm to the touch also indicates a problem with the start components of the compressor - It keeps trying to start, can't because the start relay is bad and then clicks off on the overload, the compressor won't actually be starting just energizing the run windings with out the start windings so it draws a high amperage for 10 to 20 seconds and clicks off on the overload - thus the compressor becoming warm to the touch.

[VtKen]

I did pull the start relay and OP. The start relay is definitely bad, rattling, and no continuity. I tested the continuity on the compressor and that is good. I found the relay on the GE parts site, listed at $67.20. While digging around online, I came across a "universal" freezer starter on Ebay for $6.00. Would that work? Or am I better off sticking with the GE product?

Thanks for your help! I feel like I'm getting closer.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

32 minutes ago, VtKen said:

I came across a "universal" freezer starter on Ebay for $6.00

It may work or it may not - might be aftermarket junk or might be totally fine.  If it's just the start relay separate from the overload protector then it might work fine and you're not replacing the overload protector, (which you shoud and it should be the correct one - not a universal) - the $6.00 relay may work perfectly fine.

Edited March 24 by Budget Appliance Repair

[VtKen]

I decided to go with the OEM, GE parts. I ordered both the start relay and the overload protector. The total of $129.00 still makes the repair a bargain comparted to replacing the freezer at a cost of $1,000.00. I'm currently waiting for the parts to arrive and will post a follow up here once I have installed the new parts.

[VtKen]

I installed the new OEM start relay, and overload protector this morning and the freezer is back up and running! I ended up having about $350.00 into the repair which is much better than $1000.00 to replace the freezer, and this one didn't end up in the junk yard. Thank you so much for that assistance! 

[filo831]

Glad you could figure it out, one less appliance on the land field.

[Nathaniel Peterson]

7 hours ago, VtKen said:

I installed the new OEM start relay, and overload protector this morning and the freezer is back up and running! I ended up having about $350.00 into the repair which is much better than $1000.00 to replace the freezer, and this one didn't end up in the junk yard. Thank you so much for that assistance! 

Good job!