📖 GLOSSARY · PART
What is a start relay?
A small device that gives the compressor the extra kick it needs to start; failure causes click-hum-click every few minutes.
A compressor needs a burst of extra current to get moving. The start relay provides it and then drops out. When it fails, the compressor tries to start, stalls, and the overload protector cuts in — producing a click, a brief hum and another click every two or three minutes while the refrigerator slowly warms. The critical diagnostic step is the swap test: fit a known-good relay, and if the compressor still stalls the fault is internal to the compressor itself.
Where you’ll meet it
Repairs that involve start relay
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