Tried using a multimeter vs my old power probe on a fridge compressor call last week

Grabbed the multimeter instead of my usual power probe on a dead fridge in Elmhurst and it saved me 20 minutes of guessing on the start relay, has anyone else found a specific tool that just works better on certain brands?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_bailey358d ago

Wait you actually used a multimeter over a power probe on a fridge call? That's wild man I've been burned so many times by start relays I pretty much grab my meter as a last resort. I gotta say though on those older Whirlpool compressors the multimeter is way more reliable for checking if the relay is actually bad vs just acting flaky. The power probe can give you false readings sometimes when the contacts are barely touching. I've learned the hard way that guessing with a power probe just wastes time on those finicky units.

shanel138d ago

Terry's right about the power probe messing with relays but he's got it backwards on which tool is more reliable. The multimeter is actually the better first move on those older Whirlpool compressors because the start relay can have intermittent resistance that a power probe won't catch until you've already swapped it three times. I remember one time I had a Whirlpool ET18 that had a cracked relay housing you could barely see and the multimeter showed the resistance jumping all over the place while the power probe just showed continuity. Ended up saving me from replacing a good compressor because the relay was the only issue and the meter caught it before I went down that rabbit hole. Power probes are great for quick voltage checks on live circuits but for diagnosing a dead fridge compressor circuit the multimeter is actually the smarter play right from the start.