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Refrigerator Parts. Links to a number of pages which focus on different types of refrigerator parts, including: 'refrigerator seals, locks for fridge and used refridgerator parts.
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Refrigerators have a number of separate systems and parts that are responsible for different features. It is important to understand refrigerator parts and what each component does to aid diagnosis if your refrigerator ever breaks down and you need to order replacement parts.
Refrigerator Parts: Defrost timer
The timer is like a clock. It continually advances, 24 hours a day. Every 6 to 8 hours, the timer turns off the cooling system of the refrigerator and turns on the defrost heater.
Refrigerator Parts: Defrost heater
The defrost heater is similar to the burners on an electric stove. It's located just beneath the cooling coils, which are concealed behind a panel in the freezer compartment. The heater gets hot. And, because it's close to the cooling coils, any ice or frost build-up melts.
As the frost and ice melt, the resulting water drips into a trough. The trough is connected to a tube that drains the water into a shallow pan at the bottom of the refrigerator. The water is then evaporated by a fan that blows warm air from the compressor motor over the pan and out the front of the refrigerator.
Refrigerator Parts: Defrost thermostat
The process ends after either the amount of time specified on the timer or when the defrost thermostat near the cooling coils senses that the heat near the coils has reached a specific temperature.
Refrigerator Parts: Compressor
The compressor is the motor (or engine) of the cooling system. It runs whenever the refrigerator thermostat calls for cooling (and the defrost timer is not in a defrost cycle, for self-defrosting units). It is normally very quiet. When running, it is compressing a refrigerant that is in a low-pressure gaseous state to a high-pressure gas.
Refrigerator Parts: Condenser
The condenser is a series of tubes with fins attached to them, similar to a radiator. The high-pressure refrigerant gas, coming from the compressor, flows through the condenser and becomes a liquid. As this occurs, the refrigerant gives off heat. The heat is conducted away from the tubes by the fins.
Refrigerator Parts: Metering Device (Capillary Tube)
The metering device in most household refrigerators is a capillary tube, a tiny copper tube. The capillary tube is attached from the end of the condenser to the beginning of the evaporator. The capillary tube controls the pressure and flow of the refrigerant as it enters the evaporator.
Refrigerator Parts: Evaporator
The evaporator is always located on the inside of the refrigerator, usually inside the freezer compartment. It also resembles a radiator.
When the liquid refrigerant comes out of the small capillary tube, it's injected into the larger tubes of the evaporator causing a pressure drop.
This pressure drop allows the refrigerant to expand back into a gaseous state. This change of state from liquid to gas absorbs heat. The gaseous refrigerant travels through the evaporator tubes, back out of the refrigerator and down to the compressor to begin the circulation process again.
Because the evaporator is absorbing heat, it is very cold to the touch. The coldness causes any humidity in the air to freeze on the evaporator as ice or frost. (See the Automatic defrost section). The fan inside the freezer compartment circulates the air of both the refrigerator and/or freezer to keep the temperature constant.
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Site written by Richard Wedge