The electrical wiring, the motors, heaters, switches, controls and anything else in the electrical or electronic operation of an appliance are included in the schematic diagram. This diagram indicates information about the path of wires and what they connect to. Usually it will include information about voltage, resistance and other relevant information about the components used in the system. This schematic is helpful to a technician when diagnosing a problem or making a repair.
To Find the Schematic for my Appliance
Each appliance is different and technicians don’t have all the appliances memorized. So manufacturers usually place a schematic of the appliance’s wiring somewhere on the appliance itself. It may be a loose paper schematic, it may be glued onto the cabinet, it may be printed onto the cabinet or it maybe stamped or etched into the metal or plastic.
The schematic is really there for the technician and not the consumer. It won’t necessarily be easy to find. Expect it to be someplace safe, where it won’t get wet, burned by a hot motor, worn by some moving part or nibbled by mice. It is often necessary to open the main part of the cabinet to access it.
For a refrigerator, some common locations are pasted onto the outside back of the fridge, folded up and placed inside an envelope behind the toe kick in front or pasted onto the inside of a protective panel on the bottom rear of the fridge. These are not the only places, so don’t give up if you don’t find it there.
If you can’t find the schematic on the fridge, you might be able to get one from the manufacturer. However, don’t be surprised if they won’t send you a copy. The manufacturer doesn’t really want to encourage you to repair your own appliance, they want an authorized technician to make any needed repairs.
Refrigerator Tips and Advice
Do:
- The proper temperature range is about 36 degrees Fahrenheit for the fridge between 0 and 5 degrees for the freezer.
- Buying a new refrigerator may dramatically reduce your energy bill.
- Clean the coils with a vacuum or duster every six months to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs.
- During a power outage a fridge will stay cold for about 8 hours and a freezer will stay cold for about 48 hours. Don’t open the door unless absolutely necessary.
- Regularly defrost your manual defrost freezer and never chip away the frost.
- A full fridge is more efficient than a half empty one, but don’t overfill it either.
- Do remove the door of a refrigerator or freezer in storage or prop the door open so that a child cannot close the door.
- Do keep your refrigerator upright during moving and storage.
- Do wait 24 hours after moving a refrigerator before plugging it in.
- Keep at least two inches or air space behind your refrigerator and six inches above it.
Don’t: !
- Don’t overfill your refrigerator or it won’t cool as well.
- Don’t chip away the frost in manual defrost freezers.
- Don’t store your refrigerator unplugged. Some units require continuous use to ensure proper lubrication of the compressor.
- Don’t tip the refrigerator onto it’s side because oil from the compressor can run up into the coils and get trapped.
