This technique will work on any refrigeration and air conditioning unit with a compressor that is not shorted.
We inherited this mini wine fridge with Possibilities. It has a cool backlight but it's really not designed for boats. Every time you disconnect power such as connecting shore power or turning on the generator it forgets the temperature you had it set to. Well we put up with this quirk but it stopped working about a year ago when it was moved to install some wiring behind it.
We considered throwing it out but I always wanted to test the condenser to see if I might be able to fix it. I heard it's often possible and had thrown out a stainless steel mini that stopped working when it was moved. This frequently happens. it's called lock rotor and manufacturers or repair people tell you just throw it out and buy a new one. That's because to buy a new conpressor is more expensive than buying the entire mini fridge!
This unit has just been fancy storage for the past year. On top of that, a crew member plugged it in and left it plugged in for a few weeks not running. When I discovered this, the compressor was very hot and had been for weeks. I didn't expect much.
Finally over Covid Closures I watched a couple YouTube videos on troubleshooting the compressor which you can do simply with any multimeter. I determined that it tested good but seemed it was in a locked rotor state. I ordered a URCO410 3-in-1 Hardstart on Amazon for $12 after another hour of research. There are lots of brands and varieties just get one they should all work.
Karla handled the 10-minute installation and it fired right back up!
Compressors have three windings that take advantage of the angle between the different phases and frequency. The Hardstart essentially shifts one phase to provide greater torque to the compressor to get it started and then it goes back to normal operation. The compressor probably has some wear, and it may not last forever, but this may buy you anywhere from an extra few weeks to an extra few years. There is 2 levels of even better quality units, one for about $50, and a really high-end solution that really for about $300 that will reduce the high amperage surge that occurs for 1/4 second when starting the compressor on an air conditioner by delaying the start for a few seconds and charging a capacitor to give the compressor that extra jolt so you can run an AC Air Conditioner off a much smaller lower wattage inverter then would otherwise be required. Or just wire your entire boat for 48 volts DC with a matching 48 volts DC high efficiency air conditioner what you will be seeing coming on Possibilities+
