Weekly Wednesday Stock Ideas: Refrigerators

Every week at W.L. may we have several items we feature as good parts to consider adding to your stock. These parts also have special pricing available. For pricing details, ask your account representative for more information. This week we look at a few refrigerator parts and related items.

A regular research we get here at W.L. May is for the thermostat for a refrigerator. When we get a request for the thermostat in a refrigerator, the first question is "cold control or defrost thermostat?" For the folks who want a cold control, we have a variety of OEM cold control thermostats in stock and can get many others that are less common.

SC1002

When the OEM thermostat is no longer being made, some servicers will turn to the "temporary universal cold control". It is part SC1002. Billed as a freezer control, it covers a temperature range of -6 to 39 degrees F.

ML50

When the requester tells us they are looking for a defrost thermostat, we also have most of the manufacturers originals available as well. Sometimes though, no research is requested and a technician will order part ML50 as a bare bone 50 degree universal defrost thermostat.

SLT50

Similar to the ML50, the SLT50 is also a 50 degree thermostat. The SLT50 differs in that it includes a mounting clip.

WR55X10025

As we consider thermostats, it should be noted that many newer models of refrigerator do not have mechanical thermostats. Instead they have gone digital. Computer boards regulate temperature as advised by sensors on the machine. GE frequently uses a part# WR55X10025 thermistor sensor to relay that information to the board.

WR13X10020

In addition to regulating the main cooling temperature in the refrigerator, the board often acts to regulate the timing of the defrost cycle. Frost buildup can occur because of probelems with the defrost system or simply due to a poor seal at the door. To help keep the door closed, GE uses a closer cam that mounts onto the lower hinge. Commonly that comes as an assembly, part WR13X10020.

WR02X11330

While we are at the bottom of the door, another part we get asked about frequently can be found here. The WR02X11330 fitting is a coupler for 5/16" x 5/16" water hose connections.

WR49X10173

Speaking of water lines, GE produced some stainless steel interior refrigerators from 2003 to 2007 that get so cold that frost can form in the water line near the dispenser causing blockages, To adress this service issue GE has released a service kit element to keep that water line thawed. It is part WR49X10173.

FF8.5HBK1

The heart of a refrigerator is its compressor. With a standard base of 4" x 6-5/8" this Embraco 1/4 HP for R-134a refrigerant is a good fit for some rebuilding needs on older units.

A mistake some amatures make when diagnosing a low cooling problem is thinking the compressor is always at fault for low cooling issues. The compressor can be fine, at least for now, if you are leaking refrigerant. To determine refrigeration leaks there are a number of techniques used, Bubble soap solutions, infra red dyes and UV lights, and "sniffer" meters.

RLD10

Our last item this week is one of those "sniffer" meters, UEI Test Equipment makes RLD10. This meter is sensitive to .5 oz per year R134A, R123, or R410A. The meter features a two position sensitivity selector allowing a user to zero in one the source of a leak by increasing the sensitivity. It also auto zeros when turned on and features an 18 1/2" long gooseneck probe.

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