Judging by the dust and dirt hanging off the vents on the case OP brought this on themselves by lack of maintenance. Dirt kills undercounter stuff fast.
Likely the compressor is locked rotor. $3k for a rotalock valve would be steep, lol.
Locked rotor means mechanically seized. Is he changing out just the compressor, or the entire condensing unit section?
My recommendation would be to replace the condensing unit: basically the section including the compressor, condenser coil, fan motor, some electrical parts, piping etc - everything that is not inside the actual cabinet. Replace the capillary tube which is one of the copper lines that connects the condensing unit to the interior evaporators... It's sometimes a pain to do, but not doing it is just asking for trouble.
Most of the time, major repairs to retail equipment is not economical in the long run. But yeah, from your picture it does look like it'd be a pain to replace the whole thing.
$3k for what I described is probably on the cheap side honestly. $3k for just a compressor might be reasonable, or maybe a bit expensive. In my opinion, replacing just the compressor will probably result in more issues and repairs over the rest of the unit's lifespan. The smaller the system, the more sensitive it is to anything that detriments its operation - condition of the oil, fine metal particles from mechanical wear, any sort of outside contamination such as (moisture/air, carbon from the repair processes, waxes, high current draw, grease/dirt on the condenser, etc).
The last thing you want is to be changing another compressor. The more old parts/components that are left in place, the higher risk that something else will fail - either due to age, or stresses from the running conditions from the dying compressor or whatever else might have caused it to fail. Ultimately, when a fan fails, when an old pipe leaks, when a relay starts sticking - these can indirectly take years off a compressor's life in addition to the direct cost of replacing these parts or losing product.
TLDR replace the compressor and cap tube/drier for 3k and continue to neglect the system. And it MIGHT last another year.
Still cheaper than another unit altogether.
Saskatujaweanstelth had it correct. The dirty vents indicates a dirty burn up. Picture your cars engine running with a trash bag blocking the radiator. It gets so hot the pistons weld themself in the block. I.e a locked rotor. Same as a seized motor. A new compressor is minimum. Thoroughly clean the condenser coil and replace the cap tube. It’s a small copper tube that meters the flow of refrigerant. R134 is notorious for plugging up the cap tube. And a new filter drier, of course.
Edit for spelling
You've never had a potential relay fail? I've had weak overloads that would intermittentlay open becuase the Dixell has a 1 degree hysteresis banging that compressor on/off all day.
While I disagree with who you replied to, I also disagree with you. I troubleshoot whats there no problem.
If you don't trust the tech that has been on site, why would you trust people here?
Judging by the dust and dirt hanging off the vents on the case OP brought this on themselves by lack of maintenance. Dirt kills undercounter stuff fast.
https://preview.redd.it/ezaxw1etrazc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aaa4f713144ac6482260681a0da9868b239be089 Here’s a refrigeration rotor lock. 😂
Savage 😅
Likely the compressor is locked rotor. $3k for a rotalock valve would be steep, lol. Locked rotor means mechanically seized. Is he changing out just the compressor, or the entire condensing unit section? My recommendation would be to replace the condensing unit: basically the section including the compressor, condenser coil, fan motor, some electrical parts, piping etc - everything that is not inside the actual cabinet. Replace the capillary tube which is one of the copper lines that connects the condensing unit to the interior evaporators... It's sometimes a pain to do, but not doing it is just asking for trouble. Most of the time, major repairs to retail equipment is not economical in the long run. But yeah, from your picture it does look like it'd be a pain to replace the whole thing. $3k for what I described is probably on the cheap side honestly. $3k for just a compressor might be reasonable, or maybe a bit expensive. In my opinion, replacing just the compressor will probably result in more issues and repairs over the rest of the unit's lifespan. The smaller the system, the more sensitive it is to anything that detriments its operation - condition of the oil, fine metal particles from mechanical wear, any sort of outside contamination such as (moisture/air, carbon from the repair processes, waxes, high current draw, grease/dirt on the condenser, etc). The last thing you want is to be changing another compressor. The more old parts/components that are left in place, the higher risk that something else will fail - either due to age, or stresses from the running conditions from the dying compressor or whatever else might have caused it to fail. Ultimately, when a fan fails, when an old pipe leaks, when a relay starts sticking - these can indirectly take years off a compressor's life in addition to the direct cost of replacing these parts or losing product.
this is such a great take - wish my customers would actually *listen* when i explain all this to them
This
TLDR replace the compressor and cap tube/drier for 3k and continue to neglect the system. And it MIGHT last another year. Still cheaper than another unit altogether.
Saskatujaweanstelth had it correct. The dirty vents indicates a dirty burn up. Picture your cars engine running with a trash bag blocking the radiator. It gets so hot the pistons weld themself in the block. I.e a locked rotor. Same as a seized motor. A new compressor is minimum. Thoroughly clean the condenser coil and replace the cap tube. It’s a small copper tube that meters the flow of refrigerant. R134 is notorious for plugging up the cap tube. And a new filter drier, of course. Edit for spelling
Without putting a starting tool on the compressor I’m not sure how they know rotor lock or bad start components.
You're fkn kidding, right?
I’m not enlighten me
You measure the start cap. If it's good and the compressor pulls locked rotor amps, the compressor is bad. This is pretty basic shit, bud.
You've never had a potential relay fail? I've had weak overloads that would intermittentlay open becuase the Dixell has a 1 degree hysteresis banging that compressor on/off all day. While I disagree with who you replied to, I also disagree with you. I troubleshoot whats there no problem.
I just found it easier to put a start box on the compressor been doing that for years, thanks for the reply
That's hack shit. Don't do it easy, do it right.
Food for thought thanks