Patio Refrigerator and Freezer Question?

[grsthegreat]

Not volts….amps. To see if amp draw increased on lower voltage and long, this cord

 

[4570Man]

Not volts….amps. To see if amp draw increased on lower voltage and long, this cord

I don’t have a meter to measure amp draw.

 

[kenmac]

I don’t have a meter to measure amp draw.

volt meters and amp meters are worth their weight in gold.
You sure have a hard time repairing electrical equipment without both !

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

What is the amp load on the circuit when both the refrigerator and the freezer both kick on at the same time?

That is the "load" you need to be testing for. At the end of his crappy 15' 14ga extension cord.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

Not the landlords problem IMO. He lives in a house built in the 60s and he has a refrigerator in the kitchen that works fine. The other 2 are optional. The tenant can pay the cost of adding a dedicated circuit to run the second refrigerator and freezer.

I don't think it's his problem either, but it sounded like he was considering meeting them in the middle. If I was going to spend anything I think that's how I would.

 

[jaxs]

What is the amp load on the circuit when both the refrigerator and the freezer both kick on at the same time?

That is the "load" you need to be testing for. At the end of his crappy 15' 14ga extension cord.

I wager I'm not the only one that wouldn't know how to do the test you suggested. Knowing how would be handy and undoubtedlly go a long way in understanding electrical troubleshooting in general. In the situation under discussion here,will you explain the proceedure?

 

[kenmac]

I wager I'm not the only one that wouldn't know how to do the test you suggested. Knowing how would be handy and undoubtedlly go a long way in understanding electrical troubleshooting in general. In the situation under discussion here,will you explain the proceedure?

you could check each individual appliance and add up the load, or you could place the amp meter on the line of the wall receptacle. This would give you the total amp load they are both drawing.

 

[4570Man]

I wager I'm not the only one that wouldn't know how to do the test you suggested. Knowing how would be handy and undoubtedlly go a long way in understanding electrical troubleshooting in general. In the situation under discussion here,will you explain the proceedure?

Open the door on both freezers and wait long enough for it to realize it’s over temp and start the compressor. Once they’re both running measure the voltage at the end of the cord that they’re plugged into. Or you can use an electric heating appliance like a hair dryer to produce load.

 

[jaxs]

you could check each individual appliance and add up the load, or you could place the amp meter on the line of the wall receptacle. This would give you the total amp load they are both drawing.

Do you seriously believe you can take a meaningful reading from the freezer that went belly up?

Open the door on both freezers and wait long enough for it to realize it’s over temp and start the compressor. Once they’re both running measure the voltage at the end of the cord that they’re plugged into. Or you can use an electric heating appliance like a hair dryer to produce load.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the topic of this thread a dead freezer? Opening the door, heating or blow drying it isn't going to make it work again.

I told y'all I wasn't the only one that wouldn't know how to test amp draw of the dead freezer. Here's a couple that "think"they can but you be the judge.
Since it was Slowpoke's idea I was hoping to hear him explain how he would pull it off.

 

[4570Man]

Do you seriously believe you can take a meaningful reading from the freezer that went belly up?

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the topic of this thread a dead freezer? Opening the door, heating or blow drying it isn't going to make it work again.

I told y'all I wasn't the only one that wouldn't know how to test amp draw of the dead freezer. Here's a couple that "think"they can but you be the judge.
Since it was Slowpoke's idea I was hoping to hear him explain how he would pull it off.

I’ve never offered any suggestions in regards to the dead freeze. I was trying to determine rather or not the circuit led to its demise. If you plug a hair dryer in the circuit and it drops to 80 volts it’s a pretty save bet it was a leading contributor. And 80 volts isn’t intended to mean anything. That’s an arbitrary number I just made up. And the dead freezer probably has the amp draw listed somewhere.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I wager I'm not the only one that wouldn't know how to do the test you suggested. Knowing how would be handy and undoubtedlly go a long way in understanding electrical troubleshooting in general. In the situation under discussion here,will you explain the proceedure?

Well I would start with looking at the data plates on both the (now) dead freezer and the refrigerator. They should have listed on them not only their "run" load (after compressor has kicked on and is running steady) and their "surge" load (which is the initial startup of the compressor/motor). It's the initial surge current listing we're after. Add both of those loads together, since they are on the same circuit, and that is our target "test" load.

A tool like this one (it's just an example):

AC Circuit Load Tester | Fastenal

Is then used to test the circuit at the test point. Which for me would be at the end of that flimsy 14ga extension cord. And I want to closely match the load with my tester, that I calculate the "actual" load of the 2 appliances when they energize at the same time.

There are other tools out there that let you set a wider range of test loads, but one like in the example should cover most light duty "homeowner type" needs.

 

[kenmac]

Do you seriously believe you can take a meaningful reading from the freezer that went belly up?

Easy ! Here are the instructions. Follow carefully:
Repair dead freezer, (2) connect amp meter, (3) proceed to check amp draw.

No one here knows what failed on the freezer, or even if the extension cord was what caused the freezer to stop working.
Could just be a start relay, thermostat. I have repaired many

 

[jaxs]

Just as I suspected.

 

[CobyRupert]

No test required. Voltage drop is a function of conductor resistance and current.
Ohms Law: Voltage (drop) = Current (load) x Resistance (cable’s).
Resistance of #12 awg (solid) is 1.93 ohms/1000’
#14 awg (solid) is 3.07 ohms/1000’
#16 awg (7 strand) is 4.99 ohm/1000’
…so the resistance of the wire or extension cord is the length of the cable x2 because the current travels out and back (that is, there’s 2 wires in cable, the distance of the wires is 2x the cable length).

Example: 15amp load x 4.99ohm/1000’ x 500’ wire length x 2 = 75 volt (drop) in the cable.
So 120v (source) -75 volt drop leaves you with 45 volts at the load.

Voltage drop is dependent on what load (current) is being drawn. When there’s no load, a 500’ #16 awg extension cord will have NO voltage drop and the voltage will be the same as the panel mains (~120V).

Freezer should have a nameplate or tag in or on it that tells you it’s running amps.

 

[kenmac]

Just as I suspected.

so simple a cave man can figure it out

 

[ultrarunner]

Dead Freezer is gone…

Never did see it after the fact… only told about it.

Right now patio outlet has the following plugged in:

Small Chest Freezer (reported to be 2 years old received as gift from sister)

Extension Cord to Carport for Lights

75’ Extension Cord to Gazebo Lights

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I thought I put my basement fridge on same circuit as the freezer, went and looked last night and I had ran a separate dedicated outlet for the fridge, so both have a dedicated 20A circuit. I’d forgotten I did it right.