My son has a 50 year old Kelvinator fridge in his garage and on occasion when you touch it it will bite you. The wiring in his garage is old school not up to code just 2 number 12 with ground going out about 100 ft to a unattached garage. The cord on the fridge is 2 prong. Could this be a sign the polarity is backward?
Getting shocked on garage refridgerator
- Thread starter rinker1
- Start date
There is a short in the fridge wiring that is allowing electricity to pass through the structure of the fridge. When you or he touches it, your body is acting as a ground. You body is the path of least resistance.
rsanter
Well-known member
check all the wiring in the fridge
sounds like you have some bad or broken insulation somewhere
once found it should be easy to fix
bob
sounds like you have some bad or broken insulation somewhere
once found it should be easy to fix
bob
Unpolarized plug and receptacle?
One side of the plug is hot one side is neutral. "neutral" may or may not be connected to the chassis. Which side is above ground is anybody's guess.
Use a meter to measure the resistance between the chassis and the two prongs of the plug. One should show continuity. This will be the neutral. Now, find the neutral side of the receptacle (don't assume it's in-line with convention) and plug it in the "correct way". Put a rubber mat in front of the door. You know... For "safety' sake".
Better yet, re-wire the garage and fridge for 3-wire.
Touching two appliances at once in the old days was a good way to get a "tickle" as one may have a hot chassis and the other a neutral chassis if the plug and receptacle aren't polarized and they happen to have "reversed" plugs with current leakage to the chassis.
One side of the plug is hot one side is neutral. "neutral" may or may not be connected to the chassis. Which side is above ground is anybody's guess.
Use a meter to measure the resistance between the chassis and the two prongs of the plug. One should show continuity. This will be the neutral. Now, find the neutral side of the receptacle (don't assume it's in-line with convention) and plug it in the "correct way". Put a rubber mat in front of the door. You know... For "safety' sake".
Better yet, re-wire the garage and fridge for 3-wire.
Touching two appliances at once in the old days was a good way to get a "tickle" as one may have a hot chassis and the other a neutral chassis if the plug and receptacle aren't polarized and they happen to have "reversed" plugs with current leakage to the chassis.
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Gary S
Well-known member
I had an old fridge that did the same thing. This problem usually indicates that the compressor has developed an internal short to the chassis. I dumped that fridge right away before it electrocuted someone. I recommend you do the same.
1Garageman
Well-known member
just make sure you jump in the air the 1st time you touch the fridge so that you are not grounded, LOL
Steevo
Well-known member
I don't know what electricity costs in Ohio, but I'd bet that for what it costs to run that 50 year old fridge every year, he could buy a brand new one. Nostalgia is great, but really old refrigerators are power hogs.
Surely he could at least find a hand-me-down freebie that is a lot newer and more efficient.
Surely he could at least find a hand-me-down freebie that is a lot newer and more efficient.
66HertzClone
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Re: Getting shocked on garage refrigerator
Getting a hand me down is the way to go for a replacement. Don't make the mistake I did and buy one of the newer modern energy efficient refrigerators. These do not work well or at all in areas like an unheated garage. The "left behind" frig from the previous owners of our house died last year. I made the stupid mistake of not researching what I was buying and purchased a frig that does not stay cold in the winter. Barely keeps beer cool, is no good for any overflow dairy or meat products the the kitchen frig. Some of these new refrigerators have an option "heater" to help in the dead of winter, none available for mine.
Getting a hand me down is the way to go for a replacement. Don't make the mistake I did and buy one of the newer modern energy efficient refrigerators. These do not work well or at all in areas like an unheated garage. The "left behind" frig from the previous owners of our house died last year. I made the stupid mistake of not researching what I was buying and purchased a frig that does not stay cold in the winter. Barely keeps beer cool, is no good for any overflow dairy or meat products the the kitchen frig. Some of these new refrigerators have an option "heater" to help in the dead of winter, none available for mine.
Torque1st
MEMBER EMERITUS
This is correct, the unpolarized plug or wiring polarity has nothing to do with it. Neither side of the unpolarized plug is supposed to be connected to the chassis. It should be easy to find the short and repair it. However it is an energy hog and it really is time to replace it with a used unit or the hand me down from the Kitchen when you replace the "good" kitchen fridge.
