Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 51

Thread: Fridge Question

  1. #1
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Ratsima
    Posts
    3,717

    Fridge Question

    I was checking out our recently plugged in fridge to see if it has a ground wire. It does not. I will add one. It has a lug marked "earth", but nothing connected....

    While in back I noticed a small white plastic box down at the lower left side of the box. This houses various electronics and what looks like a timer. The time has a shaft leading out of the box, but whatever was on it has broken off. Maybe some sort of knob or indicator? No mention of it in the user manual and when we called Samsung to ask we were put on hold for 15 minutes and then told, "It doesn't do anything." Hmmmm.

    Any ideas? Is it perhaps a timer for the defrost and anti-condensation cycles?

    TIA

  2. #2
    This is not my avatar
    NickA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    11,204
    All the fridges we've had have not had a ground. Not sure why, cos I would have thought it was one of the things that would need one - toaster, microwave, computer etc always come with 3 pins, but TV, fridge always with 2.

    Infact we once had a problem with shocks from a fridge and an electrician grounded it individually.

  3. #3
    If It's Hot, It's Here
    sharon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    15-06-2011 @ 05:39 PM
    Location
    Orange
    Posts
    1,452
    Quote Originally Posted by NickA
    All the fridges we've had have not had a ground.
    If you are talking about Samsung fridges, the ones that they sell in Thailand, no ground but the ones that they make to sell in Europe ermm... yes, they make them with ground.



    Quote Originally Posted by buad hai
    This houses various electronics and what looks like a timer.
    I think so. Is this 1 or 2 doors fridge?

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Ratsima
    Posts
    3,717
    Quote Originally Posted by sharon
    Is this 1 or 2 doors fridge?
    2 door....

  5. #5
    If It's Hot, It's Here
    sharon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    15-06-2011 @ 05:39 PM
    Location
    Orange
    Posts
    1,452
    So yes, you are right. It's a timer for the defrost and anti-condensation cycles.

  6. #6
    I am in Jail

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Last Online
    22-11-2011 @ 08:27 AM
    Location
    Christian Country
    Posts
    15,017
    What? No auto defrost? Last time I defrosted a fridge was 1966. Oh, wait, 1999, when I had a one-door unit with one of those mini clear-plastic-door freezers that the geckos always crawled into and that frosted up like Santa's pee remains every week. Made good snowballs tho.
    Never had grounding for appliances in Thailand. Electricians didn't know what is was.

  7. #7
    This is not my avatar
    NickA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    11,204
    Quote Originally Posted by sharon
    the ones that they sell in Thailand, no ground but the ones that they make to sell in Europe ermm... yes, they make them with ground.
    Explain!

    Not just Samsung though, Whirlpool, Hitachi etc....

  8. #8
    If It's Hot, It's Here
    sharon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    15-06-2011 @ 05:39 PM
    Location
    Orange
    Posts
    1,452
    Thai law is useless. The government don't care shit.

  9. #9
    This is not my avatar
    NickA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    11,204
    ^So why do toasters and microwaves come with a ground???

    BTW, it's Samsung who should give a shit, even if it is within the law they shouldn't sell appliances that could cause harm.

    So either a fridge doesn't really need a ground or all the companies are negligent.

  10. #10
    Member

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Last Online
    23-12-2009 @ 08:30 AM
    Posts
    444
    Ever tried to get electricians to install 3 core wire in a house?
    Never heard of it most of them.
    I had it installed and when they fitted the wall sockets they were two pin, I said no, I want 3-pin sockets for the earth.
    Oh we wondered what that was for was the reply.
    Bad enough that they keep crossing over the neutral and active.
    If you have a flouro that seems to stay partially on for a while cross the wires over.
    Sharon is right some models will have a rehostat to time defrosts.
    They probably set it to maximum and removed the knob.
    Always best to earth these things, even a wire from the chassis to the wall(concrete of course) will do.

  11. #11
    This is not my avatar
    NickA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    11,204
    Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, clothes washing/drying equipment, motors, and tools used in wet and conductive locations are some examples of equipment that must be grounded. Refer to 29 CFR 1910.304 (f) for specific grounding requirements.
    from Common Electrical Installation Violations

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Ratsima
    Posts
    3,717
    Well, the new house I'm moving in to has three prong outlets, but in the course of construction I discovered that they don't bring the grounding wire back to the breaker box, nor do the houses have a grounding rod with a connection to the breaker box. I had them install a grounding rod and run the ground for every circuit back to the box. I will definitely ground the fridge...

    None of our appliances came with a ground pin. That's toaster, blender, microwave, hot water pot and washing machine. I added one to the washer, but not any of the others.

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat
    DrAndy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Last Online
    25-03-2014 @ 05:29 PM
    Location
    yes
    Posts
    32,025
    I suppose it would be nice to have an earth connection

    Does the circuit breaker (not the consumer unit ones) that you have to fit not do a good enough job?

    If there are any problems, mine just cuts off the current

  14. #14
    Member

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Last Online
    23-12-2009 @ 08:30 AM
    Posts
    444
    CCt Breakers will not stop an appliance from becoming charged.
    They work when neutral and active become shorted, or over load in amps rated for the CCt Bkr.
    Best to earth, particularly hand operated appliances, like an iron, toaster or microwave.

  15. #15
    RIP
    blackgang's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Last Online
    08-07-2010 @ 08:33 PM
    Location
    Phetchabun city
    Posts
    15,471
    Anything I have bought in Thailand had no grounding pin installed in the plug, did have a hole to put a pin in tho, but can not buy the pins anywhere, so I made them out of a piece of brass rod, but in any house I ever lived in here had no 3rd wire plug ins either, even the plug strips on a cord that you but that have 3 holed did not have 3 wire cords on then and the 3rd hole in the plugs were not hooked to anything,,so no 3 prong plug,,no grounded plugs.
    When we had the house built I insisted on 3 wire service installed and had a time buying 3 wire core romax and did find a long copper grounding rod, and then had to fight the electrician to do a proper instillation.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat
    DrAndy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Last Online
    25-03-2014 @ 05:29 PM
    Location
    yes
    Posts
    32,025
    anyway, there are new regs in force now

    my electrician has had to put three pin sockets around the house

    I will have to check if he has also put three wires

  17. #17
    Thailand Expat
    Marmite the Dog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Last Online
    08-09-2014 @ 10:43 AM
    Location
    Simian Islands
    Posts
    34,827
    Quote Originally Posted by DrAndy
    I will have to check if he has also put three wires
    Good luck!

  18. #18
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Last Online
    Today @ 01:19 PM
    Posts
    24,760
    any electrical item with a metal case / exposed metal should be earthed. If a fault in the item causes a live conductor to contact the metal case you want it to cause a fault current to run through the earth wire and that high current should trip the breaker / blow the fuse. if the metal case is not earthed the live conductor will just make the metal case live which can cause electric shock / electrocution to the next person/animal to touch it ( assuming another part of the person is earthed - highly likely with water involved )



    your earth stake should be solid copper , not just a copper plating.
    If you torture data for enough time , you can get it to say what you want.

  19. #19
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Ratsima
    Posts
    3,717
    Quote Originally Posted by DrAndy
    I will have to check if he has also put three wires
    Make sure that all three wires go back to the breaker. The jerks here tried to pull this one on me:


    They were quite embarrassed when I showed them that the grounding wire only went about 30 cm into the conduit. After that they quite willingly ripped everything out and did it over. It's now almost OK.

  20. #20
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Last Online
    Today @ 01:19 PM
    Posts
    24,760
    with a multimeter and a length of wire you should be able to check that all the earths go back to an earth bar in the switchboard

  21. #21
    Have you got any cheese Thetyim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Mousehole
    Posts
    20,893
    BH, what is the model number of your fridge ?

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Ratsima
    Posts
    3,717
    Quote Originally Posted by Thetyim
    BH, what is the model number of your fridge ?
    RT30MCSS

  23. #23
    Have you got any cheese Thetyim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Mousehole
    Posts
    20,893
    ^ I got a website for service manuals, electric diagrams and schematics but sorry it does not cover your model

  24. #24
    I am in Jail
    stroller's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Last Online
    12-03-2019 @ 09:53 AM
    Location
    out of range
    Posts
    23,025
    Wez are zorry for ze inconvenienz.

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Ratsima
    Posts
    3,717
    I've got the schematic:



    I'm guessing that the device I'm wondering about is the one labeled as a timer: the box on the left with the C(3) above it.

    ไทม์เมร์

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •