I can not locate the overload to replace it ...I see it on the grid but there are no instructions to help me get to it...HELP PLEASE!!
Answer Hello Tara. You will need to remove the side cover off the compressor to locate the overload. It plugs onto the compressor terminals.
What does this part do?
Answer Hello Moe,
The overload prevents the compressor from building too much pressure in the sealed system and blowing a line and losing the freon into the atmosphere. The way it does this is by temperature. When the compressor builds too much pressure, the compressor gets hot, and the overload, being thermally controlled, opens the electrical circuit to the compressor. It then will not close the circuit until the compressor has sufficiently cooled. The dual purpose here of course is to prevent a fire by controlling the maximum temperature that the compressor can achieve. In certain cases of compressor failure, the compressor can get so hot that it can actually discolor the floor beneath the unit.
The overload is an extremely important safety feature that should never be bypassed for any reason.