At last I found somebody have similar interest but with more time - Crunch Betty. This is the glass cleaner formula from her blog, well experimented in different ingredients.
1 cup hot water
1/8 cup vinegar
1/8 rubbing alcohol 70% isopropyl (first aid)
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
No matter how awesome baking soda is, it can't clean glass with streaking, and a lot of it.
This formula works without streaking. It's easy to make instantly. It cost very little. The result is perfect if your glass isn't too dirty, as in exterior windows.The vinegar smell goes away very soon, and smelling not as strong as my CLR biodegradable.
The best use of it is via a dry microfiber cloth. There is no lint. I wash them after use and they last a long time. But themselves aren't a green product.
For the outside window, you need some elbow grease if you clean them once a year. I don't know if other glass cleaners fairs better. But I can use baking soda first to rub out the stains, rinse the glass thoroughly, then the super glass cleaner.
Being professional, the problem is that her blog is full of other not so good stuff to make up the numbers. Do you want to make your own shampoo?
The reason I like this one is that I can safely use it around the kitchen windows without moving away the other things that may one day in touch with food or eating utensils.
A bad one for example, commonly found all over in other places, is use vinegar mixed with water for carpet cleaning. The mixture is half and half, making it quite expensive compared with carpet shampoo. One gal of carpet shampoo can be used many many times diluted. One gal of vinegar last a few times at most. And if you put that much vinegar on the carpet all over the place, the smell ...
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Baking soda should have put many cleaners out of business
As an acid, it's just too weak. So the acid I prefer is the strongest one easily found in stores, and biodegradable too. It smells because it's an organic acid, masked a little by natural fragrant I guess. It works well - water stains, sink, toilet bowls, faucets.
Because baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, is a weak alkaline, I don't even tried it to clean anything.
I just replaced my microwave hood combo. The grease buildup is terrible, over a period of over 10 years. My wife clean it everyday with detergent. I tried everything from time to time, but can't deal with the grease using my favourite acid, hydrogen dioxide, and alcohol.
I can reduce the grease buildup, but I'm afraid to deal with it. I can remove a bit on the surface but the grease become gluey on the surface and it's terrible to clean the cloth and brush afterwards. The same thing goes for the grease filter. I never can clean the thing thoroughly with whatever not so toxic chemical or cleaner I can find.
Out of desperation I searched the web again. This time I found baking soda. It was amazing. I know caustic would work but it would burn your skin too. I was amazed how a mild alkaline would work so effective. Now my over 10 year old kitchen is shinning white, blinding my eyes.
The grease buildup on the stove and oven range simply gone by wiping with a damp cloth sprinkled with baking soda. The plastic surface becomes a mirror. All the finger marks are gone. On the coated metal surface, even long ago baked in food residue are removed by repeated wiping with a scrounging pad for non-stick surfaces. If you never damaged the surface with tough brushes, your range will look brand new again. Black hardened grease stains around the outside of the oven are now gone. I may clean the inside of the door too. See the reflections on the range and contrasts to the grep metal parts that I haven't cleaned seriously for 5 years.
It works on the grill and bake racks and pans too. They are not turning brand new, but the accumulated stains are getting out rather than getting worse.
My wash pad got contaminated with baking soda, and now my heavily stained mug are losing it's stains. I didn't even tried to remove the stains.
I think the chemistry is that sodium bicarbonate reacts with grease to form soap, which is a cleaner of course. Soap is soft so you can just wipe it away.
Baking soda would not work on some surfaces such as wood. The resultant soap (or something else) got into the wood grains and stain it.
For wood the only think sensible thing is rubbing alcohol, which simply dissolves grease. Alcohol will work well on grease, but not as dramatic or cheap as baking soda, and not much on hardened grease stains.
Baking soda is a pretty good cleaner for kitchen tiles, and works on the grout somewhat. But hydrogen peroxide is the better whitener for grout, and you can combine them.
But much more use is written on the Arms and Hammer box. It's a shame that they don't market it as a miracle cleaner and put some in the cleaner aisles. And the cardboard box is laughable. Seriously how can you clean carrying a paper box around without a cap?!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Small pet house review
The rabbit house described here is now almost completely different. But actually the first design is almost very good, needing just some customization to be perfectly practical.
I couldn't do customization that at the time. Because I didn't know that sawing acrylic with metal blade is a piece of cake. It should be easy and economical to use thin glue to weld the acrylic together. Yes, do don't have perfect edge for that but you can reinforce any 90 deg joint with small triangular wedges touching the two surfaces.
Almost I will custom make using acrylic starting from the exterior, that is, everything. An unsuitable cage for a dog for travel in summer is totally unsuitable no matter how you custom it.
You hardly need and structural acrylic sheets. 1/4" will be tough enough to support anything, while still soft for jumping on and on impact. The other parts such as walls can be 1/8 to 1/16. There are cheap polycarbonate sheets that are thin but strong. You always need a saw, with metal blades. Cutter just don't work unless your sheet is very thin.
There should be proper doors and windows to make it easy to insulate in winter, and to open widely in summer.
The housing should be easy to add insulation material such as cheap foam sheets, or double walled as in double glazing windows. And in summer, shades. There should be confined cavities and ramps to simulate burrows, while they should be easy to remove and clean. Draft proof in winter and plenty of circulation in summer.
The housing should be modular with dry sleeping area, wet drinking area, food area and bathroom area. Though it looks like that they pee when they drink, and poo when they eat. So you have to combine the right areas.
The other sense of modular is that you can take parts out to clean individually. It's hard work if you need to take out everything to take the floor to wash clean.
The housing should be designed for accessibility. If you have one door for everything in a large cage, you can do anything at the back. I ended up taking off the top everyday to refill food, water and to clean.
An elevated platform for sleeping is a good idea. They will be dry even when there is a rain storm, even the roof is leaking from all sides. There are spaces for the dirt to go and you can scoop them up less frequently.
Wet cleaning is a bad idea. It takes a long time to dry. Unless you collect and flush everything into the toilet, the poops are very good food for many bugs.
Cleaning should be designed to be dry, especially if you intend to use the vacuum cleaner. I have a bagless so the suction isn't a problem for all the litter and poop. And you can empty the collection chamber easily. But mostly I use the scoop and spade. It's convenient and efficient. If it's an outdoor cage, it doesn't need to be squeaky clean, but should be in equilibrium without dirt accumulating.
For food I use a soda bottle with a hole near the bottom to allow the pellets to flow out onto an attached small plate. The bottle can be taken apart from the middle to refill.
The upside down bottle for water is a good idea. But if you can custom where the pet sucking bottles are hanged easily and refill easily, you may prefer that. Water in the bottle will never be contaminated. If you separate the drinking area, you have to build something to hold the bottle without toppling. Due to non custom plumbing parts, my upside down bottle ended up dripping slowing or the water level too low for the narrow opening. At the end I use a large juice bottle with a hole near the bottom. And then put the bottle on a shallow container. It's exactly the same as upside down bottle but stable. The drinking hole should be placed as high as possible to prevent dirt and poop from getting in and contaminate the whole bottle of water.
It's good to reuse clear plastic bottles because you can sanitize using the sun effectively.
The all important bathroom area. All you need is a 1x1' box, 2" deep. And they will toilet train themselves as long as there is litter. There's no use for a much larger box. The trick is to use layers of material. Absorbent layer at the bottom for odor control, and the pee have to go somewhere. Soft absorbent material for first defense. Some bulk filling material in the middle, such as cheap pine chippings. So the poop have somewhere to go instead of being stumbled on all the time. If you have an isolated layer, you can put in industrial absorbing materials that is not safe for pets to chew.
I gave up the heating as I have to run a wire to the cage, now far away from the house. Instead I just cover the whole cage with a nylon sheet, another layer of insulation and shelter. Recently I thought of filling a large milk bottle with hot tap water, and put it in the cage before I go to sleep. The warmth will last for hours.
I couldn't do customization that at the time. Because I didn't know that sawing acrylic with metal blade is a piece of cake. It should be easy and economical to use thin glue to weld the acrylic together. Yes, do don't have perfect edge for that but you can reinforce any 90 deg joint with small triangular wedges touching the two surfaces.
Almost I will custom make using acrylic starting from the exterior, that is, everything. An unsuitable cage for a dog for travel in summer is totally unsuitable no matter how you custom it.
You hardly need and structural acrylic sheets. 1/4" will be tough enough to support anything, while still soft for jumping on and on impact. The other parts such as walls can be 1/8 to 1/16. There are cheap polycarbonate sheets that are thin but strong. You always need a saw, with metal blades. Cutter just don't work unless your sheet is very thin.
There should be proper doors and windows to make it easy to insulate in winter, and to open widely in summer.
The housing should be easy to add insulation material such as cheap foam sheets, or double walled as in double glazing windows. And in summer, shades. There should be confined cavities and ramps to simulate burrows, while they should be easy to remove and clean. Draft proof in winter and plenty of circulation in summer.
The housing should be modular with dry sleeping area, wet drinking area, food area and bathroom area. Though it looks like that they pee when they drink, and poo when they eat. So you have to combine the right areas.
The other sense of modular is that you can take parts out to clean individually. It's hard work if you need to take out everything to take the floor to wash clean.
The housing should be designed for accessibility. If you have one door for everything in a large cage, you can do anything at the back. I ended up taking off the top everyday to refill food, water and to clean.
An elevated platform for sleeping is a good idea. They will be dry even when there is a rain storm, even the roof is leaking from all sides. There are spaces for the dirt to go and you can scoop them up less frequently.
Wet cleaning is a bad idea. It takes a long time to dry. Unless you collect and flush everything into the toilet, the poops are very good food for many bugs.
Cleaning should be designed to be dry, especially if you intend to use the vacuum cleaner. I have a bagless so the suction isn't a problem for all the litter and poop. And you can empty the collection chamber easily. But mostly I use the scoop and spade. It's convenient and efficient. If it's an outdoor cage, it doesn't need to be squeaky clean, but should be in equilibrium without dirt accumulating.
For food I use a soda bottle with a hole near the bottom to allow the pellets to flow out onto an attached small plate. The bottle can be taken apart from the middle to refill.
The upside down bottle for water is a good idea. But if you can custom where the pet sucking bottles are hanged easily and refill easily, you may prefer that. Water in the bottle will never be contaminated. If you separate the drinking area, you have to build something to hold the bottle without toppling. Due to non custom plumbing parts, my upside down bottle ended up dripping slowing or the water level too low for the narrow opening. At the end I use a large juice bottle with a hole near the bottom. And then put the bottle on a shallow container. It's exactly the same as upside down bottle but stable. The drinking hole should be placed as high as possible to prevent dirt and poop from getting in and contaminate the whole bottle of water.
It's good to reuse clear plastic bottles because you can sanitize using the sun effectively.
The all important bathroom area. All you need is a 1x1' box, 2" deep. And they will toilet train themselves as long as there is litter. There's no use for a much larger box. The trick is to use layers of material. Absorbent layer at the bottom for odor control, and the pee have to go somewhere. Soft absorbent material for first defense. Some bulk filling material in the middle, such as cheap pine chippings. So the poop have somewhere to go instead of being stumbled on all the time. If you have an isolated layer, you can put in industrial absorbing materials that is not safe for pets to chew.
I gave up the heating as I have to run a wire to the cage, now far away from the house. Instead I just cover the whole cage with a nylon sheet, another layer of insulation and shelter. Recently I thought of filling a large milk bottle with hot tap water, and put it in the cage before I go to sleep. The warmth will last for hours.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
In praise of the top-freezer refridgerator
The top-freezer fridge is efficient and reliable, and had been the only design for ages. The electricity is cheap even if your fridge is inefficient. The cost of a luxury model is not much spread over some 10 years or more. But if you stick to the top-freezer design, you are green.
For decades, the fridge grows in size. People go to shop every week instead of every day. You want to put everything possible in the fridge in case you need it one day. But it cannot grow any deeper or you will have difficult getting things out. It cannot grow any wider or the door will be a danger to yourself, or just an obstacle in the house. It cannot grow any taller or it will be unstable. But if you put the big box at the corner, no one will be bothered.
Any larger fridge you need two doors. The side by side is a joke design. The whole fridge is bigger but both the freezer and the fridge is narrower. It's irritating when you have trouble putting a pizza into the freezer! Side by sides are also not as deep as a top-freezer fridge. You can't put two plates of anything on the same self.
That is not all. The whole design of SBS is to make the freezer narrow and to justify the total size of the freezer. Therefore the freezer is narrow, just enough for a pizza. A large portion of the freezer is a huge ice storage chamber, and a giant ice crusher. And a lot of space is used for ice and cold water delivery. The whole ice making and accessories is the most often failing parts. Though I never have problem with them.
The idea of a bottom freezer seemed very sensible. Because you use the fridge a lot more than the freezer, you should be facing the fridge and fetch things right in front of you. But actually it's another joke. Because you cannot have a little freezer door down at the floor, you need a freezer with a drawer. And how do you make ice when opening and closing the drawer all the time?
For decades, the fridge grows in size. People go to shop every week instead of every day. You want to put everything possible in the fridge in case you need it one day. But it cannot grow any deeper or you will have difficult getting things out. It cannot grow any wider or the door will be a danger to yourself, or just an obstacle in the house. It cannot grow any taller or it will be unstable. But if you put the big box at the corner, no one will be bothered.
Any larger fridge you need two doors. The side by side is a joke design. The whole fridge is bigger but both the freezer and the fridge is narrower. It's irritating when you have trouble putting a pizza into the freezer! Side by sides are also not as deep as a top-freezer fridge. You can't put two plates of anything on the same self.
That is not all. The whole design of SBS is to make the freezer narrow and to justify the total size of the freezer. Therefore the freezer is narrow, just enough for a pizza. A large portion of the freezer is a huge ice storage chamber, and a giant ice crusher. And a lot of space is used for ice and cold water delivery. The whole ice making and accessories is the most often failing parts. Though I never have problem with them.
The idea of a bottom freezer seemed very sensible. Because you use the fridge a lot more than the freezer, you should be facing the fridge and fetch things right in front of you. But actually it's another joke. Because you cannot have a little freezer door down at the floor, you need a freezer with a drawer. And how do you make ice when opening and closing the drawer all the time?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Permeable paving techniques
The winter rain breached the bag of lime. I let the bag sat for months and I was ready to throw it away. But it was the best ~$10 bag of stuff I have ever brought. Yes the paper bag was wet. Water got to the lime. But the lime absorbs all the water, and didn't dry out.
So the lime was even better to use. There's no fine dust, which probably is the reason for the cancer causing warning label. Add water to the clay like paste and you have lime like before.
Squeezing pure lime paste into the gaps still isn't fast enough. The tip of the application cone still blocks from time to time. So even if it works, adding sand on top of the pure lime make sense.
Then I came up with the best method. Use masking tape for painting. You will use a lot of tape (unless you use it a few times each). But it only cost a few dollars. The one inch width type is more convenient. Taping it on the stones is pretty fast. It's the fastest and cleanest way to apply lime and sand mix. But your stone need to be straight and smooth.
When I used up an old tape I thought of making a stencil out of a plastic sheet. It worked pretty good. Not as nice as masking tapes but probably more convenient.
One tip is to fill the voids with sand or soil first. If you wet everything afterward, then the lime mixture will dry slowly and won't crack that easily. If the lime mix did not touch the sand or soil below, it will dry quick and crack.
The other tip is to cover the stone with sand afterward. Wet the whole thing. The covering sand will protect the work if the surface is not even. It's a easier way to keep the mixture wet after application, compared with a wet cloth. The sand will go into the mixture and give it color and texture, instead of brilliant white.
So the lime was even better to use. There's no fine dust, which probably is the reason for the cancer causing warning label. Add water to the clay like paste and you have lime like before.
Squeezing pure lime paste into the gaps still isn't fast enough. The tip of the application cone still blocks from time to time. So even if it works, adding sand on top of the pure lime make sense.
Then I came up with the best method. Use masking tape for painting. You will use a lot of tape (unless you use it a few times each). But it only cost a few dollars. The one inch width type is more convenient. Taping it on the stones is pretty fast. It's the fastest and cleanest way to apply lime and sand mix. But your stone need to be straight and smooth.
When I used up an old tape I thought of making a stencil out of a plastic sheet. It worked pretty good. Not as nice as masking tapes but probably more convenient.
One tip is to fill the voids with sand or soil first. If you wet everything afterward, then the lime mixture will dry slowly and won't crack that easily. If the lime mix did not touch the sand or soil below, it will dry quick and crack.
The other tip is to cover the stone with sand afterward. Wet the whole thing. The covering sand will protect the work if the surface is not even. It's a easier way to keep the mixture wet after application, compared with a wet cloth. The sand will go into the mixture and give it color and texture, instead of brilliant white.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Fridge repair: the case of heard what you want to hear
So I hope my fridge compressor isn't dead, thought it's retirement time overdue.
So I searched and found the usual cases that isn't the fault of the compressor. The overload device is good and I hear the clicking sound, meaning it was protecting the compressor motor against large current. The reason of overload is because the start relay (PTC) is faulty, turning on the start coil all the time, instead of changing over to the run coil only.
The PTC is an easy target for faults. But I would think burning out, always disconnect is more common. I can't imagine how it is always short. The test make sense. Put a light bulb in series and the bulb should flash momentarily. That's how the start coil works and then shut off. My bulb is always on so I hope I only need to replace the start relay.
Fortunately I find one online for some $10. But I have to wait a few days for it to arrive, wasting time. I plugged it in and the same thing happened.
What I think you need a conventional bulb with high wattage to shut that thing off. I happened to use a CF bulb.
Since I wasted a few days, I might just as well test thoroughly the compressor before I gave up the fridge. All the resistance between terminals are of low ohm. I only have an analogue meter since my student days so I hope they are several ohms and they add up in series. The terminals are not shorted to the case.
To make sure I tried to start the compressor manually. It's pretty easy if you can clamp onto the three terminals. Unfortunately the terminals do not face the back, but face the sidewall with little space to get into. Also the remaining space is partially blocked by copper tubes. I have to buy a bank of insulated terminal blocks that cost me another $8. Those that you can cut off into individual connectors and have screws to tighten wires. I screw the connectors onto the terminals. It's hard work because of the lack of access but it worked. I also brought out the ground and power wires. I also connect wires to bypass the overload device.
It wouldn't start. With or without the start coil on, the overload device is always triggered into open circuit. When I bypass the overload, large current caused sparks.
It's simple. I should have believed my meter. The terminals are shorted to each other - zero ohm. Nobody mentioned that because when the compressor is dead, there's nothing to talk about. So when ever power is delivered into the compressor for whatever reason, the current is large and the overload protection will be triggered.
The compressor itself cost about the same as a simpler fridge. If you add in the labor cost, it will be the same as a new fridge with some tiny scratches on it.
So I searched and found the usual cases that isn't the fault of the compressor. The overload device is good and I hear the clicking sound, meaning it was protecting the compressor motor against large current. The reason of overload is because the start relay (PTC) is faulty, turning on the start coil all the time, instead of changing over to the run coil only.
The PTC is an easy target for faults. But I would think burning out, always disconnect is more common. I can't imagine how it is always short. The test make sense. Put a light bulb in series and the bulb should flash momentarily. That's how the start coil works and then shut off. My bulb is always on so I hope I only need to replace the start relay.
Fortunately I find one online for some $10. But I have to wait a few days for it to arrive, wasting time. I plugged it in and the same thing happened.
What I think you need a conventional bulb with high wattage to shut that thing off. I happened to use a CF bulb.
Since I wasted a few days, I might just as well test thoroughly the compressor before I gave up the fridge. All the resistance between terminals are of low ohm. I only have an analogue meter since my student days so I hope they are several ohms and they add up in series. The terminals are not shorted to the case.
To make sure I tried to start the compressor manually. It's pretty easy if you can clamp onto the three terminals. Unfortunately the terminals do not face the back, but face the sidewall with little space to get into. Also the remaining space is partially blocked by copper tubes. I have to buy a bank of insulated terminal blocks that cost me another $8. Those that you can cut off into individual connectors and have screws to tighten wires. I screw the connectors onto the terminals. It's hard work because of the lack of access but it worked. I also brought out the ground and power wires. I also connect wires to bypass the overload device.
It wouldn't start. With or without the start coil on, the overload device is always triggered into open circuit. When I bypass the overload, large current caused sparks.
It's simple. I should have believed my meter. The terminals are shorted to each other - zero ohm. Nobody mentioned that because when the compressor is dead, there's nothing to talk about. So when ever power is delivered into the compressor for whatever reason, the current is large and the overload protection will be triggered.
The compressor itself cost about the same as a simpler fridge. If you add in the labor cost, it will be the same as a new fridge with some tiny scratches on it.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Fridge repair
I never thought I came to this point, repairing my fridge. I wanted to retire the fridge long ago, and now it's over 10+ years. We called the repairman a long time ago for some simple problems that I don't remember or I never knew.
Then last summer the fridge wasn't cool enough. There is still a big opening gap when the door is closed. It wasn't a problem with the gaskets or the mounting of the door. I think it's the door that is warped. I cleaned the dust and put in some weather seals at the door and the fridge seems to work. I got two thermometer to monitor the temperature. The fridge is within spec. The freezer isn't but it's less than -10 so you can make ice and preserve frozen food and ice cream for a while. No big deal.
Then the fridge went completely dead. I wanted a simple replacement but my wife wanted an expensive upgrade. So I tried to repair it instead.
The most important component is the compressor, sealed with a motor in it. If you don't stress it too much, it could last forever. A new one cost less than $300 but you need a professional to reseal the system.
If the compressor doesn't run at all, while everything else works, it is more likely that the solid state start relay, that most new fridges uses instead of the good old wire wound versions.
If the compressor doesn't run but feels warm or hot, that's mean it may be alive. If you hear clicks every minute or so, that means the overload protection is turned on, while the compressor tried to start repeatedly.
It turns out it's pretty easy to test which one is bad. Unfortunately in my fridge, the components are plugged into the compressor at the side near to the fridge wall. You cannot move the compressor to get to them because the copper tubes are rigid.
This is what I do. Imagine that the relay and overload protector is plugged into the compressor like an electric socket into a plug. Indeed there are three terminals like an electrical plug from the compressor. You can't see it but keep that in mind and you won't damage anything.
First prey off the cover. You won't break anything, except maybe if the cover is plastic. Old fridges have a large capacitor that could give you electrical shock. New ones don't but I would use a metal tool or wire to short everything to ground first before touching anything.
Then you take off the three wires connected to the terminals. Take a picture first if you will forget which one is connected to which terminal. You need a piler or two to separate the terminals.
You unplug the overload device first, which has one terminal, like preying off a very tight electrical socket from the plug from the side. You need force, but be careful to pull it straight out without damaging the legs by sidewards forces. Then you pull out the relay, two terminals, in the same way. Now you can see the three bare legs from the compressor.
The overload protector is OK if it's 0 ohm across it. If not, it's probably toasted and smell of such.
The compressor is probably OK if any two of it's three terminals has about 0 ohm across them. And any terminal is not shorted to the ground. (Test the resistance between each terminal and the ground terminal somewhere on the compressor, or the copper tubes.) If you have a digital meter, the terminals are like two resistor back to back. The total resistance, in the order of a few ohms, should add up.
Contrary to many advice which looked identical, it's surprisingly easy to test the relay. One guy suggested to put a light bulb in series with the relay. When you apply power the bulb should flash on for a moment. My bulb stays on so it must be bad. Of course you have to understand what is in series and have the confidence to tackle live electricity, which in some countries will kill you.
To make sure that the compressor actually works, you can apply power to the compressor directly, and apply the start voltage using a switch. I won't try that because the terminals are hard to get to.
Also on ebay the relay cost $11 and express shipping cost a few dollars more. It cost a few more times in the shops if you can find it in stock.
The other things are easy, like the auto defrost timer. You can access the timer in front of the fridge near the floor. Just turn the dial and the timer will move on to defrost mode and then off, so you know if the timer is bad.
Then last summer the fridge wasn't cool enough. There is still a big opening gap when the door is closed. It wasn't a problem with the gaskets or the mounting of the door. I think it's the door that is warped. I cleaned the dust and put in some weather seals at the door and the fridge seems to work. I got two thermometer to monitor the temperature. The fridge is within spec. The freezer isn't but it's less than -10 so you can make ice and preserve frozen food and ice cream for a while. No big deal.
Then the fridge went completely dead. I wanted a simple replacement but my wife wanted an expensive upgrade. So I tried to repair it instead.
The most important component is the compressor, sealed with a motor in it. If you don't stress it too much, it could last forever. A new one cost less than $300 but you need a professional to reseal the system.
If the compressor doesn't run at all, while everything else works, it is more likely that the solid state start relay, that most new fridges uses instead of the good old wire wound versions.
If the compressor doesn't run but feels warm or hot, that's mean it may be alive. If you hear clicks every minute or so, that means the overload protection is turned on, while the compressor tried to start repeatedly.
It turns out it's pretty easy to test which one is bad. Unfortunately in my fridge, the components are plugged into the compressor at the side near to the fridge wall. You cannot move the compressor to get to them because the copper tubes are rigid.
This is what I do. Imagine that the relay and overload protector is plugged into the compressor like an electric socket into a plug. Indeed there are three terminals like an electrical plug from the compressor. You can't see it but keep that in mind and you won't damage anything.
First prey off the cover. You won't break anything, except maybe if the cover is plastic. Old fridges have a large capacitor that could give you electrical shock. New ones don't but I would use a metal tool or wire to short everything to ground first before touching anything.
Then you take off the three wires connected to the terminals. Take a picture first if you will forget which one is connected to which terminal. You need a piler or two to separate the terminals.
You unplug the overload device first, which has one terminal, like preying off a very tight electrical socket from the plug from the side. You need force, but be careful to pull it straight out without damaging the legs by sidewards forces. Then you pull out the relay, two terminals, in the same way. Now you can see the three bare legs from the compressor.
The overload protector is OK if it's 0 ohm across it. If not, it's probably toasted and smell of such.
The compressor is probably OK if any two of it's three terminals has about 0 ohm across them. And any terminal is not shorted to the ground. (Test the resistance between each terminal and the ground terminal somewhere on the compressor, or the copper tubes.) If you have a digital meter, the terminals are like two resistor back to back. The total resistance, in the order of a few ohms, should add up.
Contrary to many advice which looked identical, it's surprisingly easy to test the relay. One guy suggested to put a light bulb in series with the relay. When you apply power the bulb should flash on for a moment. My bulb stays on so it must be bad. Of course you have to understand what is in series and have the confidence to tackle live electricity, which in some countries will kill you.
To make sure that the compressor actually works, you can apply power to the compressor directly, and apply the start voltage using a switch. I won't try that because the terminals are hard to get to.
Also on ebay the relay cost $11 and express shipping cost a few dollars more. It cost a few more times in the shops if you can find it in stock.
The other things are easy, like the auto defrost timer. You can access the timer in front of the fridge near the floor. Just turn the dial and the timer will move on to defrost mode and then off, so you know if the timer is bad.
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