Could this be systemic? Something in the electrical system for instance? Or is it likely coincidental?
HVAC repair says they can't find a leak but the freon is very low and was fully charged in September. It is 4 ton a/c unit split system with furnace from 1998.
Refrigerator repair says it needs a new board of some kind and that it will take 2 weeks to get one. GE Profile fridge from 2004.
Pool pump is not diagnosed yet. It did have low pool water level earlier in the week causing air to be sucked in. Pump made a weird whining sound so I shut it off.
Should I have house electric checked?
Best Answer
Sounds like a string of bad luck.
While an electrical spike/surge will cause problems and failures in the controllers and motors, the freon exists in an enclosed system and therefore this will not cause a leak. The compressor is a hermetically sealed unit, so there are no shaft seals that will cause freon loss.
The refrigerator is the most likely to have succumbed to a power spike/surge.
Pumps will make weird sounds if there is a lot of air being circulated in the water, when they lose prime (run empty) they can destroy the shaft seal from it running without water to lubricate and take away the heat. Typically, the pump motor will not make noises from power surge/spike damage, it's more likely bearing failure (ball bearing type motors) from water leaking into the bearing through the failed shaft seal. The type of failure you see from electrical damage is overheating, shorted windings or failure to start because the start capacitor has been burned out. The stalled motor or shorted windings can cause the circuit breaker to trip, though they usually have internal thermal protection that shuts them down, causing the motor to shut off.