While I was away from the compound on my recent trip: One of Timmy the Titan’s windshield wipers broke (fortunately, I had already ordered replacements). The 12v system on Joulee the Free Salvage Tesla started having problems. The front gate got out of adjustment. The hot tub had been drained before I left, and needed to be pressure washed and refilled. And the interior light in our refrigerator started strobing whenever the door was opened. It was very 70’s disco.
I took care of everything but the fridge on my first day back, still exhausted and jetlagged. I honestly don’t remember doing it.
The refrigerator light, however, had failed not once but twice before. If I recall correctly, the first time it happened I looked into ordering a replacement from Whirlpool and they were asking $188 for the part. Note that the light assembly consists of eight LEDs, less than $1 worth, wired in series on a couple of circuit boards and affixed to an injection-molded plastic carrier. The whole thing couldn’t have cost more than $5 to produce. Instead, I found the assembly on eBay for around $60. I replaced it, and thought about keeping the old one but decided the chances of it failing again during the life of the fridge were near zero, so I threw it away.
It failed again just before we moved to the island. Again, I was able to find a replacement on eBay, but they claimed it was the last one in stock. I kept the broken part, figuring that it obviously was a deeply defective design and I might have to attempt a board-level repair if it failed again.
I did try to do a board-level repair, but the boards have been sealed in resin making repair work difficult. I did, however, discover that replacement circuit boards (without the injection-molded plastic carrier) are now available for $9 per set. I’ve ordered replacements. In the mean time, much to our relief, I’ve left the assembly disconnected. Yes, the fridge is dark but we don’t have to risk a seizure every time we open the door.
—2p