What is Overload Protector – Role of Overload Protector in Refrigeration

Welcome back to the refrigerator topic in this post, we discuss the overload protector that we use to protect the refrigeration compressor. In this post, you will learn the function of an overload protector and its working principles.

What are the overload protectors and their function in refrigerators and air conditioners?

An overload protector is an electrical device that we use for compressor protection, whenever the compressor temperature is high from his range the compressor overload cuts off the electric supply from the compressor motor that’s why we called him thermal overload.
The connection of overload with the compressor is in series and inside the overload, we connect a heating resistance and with heating resistance, we connect a bimetallic strip metal. The heating resistance and bimetallic strip metals both make an overload relay.
The working of the overload relay is simple whenever the compressor motor gets heated up, due to the overload connected with the compressor body, the internal overload heating resistance heats up and due to heat up the bimetallic strip metals cut up the connection between one another and its make compressor circuit to an open electric circuit. When the compressor comes back to its normal state/temperature, the thermal overload protector makes a closed electric circuit inside and connects the electric supply to the motor.

Note that the compressor is getting heat by flowing a high amount of current, however, if the compressor getting normal current (Ampere) and it is heating, then also Overload protector will be trip or make an open circuit if it’s connected with the compressor body.

The cut off the supply overload makes safe compressor motor from internal winding damage/burn. However, you will not understand the working principles of overload without a diagram. That’s why I designed a diagram of the internal structure of a thermal overload protector.

In the above figure, I have shown overloads 2 types and I light its terminals with the name IN and Out. The (IN) means that we gave an electric supply to this terminal and (Out) means that we get an electric supply for the compressor or we can say that this point is going to connect the compressor common terminal.

Also, read
How to find out Start, Run, and Common terminals in a Compressor

I also have shown an internal structure of overload in the above example diagram. In the diagram, I have shown the bimetallic strip metals with heating resistance with incoming and outgoing supply. Whenever the compressor starts getting high current the heating resistance heat up and creates an open electric circuit.
This is one of the main reasons that we use a thermal overload protector in refrigerator compressors, I hope you will get a piece of good information from this post, however, we will soon discuss the main reason for the compressor getting high current or heat up.