Appliance Tech Tips – Wisemotion Compressor

Appliance Tech Tips
September 2016

Courtesy of Fred’s Appliance Academy

DISCLAIMER: Due the danger and complexity of electronics repair, the following shared technical tips are intended for professional reference only. Please refer to manufacturer’s
recommendations as Encompass and Fred’s Appliance Academy do not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or safety of this information. Electrical Shock Hazard: Disconnect power before servicing.
Replace all parts and panels before operating. Failure to do so can result in death or electrical shock.

Wisemotion Compressor

The latest Whirlpool French door refrigerators, The “Bella” a 36 cu ft, now available exclusively through Lowes and the “Bella 2,” a 32 cu ft that will be released later this year, use a new compressor technology called Wisemotion.

This new energy efficient compressor uses no oil and the latest inverter call the Orion box inverter. The wisemotion compressor like your typical oil filled compressor is still a linear variable capacity compressor (VCC). This VCC varies the voltage/power the the linear motor unlike the traditional VCC that varied the electrical frequency to the motor, changing the rotation speed of the compressor for the different cooling departments. The displacement of the piston In the Wisemotion varies directly with power varying the cooling capacity. The compressor design is more compact and not big and bulky like all compressors now used is other units and by many manufactures. This design will provide a lower sound level making the units much quieter and providing more precise cooling over a greater range.

Depending on the cooling needs the compressor receives power from the Orion board that varies between 110vac to 260vac. To be able to run at such a low voltage enables the compressor to run for longer period
of times, minimizing cycling making the units more efficient. If the compressor should have to be replaced for any reason the technician will receive a new compressor kit that will contain: Compressor | Non dye dryer | Heat blanket | Inverter/ Orion box asm. | Alcohol wipes | Process tube | Heat trap paste | Instruction sheet.

With the compressor containing no oil the technician will have to use a set of gauges that have never been used on a system that has oil or a dye drier (the oil will damage the compressor within a hour of run time if any of the aforementioned were used). The unit will have to be charged on the high side with the valve in the home position (no explanation given for why it has to be charged on the high side). A dye drier can not be used at all in this system with this compressor due to the dye causing internal damage to the compressor and possibly restricting the system (compressor will fail within a hour of run time).

The new Wisemotion technology is only exclusive to whirlpool by Embraco and during the testing period where 500 units were released into the field only 5 came back with a problem with the compressor. Not only as a technician in the field but also as a instructor I strongly believe this compressor will be the new wave of the future not only in Whirlpool but with manufactures across the board.

Special thanks to Fred’s Appliance Academy
fredsappliance.com