Refridgerator trying to kill my Valve Amp

[Morr]

Hello!

I wonder if anyone can offer me some advice.

I have recently moved into a small basement flat, and bought a fridge last week.

The trouble is that when the fridge goes into its "chill mode" it send a really loud POP (I mean LOUD!) through my speakers. My setup is rather cheap. The valve amp is a Rogers Cadet 3, and the speakers are a pair of Wharfedale XR2's.

I have put surge protector plugs on both the hifi and the fridge, but its no help at all.

Can anyone help?

Tim.

[HDTVman]

It sounds like you need a surge protector with a noise filter. Someone on your side of the pond may be able to make a more detailed recomendation. It's the noise filter part that will do you some good.

Later BZ

[Layberinthius]

The surge protector will only in a rare chance save you and your cat from explosive de-compression in the even more rare event of a lightning strike hitting your power line outside.

*Edited for saftey reasons*

Unless of course you are surge protecting your phone line which is a whole other can o' worms.

Of course don't base your own safety upon my opinion.

Get yourself a "line filter" used commonly in buisness computer areas and make sure it's rated to your amplifier, don't worry about buying a filter for the fridge! it doesn't need it!.

I have seen many products claiming to be filters when they are not, usually filter devices are fairly well sized, not the size of your surge protector but anything about larger than a surge prot is a filter.

There are popular filters in 4-outlet power-boards aswell so that may be a bonus, I wouldn't plug in your amp and your fridge into the same 4-way board tho it wouldn't make any difference to what you have now, Just plug in your amp to the board and the fridge to another wall-bound outlet, this will seperate them noise related.

Ither that it's replacing your amplfier's electrolyctic capacitors in the power supply or choke or a resistor (more unlikely) short-circuiting and not doing it's job, none of these is greatly critical.

[mcp]

This LOUD POP is caused by your fridge relay sparking.

You can

1) Install a snubber across the fridge relay contacts to absorb the spark. This would be at mains voltage, so if you are not sure, engage an electrician

2) Use another mains point for your sound system because presently your fridge and your audio are sharing the same mains wiring

[EC8010]

If your Rogers Cadet is anything like the ones I've opened up, the connection from the incoming mains earth to the chassis is probably rather poor, exacerbating the crashes and bangs from your fridge (which should by the way, conform to CE regulations on RFI emissions and ought to already include a snubber).

If you know how, or know someone who knows how, replace the mains lead with a 13A cable (lower earth resistance, you see), replace that awful cable clamp with a proper one, and solder the incoming earth directly to a new solder tag, screwed firmly down to the chassis using serrated washers.

[peranders]

Have you tested the cheap and simple solution with a varistor? Try 250 VAC, size K14 or K20. Connect it across the power lines inside you amp.

[UncleNed]

I have recently moved into a small basement flat, and bought a fridge last week.
The trouble is that when the fridge goes into its "chill mode" it send a really loud POP (I mean LOUD!) through my speakers.

If it's a new fridge, I'd suggest you cash in on the warranty, or at least ask
the manufacturer before you do anything else. Chances are excellent it has a sealed
compressor, you can't get to much anything in it, and you may void the warranty
if you mess with it yourself.

This is not normal behavior for fridges...besides having some friends who are
experts in fridge psychology, I can tell you the 50 year Kelvinator we have causes
nary a snap, crackle, nor pop in TV's, radios or amps here when it kicks on and
off. And I've been in taverns with multiple fridges (inluding one place I can think of
that has a cooler that was converted from an icebox back in the 20's when it
warn't legal [heh heh...but this is Chicago so you know it was filled to the gills
with Bugs Moran's finest] to keep beer in it), that are kicking on & off constantly
without being audible through the jukebox and/or sound system...

[Morr]

Thanks everybody for your advice, I'll have to go away and try a few things out.

Thanks again for all the advice,

Morr

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

Another possibility is marginal mains wiring. Check connections at outlets - and I have to say, turn off mains first and be careful.