The short answer
Start here. On this refrigerator, a short hum then silence is a start attempt that failed, which points at the start components rather than the compressor. A rest and a clean restart are worth trying; past that, the relay needs measuring and that is service work.
What you actually see
- The interior light works but nothing runs — A live lamp proves power is arriving and moves the fault past the cord.
- A click every few minutes and no run — Click, silence, click is the overload cycling a compressor that will not start.
- It trips the breaker or the outlet protection when plugged in — A trip on plug-in is an electrical fault and ends owner diagnosis immediately.
Causes, ranked for this refrigerator
- Start relay failed — Top of the list: when it fails, everything else on the machine behaves normally, which is why the fault looks so total from the front. Getting a definite answer here is worth more than a quick look at the three below it.
- Compressor overload cut out on heat — Next: a compressor that has been running against a blocked coil cuts out on its overload and refuses to restart until it cools, which owners read as failure. If this is the answer, the rest of the list stops mattering entirely.
- Cabinet moved and left on its side — Then: it is the one cause on this list whose treatment is simply waiting, which makes it worth ruling out before anything is bought. Where this checks out clean, treat the next entry as the working theory rather than a possibility.
What to check, in order
- First — the relay at the compressor — Listen at the back. A click every few minutes with no run is the classic pattern for a relay or overload failing to start the compressor.
- Second — whether the unit restarts after standing — Feel the back of the cabinet. A very hot compressor body on a unit that will not start is the overload doing its job.
Checks an owner can do safely
- Step 1. Test the outlet with something else — Plug a lamp or a charger into the same outlet. If that is dead too, the appliance is not the fault and the circuit is.
Tools: lamp or phone chargerAbout 5 min
- Step 2. Set the temperature control to its coldest — Turn the dial through its travel, listening for a click, then leave it at the coldest setting for several minutes before judging.
Tools: noneAbout 10 min
- Step 3. Listen at the back for a click-and-pause pattern — Stand behind the unit for several minutes. Click, silence, click is the overload cycling and it is where owner checks stop.
Tools: noneAbout 15 min
Before you open anything
Safety
Disconnect power at the plug or the breaker before opening anything. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, which is why a panel that has been dead for a minute is still treated as live. If a check requires the unit running, that check is not an owner check.
When this becomes a service call
The line is not about confidence, it is about what the next step needs. A click-and-pause pattern at the back means the start components are being tested, and testing them needs the machine energized with the rear cover off.
Sources
General guidance- The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) — OSHA 1910.147 and manufacturer service manuals, fetched
- Article 210 — Branch Circuits — NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code), fetched
Nearest pages
What this page does not cover
This is the general page. It applies to Black+Decker refrigerators broadly and deliberately avoids anything that would only be true of one family or one production run — board revisions, part numbers, code tables and torque figures all belong a level down. Where such a page exists it takes precedence over this one, and Related pages is where to find it.
Related pages
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
