Freezer Not Cooling? Check The Compressor Start Relay

After enduring a long, brutal Texas summer, in a grand display of irony, my chest freezer—a Hotpoint HHM7SMWW—gave out during a winter cold snap. My wife caught it quickly, but not quickly enough—the upper layer was already flirting with unsafe temperatures. A few years ago, our upright freezer failed, and by the time we discovered it, everything inside was a total loss. That disaster was seared into my memory and pushed me to invest in a freezer monitoring system and a small chest freezer. This system monitors both freezers and does a great job of keeping us informed, but as I learned, even the best preparation doesn’t make you immune to failure.

However, this isn’t about monitoring temperatures—it’s a cautionary tale and a guide to troubleshooting freezers. When I Googled my freezer model, appliance supply stores barely acknowledged its existence and had almost no useful information. The one thing they all agreed on? No cooling and a hot compressor meant the problem was probably the control board.

That was unsettling because—guess what?—my freezer doesn’t even have a control board. Undeterred, I shifted my focus and googled the compressor itself. That’s when I found my exact symptoms and the likely culprit: the compressor start relay. Honestly, I should have recognized the issue immediately. I’d already replaced the same part twice on our upright freezer. In fact, it had failed so often that I had a spare taped to the side of the upright freezer. I even had to move it while opening up the chest freezer. Talk about being oblivious!

Using the compressor model number, I stumbled upon a YouTube video by Dysfunctional Vet, detailing the repair of a 7.1 cubic foot freezer—identical to mine. His video confirmed my diagnosis and provided some critical hints on how to remove the relay cover. I managed to pop the cover off without breaking it (there’s a small lever at the bottom near the compressor that releases it, and prying up at the top with a flathead screwdriver). Once I had access, I found the relay’s part number: ZHB88-125P4.7.

Armed with that information, I immediately ordered a set of two replacements from Amazon. I bought two because, after my previous experience, I know the value of having spares. Just two days later, my freezer was up and running again. Thanks to the Internet and Amazon, what could have been a total disaster turned into a minor inconvenience.

Here’s what I learned—and what really bothered me:

The Internet repair sites led me in the wrong direction. Had I taken a moment to think, I would have realized this was the exact same issue I’d already encountered with the other freezer. And that’s what really gets me—this failure mode is probably one of the most common reasons freezers stop cooling. So why weren’t the repair sites offering better guidance? Are we reaching a point where DIY repairs are being pushed aside in favor of calling in professionals or replacing appliances altogether? That thought unsettles me.

And then there’s Dysfunctional Vet. I don’t know why he made his video—he openly admitted he wasn’t sure what he was doing and even broke the relay housing in the process—but I’m so glad he did his video. His willingness to document the repair helped me tremendously. It also made me rethink my stance on making my own videos. Maybe I should start contributing, too.

Another key realization: Most freezers share common designs and parts (which is probably true for many appliances). At first, searching by my exact part number didn’t get me far. I would have saved time by starting with broader searches—like “HHM7,” “7.1 cubic foot freezer,” “Hotpoint freezer,” or, as I eventually did, the compressor number.

This approach also paid off when searching for a replacement indicator light. Once I got the freezer running again, I noticed the green indicator light was barely illuminated. No repair sites listed the part, but after searching for “Hotpoint green indicator light,” I identified it as a Frigidaire Freezer Indicator Light, part number 5304495394, available from many of the repair sites. I haven’t ordered it yet because, honestly, I have a hard time justifying $20 for an indicator light plus another $10 for shipping. My first video might just be about how to replace the OEM light with a cheaper alternative.

PS: I should mention, none of the food had passed the unsafe mark but they had gone past the refreeze and all will be well mark. The dogs and humans enjoyed a grand feast that night.

© 2025, Byron Seastrunk. All rights reserved.