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Error Code
F1 is an overcurrent or compressor protection trip. The system detected the compressor drawing more current than it should and cut out rather than risk the winding. That current has to go somewhere, so the cause is either the compressor itself, the circuit feeding it, or a refrigerant problem that makes the compressor work harder than normal.
A compressor draws more current when it is working against something it should not be, whether a failing winding, a mechanical bind inside the shell or a refrigerant circuit that is not flowing properly. The protection sees the rise and trips. Measuring current at start and again in steady running separates those possibilities quickly.
Pitted contactor points, a loose terminal or insulation breaking down will produce overcurrent readings on a compressor that is mechanically sound. These are the faults worth finding, because they cost a fraction of a compressor and they are routinely mistaken for one. Insulation resistance testing is what separates them.
A restriction raises the pressure the compressor must work against, so current climbs along with it. A blocked filter drier or a kinked line does it. The clue is a temperature difference across a component that should be at one temperature, which is measurable before any part is ordered or replaced.
Turn the unit off for five to ten minutes to let the protection reset, then restart while watching and listening. Whether it starts at all, and how long it runs before tripping, is the most useful diagnostic on this code. Do not keep resetting a unit that trips instantly, because locked rotor current is hard on the winding.
Temperatures are measured either side of the filter drier, the expansion valve and any joint in the run. A drop across a component that should not have one identifies the blockage. Clearing it restores flow and removes the load that was pushing current up in the first place.
Winding resistance is measured across each phase and insulation resistance to earth, then compared with the manufacturer’s figures. A winding that differs from its siblings, or one that leaks to earth, has failed. This is the test that decides whether a compressor is replaced or the fault sits somewhere else entirely.
