TL;DR
A start relay is the small electrical switch on a refrigeration or air-conditioning compressor that energizes the start winding for the moment needed to spin the motor up, then drops it out of the circuit. On refrigerators it commonly works alongside an overload protector and start capacitor in one plug-on module, and its failure is the classic cause of a compressor that clicks every few minutes without starting.
What it means
A start relay is the small electrical switch on a refrigeration or air-conditioning compressor that energizes the start winding for the moment needed to spin the motor up, then drops it out of the circuit. On refrigerators it commonly works alongside an overload protector and start capacitor in one plug-on module, and its failure is the classic cause of a compressor that clicks every few minutes without starting. Technicians test it by shaking for the rattle of a burned PTC relay and confirming with winding resistance readings.
Where it sits in the glossary
Start relay is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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