Top replacement parts for Speed Queen trash compactors
- Drive chain. The drive motor rotates the chain, which moves the ram up and down to compact the trash inside the drawer.
- Drawer tilt switch. The drawer tilt switch monitors the drawer position and stops or reverses the motor if the ram binds and tilts the drawer during compacting.
- Drawer. The drawer slides in and out of the front of the compactor, and contains the trash under the ram for compacting.
- Motor centrifugal switch. The motor centrifugal switch reverses the direction in which the motor rotates to change between upward and downward motion.
Troubleshooting tips for your Speed Queen trash compactor when the ram won't go down
A faulty drawer tilt switch will prevent the ram from going down more than an inch or two. If the motor starts and the ram moves down slightly then reverses and move back to its top position and the drawer is fully closed, check for continuity through the drawer tilt switch. The drawer tilt switch should only reverse the drawer if it detects that the drawer popped open during trash compaction. Using a multimeter, check for continuity through the drawer tilt switch with its plunger pushed in. If the meter measures continuity, replace the drawer tilt switch because it's reversing the ram even though the drawer is fully shut.