I keep seeing techs skip the amp draw check on fridge compressors
Last month in a shop in Springfield, a guy replaced a compressor on a Whirlpool because it was hot and not cooling. He never checked the amp draw, just swapped it. The new one failed in a week because the real issue was a bad relay. I wasted two hours diagnosing it after the fact. How do you guys make sure you don't miss this basic step when you're in a hurry?
What if the problem isn't just remembering the tool, but the order you do things? I found that if I don't physically move the meter to my pocket before I even touch a panel, my brain is already in fix-it mode. That split second where I reach for a screwdriver first is where the habit breaks. So my rule is meter in hand, then open the box. It sounds small but it rewired my whole routine.