don't scrap that fridge leaking freon

This thread may be for a targeted audience, more particularly appliance technicians
skilled in sealed system work.

Some may call me a hack but i have a a high success rate.
many fridges come in with leaks. Some brands typically have leaks in typical places.
such as Frigidaire being known for leaking in the evaporator. And even on the evaporators they
tend to leak in certain places, like beneath plastic coverings.

After recovering what little refrigerant is left in the system i will pump the system or
whatever component i am leak testing with 80-90 pounds
of nitrogen. If will dunk the test subject in water. I do this in a variety of ways
If can remove the suction line and evaporator together i will dunk the entire
assembly. If i can't then in will seal off vents and drains I the compartment the subject
is in after I've removed electronic components susceptible to water damage. Then I will tip
the fridge back enough to cover the subject with water like a reservoir. This will usually reveal
the leak. If it is in the evaporator I will solder it with aluminum I can sometimes it is unsuccessful.
if that is the case i will replace the evaporator with a new one or used one if available the evaporator coil
must be the same from another fridge. If the leak can't be found in the usual spots such as the evaporator,
defrost pan heater loop or suction line.

Then i will bypass the Yoder loop, or commonly known as the heat loop.
doing this may cause external cabinet sweating in humid climates. I have only had one the had cabinet sweating
where the yoder loop goes through the partition of a side by side. If the leak is in a freezer with an in wall condenser
I will hang on an external condenser as a replacement.
many fridges and freezers can be saved from the shredder if we think outside the box.

Yea when I was working on a freezer with a rotted out high side I would isolate the internal coil adding an external condenser from an older refrigerator.

Originally Posted by scrapdaddyj

This thread may be for a targeted audience, more particularly appliance technicians
skilled in sealed system work.

Some may call me a hack but i have a a high success rate.
many fridges come in with leaks. Some brands typically have leaks in typical places.
such as Frigidaire being known for leaking in the evaporator. And even on the evaporators they
tend to leak in certain places, like beneath plastic coverings.

After recovering what little refrigerant is left in the system i will pump the system or
whatever component i am leak testing with 80-90 pounds
of nitrogen. If will dunk the test subject in water. I do this in a variety of ways
If can remove the suction line and evaporator together i will dunk the entire
assembly. If i can't then in will seal off vents and drains I the compartment the subject
is in after I've removed electronic components susceptible to water damage. Then I will tip
the fridge back enough to cover the subject with water like a reservoir. This will usually reveal
the leak. If it is in the evaporator I will solder it with aluminum I can sometimes it is unsuccessful.
if that is the case i will replace the evaporator with a new one or used one if available the evaporator coil
must be the same from another fridge. If the leak can't be found in the usual spots such as the evaporator,
defrost pan heater loop or suction line.

Then i will bypass the Yoder loop, or commonly known as the heat loop.
doing this may cause external cabinet sweating in humid climates. I have only had one the had cabinet sweating
where the yoder loop goes through the partition of a side by side. If the leak is in a freezer with an in wall condenser
I will hang on an external condenser as a replacement.
many fridges and freezers can be saved from the shredder if we think outside the box.

Evaporators are on the low pressure side 1.5 lbs pressure you can repair a leak with epoxy.

No need to evacuate the system, just prepare the site by sanding to assure bonding. Apply epoxy then apply a bit of saran wrap over the un-cured dope to smooth it out over the leak.

If you encountered a heating coil burn out on the evaporator you have a hole the size of the grand canyon.

I agree don;t scrap that fridge, the defrost timer is at fault 90 percent of the time which is an easy fix but not very economical if it;s one of the newer electronic timers that could set you back a few c-notes, for those expensive timers I always check ebay for old new stock.