Widely reported this morning is that some fridge explosions are believed to have been caused by leaks of ‘environmentally-friendly’ coolant although this does seem unconfirmed at this point.
It is believed that four similar explosions have been reported in the last three years in the UK, two of them since May.
This will, almost undoubtedly, lead to calls for safety standards for manufacturers might have to be reviewed following the blasts, which have destroyed several kitchens.
The problem appears to result from a widespread switch to the isobutane based R600a gas technology over the past 15 years being used as refrigerants.
Previously CFCs and HFCs were used in fridges but these gases were widely claimed to damage the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. There are now more than 300 million isobutane fridges around the world.
Refrigeration units are designed with safety features to ensure the flammable natural gas inside the pipework cannot leak into the fridge. However, if this happens there is a claimed risk of a powerful blast as the gas could be ignited by a spark when the thermostat switches off. It is important to stress that this is, at this point, not proven to be the case.
Graeme Fox, an air-conditioning and refrigeration contractor, said: “During the day when the fridge door is frequently opened there isn’t a problem.
“But at night, when everyone is sleeping and the door remains shut, this leaked highly flammable gas can build up in the fridge cabinet.”
Mother-of-two Kathy Cullingworth, 55, is taking legal advice after her Creda fridge exploded three weeks ago at her home in Normanton, West Yorkshire. The Mail told how it caused more than £10,000 of damage.
An independent engineer confirmed the fridge contained isobutane refrigerant and a leak is suspected.
A similar incident happened to Carline Preece and her family at their home in West Bromwich.
Mrs Preece, 44, her husband Michael, 45, and their four children were in bed when the fridge blew at 6am. Mrs Preece thought an earthquake had struck. She said: “The doors were ripped in half, the front door has a gaping hole in it and all the windows were blown open by the force.”
Jane Gartshore, president of the Institute of Refrigeration, said there is a ‘theoretical possibility’ that such explosions can be caused by a leak of isobutane.
But she stressed: ‘There are hundreds of millions of these fridges and these incidents are very, very rare.’
We would also agree with that view and would also point out that the quantity of R600a in any modern domestic fridge is very, very low. Most will have less than 50 grams of gas in the system, many have under 35g, making it very hard to see how such a small quantity of gas can cause such damage.