Refrigerant Gas
There are a lot of misconceptions and, misinformation when it comes to refrigerant gas that we aim to put to bed here as these misconceptions lead to many an incorrect diagnosis on faults with refrigeration.
The first thing that should be understood that, in relative terms, domestic refrigeration be it a fridge, freezer, fridge freezer or even a big American type fridge freezer use a very small gas charge. This is irrespective of the gas used which would commonly be R12, R134a or R600a on a domestic unit.
Sealed Systems
These systems are sealed.
If they leak then the unit will stop cooling, fast.
When we say “fast” we mean in hours, maybe a day or two but not any longer.
An internal leak will show up in the first few days of plugging it in. It will not somehow, magically, develop an internal leak months or years down the track as some people might suggest.
Sorry but, that just simply does not happen.
If a domestic refrigeration unit leaks it’s because something or someone ruptured the system creating a hole through which the refrigerant gas can escape. In virtually every instance this will be some form of physical impact damage or someone prodding a hole in something they shouldn’t have.
Or it wasn’t sealed correctly in the first place but, as we said, that sort of failure will show up very quickly, it would not last even a few weeks with a poor joint or whatever.
The reason being that, as the gas charge is so small, any leak will mean that very quickly there’s not enough refrigerant to cool correctly and it would be extremely noticeable that the unit wasn’t working correctly.
Large industrial plant such as AC systems leak, some automotive systems leak. Domestic systems in all practical terms do not.
Blockages
Likewise, with blockages, these will normally show up in days, if it even takes that long as if the system is blocked, it isn’t going to cool properly and anyone would notice that quickly.
Normally blockages are caused by either of two things:
- Moisture in the system
- Oil in the system
The first is because the system was left open for too long and water vapour has gotten in somehow or, there is a leak and the machine isn’t cooling anyway.
The second is normally a result of incorrect transportation or not enough time standing before a new unit is switched on, about 99% of the time. Or, the compressor is kaput.
Neither are easy to fix and neither are even remotely possible by anyone without the required knowledge of refrigeration and specialist equipment.
When There Is A Leak
The only time that a sealed system will leak is after many, many years if the copper or aluminium pipework corrodes or degrades to the point where it becomes porous and no longer able to contain gas.
At this point, most units will be decades old and well beyond any economical repair.
The other reason that is common enough is a leak after a repair. Often cited by long-standing refrigeration guys as being down to the move away from brazing to using what’s called Lokring systems. Lokring is a compression fitting especially for refrigeration work, some love it, some hate it.
But if a Lokring joint isn’t 100% right, it will leak after the system has been opened and recharged.
Failure Rates
The failure rates of actual refrigerant systems in domestic units after you get past the first week or so, extremely low.
All the more so from decent manufacturers with Liebherr being a standout along with the other top end brands in refrigeration but even the mass market stuff from Electrolux, Bosch, Beko and all the rest, largely there will never be any issues whatsoever with a refrigerant system.
They are incredibly reliable.
The stuff around about the gas system and even compressors, that’s a different conversation entirely.
However, if someone tells you that a machine that’s a few months or years old is suddenly, as by magic, short of gas or you think it is then you’ve got maybe a 1:100000 chance of being right. Maybe.
Gas Used
R12
Now banned and no longer used.
Getting anyone to repair an R12 system now is virtually impossible.
R12 was good and rarely gave any issues but, it contained ozone unfriendly elements so due to protests by suntanned polar bears it was banned.
R134a
The replacement for R12 and now also banned in production although still used for service to a degree in order to maintain older systems.
Prone to blockages as the charge was far lower than an R12 system.
R600a
The almost universal refrigerant gas for domestic refrigeration today that is iso-butane based.
Whilst flammable this gas is used in such low quantities in domestic refrigeration that it is extremely unlikely to be of any risk, even large systems used very small gas charges, normally well under 80g of gas with many, if not most half that or less.
I needvgas fridge freezer
Hello. When we moved the fridge freezer the gas bottle popped.
I am.wondering if you can replace this?
Thanks
Hi I read your explanation of fridge miths with interest.
I have a 22yr old Hotpoint deluxe 8242 fridge, which is struggling to keep the temp inside the fridge to +4 even with the thermostat on max & the fridge compressor never stops. The location of the fridge has never changed & been under a worktop with cupboards either side. Before I read your article I was under the impression that the fridge probably needed regassing, but now I’m not so sure. I like my fridge & hate throwing anything away that can be repaired, so I’m unsure what to do now. I know we are having unprecedented hot weather at the moment, so this could be a contributing factor, but as I said earlier the compressor never stops when on max. Can you advise please.
P.S. Fridge has been cleaned at the back & defrosted recently.
If you fridge is 22 years old and struggling, you are well past the time it should have been replaced. Modern fridges are dramatically more efficient than old ones, and whilst your instinct to keep working kit going is a good one in general, it’s a very bad plan for fridges. From a climate point of view getting a new A++ fridge to replace your old E F or G fridge means you could be going from 170kWh/yr to 20 kWh/yr i.e. a factor of 8. The embodied energy of fridge manufacture will be gained back in a few years. Check out https://www.sust-it.net/energy-saving/fridge-freezers-medium and pick a new model. Accept that your old one has had its day.
Hi, I have been a complete fool and punctured my freezer using a screwdriver to clear a build up of ice stopping the door closing. It’s a fitted fridge freezer only a couple of years old. What do you recommend (i.e. turned off power to both fridge and freezer and remove food?, repair or replace)? Brown liquid with strong smell released from hole to the refrigerant channels that sit in the roof of the freezer. Many thanks
Bad news I’m afraid, it’s scrap.
Hi I own a dry cleaners and my dry cleaning machine has a refrigeration unit on it. I need it topping up can anyone help me with this?
Hi, can you tell me what gas goes in a Hotpoint ncd 190 l please and can you supply details of a (can, Hose and valve diy application kit?
Thanks
Paul
Hello Paul, while i do not work for or with uk white goods.
I am a qualified refrigeration engineer and it is actually illegal to top up a system with a known leak. which if you have lost your gas, it has a leak.
There is no diy kit for this as you need to be trained and qualified in the use of refrigerants.
Hi my freezer stopped freezing my food in my fridge freezer & i was charged £130 today , the engineer said it needed more gas! to wait 10 days from today to see if it’s worked if it hasn’t then no refund, also that he couldn’t see any leak, im confused please could someone advice further , as i didn’t see him bring any part in that i’ve paid for & he couldn’t tell me if it had a leak or not until i paid for gas now saying need to wait 10 days to see if worked. I feel i have been ripped of, Thanks
What refrigerant would I use for a Bush model number HD 220RWN
Hotpoint, Ffu21. 10y/o, R134 regas, how much?
I’ve got a quote, would like to compare.
Hi Paul,
I have a large Hotpoint fridge that gets too cold and freezes the food inside.
I have changed the thermostat with no improvement and gather from ‘experts’ that some gas has leaked out causing this problem. Reading your info above I can’t see that just some gas would leak. Do you agree?
Mike
Hi I have a freezer thats 15 years old that I need to dismantle to get out the door. It has r600a gas. Would this be possible?
My Electrolux fridge freezer has 2 compressors, the freezer one has stopped working, that was replaced about 20 years ago. As it has the old gas in, can it still be repaired please? Would buy a new one but cannot find one of the capacity this one has. Thanks
I got an Admiral GC2224GEKB which need filling R134a , how much will it be to regas?
Is it possible I have a small leak? My fridge is still working, but every morning when I go downstairs there is an unpleasant chemical smell filling the room which certainly seems to be connected to my BEKO fridge freezer. I have had a mouse infestation and wondered if they could have chewed into something vital?
I really need help as the smell is horrible.
Need to dispose of Samsung fridge freezer as impossible to get it out of my internal flat without creating serious damage to the walls. Is it possible to cut it up?
Can my Samsung fridge freezer be cut in half for easy removal rather than damage my walls.
20 year old AEG Santo fridge started quite suddenly to struggle to cool and getting worse by the day. Is it worth spending £70 on a repair / regas? or just chuck it?
Thanks,
Neville