Fridge refrigerant leaked

[peteru]

I've got a 25+ year old General Electric fridge, with freezer on top. The compressor runs, but it does not cool. It probably means that there is a leak somewhere and the refrigerant gas is gone. A cursory inspection has not revealed any obvious leak sites.

I wanted to use it as a fermenting / lagering fridge, but so far it's still bog standard without any modifications.

Any suggestions as to what to do with it? Should I try to get it fixed? If so, are fixes effective and how much do they tend to cost? Any recommendations for repairers in Sydney, lower north shore?

Wait for council cleanup and wheel it out the front of the house in a few weeks time?

 

[Feldon]

Can't help with the fridge gas issue, but if you do end up putting out the front of the house, please make sure you remove the door first.

Those old fridges have self-locking doors, and many a kid has climbed inside only to have the door shut - horrible slow death.

I think its now against the law in all council areas to put a fridge out without removing the door (even magnetic seal ones).

Good luck with getting it fixed though, some of those old fridges are works of arts.

 

[barls]

mate if its that age its probably an r12 unit which wile they worked wonders can't be refilled anymore. even if you knew where there was a supply of it you would be hard pressed to find a fridgie that will do it.

 

[peteru]

The fridge is a GE TBX18Z. It's old, but not old enough to have a latch.

I checked my council's web site and there is no mention of having to do anything like removing doors from whitegoods in the section where they list fridges as being an acceptable item. However, the council offers free collection for working fridges at any time, not just on general clean up days. Well, d'oh! So do most homebrewers! Come to think of it, most homebrewers would do better than that and drop off some samples of their beer in exchange for a working fridge.

Googling does not seem to indicate what refrigerant is used.

 

[wynnum1]

The fridge is a GE TBX18Z. It's old, but not old enough to have a latch.

I checked my council's web site and there is no mention of having to do anything like removing doors from whitegoods in the section where they list fridges as being an acceptable item. However, the council offers free collection for working fridges at any time, not just on general clean up days. Well, d'oh! So do most homebrewers! Come to think of it, most homebrewers would do better than that and drop off some samples of their beer in exchange for a working fridge.

Googling does not seem to indicate what refrigerant is used.

A lot of scrap metal merchants have free drop off for refrigerators and other metal objects but idiots are still dumping on side of road .If you have room for the fridge can be used for sealed storage .

 

[Crakkers]

Googling does not seem to indicate what refrigerant is used.

You might be able to find that info on a sticker inside the fridge - either on the door or one of the inside walls.
It should show the manufacturer's name, voltage & current draw, fridge volume, etc, as well as the refrigerant type and charge in grams.

 

[manticle]

Does nothing cool?
If the freezer cools but fridge stays warm, it may be iced over inside near the fan.

I fixed my fridge the other day by removing the back freezer panel, defrosting and checking all the connections (unit off obviously).

 

[Grott]

If you have the room do as I did, laid it on its back in the corner of the yard and filled the freezer and fridge with soil etc. The freezer I used to raise seedlings, door closed to retain heat over night and the fridge section to grow herbs. It worked really well.
Cheers

 

[Crakkers]

and the fridge section to grow herbs.

Herbs or herb? B)

 

[Camo6]

If it's a low refrigerant issue it's not worth fixing unless you are a fridgie or know someone with an ac handlers licence.
The charge ports are generally folded and cut so a new fitting would have to be brazed on and if it's a discontinued refrigerant it may be hard to source. Also, a lot of older seals aren't compatible with the new gases and will fail.
Find out where your local white good sellers warehouses are and ask the handlers if they have any cheap fridges. My brother works for Hardly Normal and the delivery drivers are always removing functional fridges from customer's kitchens. They get stacked outside the warehouse and a crisp lobster would probably get you one. Finding the good ones amongst the bad is another matter.

 

[Grott]

Herbs or herb? B)

Plural - herbs, why??

 

[Benn]

When I drilled through a refrigerant line in my keg fridge last year I looked into regassing it. The cost of the gas at mates rates and other bits and pieces was more than a second hand fridge. There's some good clips on YouTube but they're mainly from the U.S where it seems you can buy the gas from the local hardware for bugger all.
For $50 I bought a whirlpool pigeon pair, fridge for the kegs n taps and freezer for hops and wild game.

Edit: Spelling

 

[peteru]

Well there you have it. It's all a bit too hard and so far the council clean up seems like the best option.

The council trucks will be collecting stuff in the week after Sunday 15th May 2016. If anyone wants to collect a General Electric TBX18Z fridge with top mount freezer from Willoughby, NSW, please let me know via private message and we can arrange pick up. The compressor runs but it seems the gas has leaked out. I don't expect a payment for the fridge, but if you want to drop off a few bottles of your homebrew while collecting the fridge, I'd be happy to give you feedback.

If there are no takers, I'll let the council trucks take it away.

BTW: If you are quick, I'll throw in working four burner gas BBQ. Unless someone from Aussie BBQ forums chimes in first.

 

[Morrie]

If the fridge is pre 1992 it will most likely have R12 in it if it is post 1992 it will most likely have R134a refrigerant. If the compressor still runs it still could be the compressor at fault due to not pumping as valves could be shot. Also there could be the possibility of a blocked capillary which will stop the refrigerant from circulating.

 

[Crakkers]

Plural - herbs, why??

Just clarifying that it's herbs, the culinary type as opposed to 'erb, the Bob Marley type.

 

[Camo6]

Frikkin timely thread. My beloved upright freezer fermentation chamber which can hold four 30l bunnings fermentors and crash chill to sub zero temps seems to have given up. Unfortunately it's an R12 system but has a service port so I may be able to pull some strings but in all likelihood it'll be time to say goodbye to the old girl.

 

[Mardoo]

Timely for sure! My main fridge is no longer cooling well and frosting up in the no-frost freezer. 7 year old Fisher & Paykel. Guessing gas and seals. Fix or get one off eBay? My 35 year old Kelvinator cold crash fudge has no problem holding 2C on summer days. What gives?

 

[TheWiggman]

What gives is the disposable nature of whitegoods and broader electrical products in this day and age. I've got a plasma at home that blew a power supply and it was 9 years old. Everyone I told about it said "wow, you're well overdue for a new one anyway". 7 years for a fridge isn't anywhere near enough but I assume the standard they are built to implies that newer technology necessitates more frequent replacement.
I've actually got an old GE fridge for my keg fridge that had a bung thermostat in it. I pulled it out and it was dated 1957. 59 years old and still chilling. Can you imagine today's fridges still running in 50 years? People would laugh at you if you expected that many years out of a fridge. And don't get me started on the recent closure of (profitable) Electrolux in Orange, the last whitegoods manufacturer in the country. The parent companies would rather make more dosh doing the same thing overseas at the expense of build quality. As a customer I know where I would rather (and have) put my hard-earnt. Crazy world we live in.
Apologies, I might go back to waving at pesky kids riding their bikes on my lawn.

 

[Morrie]

Regarding R12 systems, there used to be some drop in replacement refrigerants that could be used without a retrofit meaning no compressor oil change. One of them used to be called Isceon49 but I haven't had to work on a R12 system now for years so I'm not sure if this sort of refrigerant still exists.

 

[Camo6]

Regarding R12 systems, there used to be some drop in replacement refrigerants that could be used without a retrofit meaning no compressor oil change. One of them used to be called Isceon49 but I haven't had to work on a R12 system now for years so I'm not sure if this sort of refrigerant still exists.

Out of interest Morrie, is only one charge port required on fridges? I had an automotive a/c licence until I let it expire and thought two ports were required to properly recover/evacuate the system. Probably not necessary on a smaller system? Anyway, my old fridge still has a charge port and I have a mate of a mate who I need to chat too to see if it's worth the trouble.