Do-it-yourself freon refrigerator filling: instructions, safety rules

If the refrigerator suddenly breaks, it may turn out that coolant has leaked. This is perhaps the most common reason for the failure of a household appliance. It is not necessary to call a master, you can fill the refrigerator with freon yourself without any special skills. To do this, you must follow all safety measures and strictly follow the step-by-step instructions.

Causes of Freon Leaks

This substance is a refrigerant in many refrigeration models. It is an odorless gas. Its shelf life is unlimited, but in certain cases it may require refueling.

Freon leakage is possible as a result of:

• failure of the refrigerator compressor;
• violation of the tightness of the capillaries through which freon passes, as well as its supply system as a whole;
• causing accidental blows to the condensate and compressor. They can occur when the household appliance is inaccurate or when using sharp objects in the freezer;
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• low quality tubes (capillaries) through which freon circulates, as well as the appearance of microcracks on them;
• improper or slight clamping of pipe connections.

To understand that a leak has actually occurred, pay attention to the presence or absence of cooling in the freezer. The refrigerator may not cool, but the compressor will continue to operate normally.

You can do it yourself at home, if you adhere to the technology of refueling.

Safety precautions

If it is decided to do the freon replacement work yourself, you need to understand that this is a responsible and dangerous activity. When conducting it, you must insure yourself and adhere to the following tips:

• the refrigerator must be turned off before the process;
• when the freon in the device changes, you can not turn on the heating devices and smoke nearby;
• work must be performed on a special isolated site, while the equipment is grounded;
• soldering of joints of joints is carried out, adhering to fire safety;
• the room in which the repair was carried out must be ventilated for at least a quarter of an hour after the gas has been released or injected. Freon is odorless, but its fumes can affect the condition of the person conducting the repair and his household;
• for refueling, gas should be purchased only from well-known manufacturers that provide guarantees for it;
• when testing a system that runs on freon, you need to study the repair instructions for refrigeration units.

Recommended reading:

• Overview of Reasons why the refrigerator does not turn off and continues to work constantly.
• The refrigerator has flowed inside or out? Do not rush to call the master! Perhaps you yourself will fix the problem!
• If your refrigerator does not work, and the freezer continues to freeze, then read this article.

Preparatory work before refueling freon

First, gas is vented from the system, and safety measures must be followed. The needle grip is taken. It performs the function of a vise, it clamps the filter dryer, and then a puncture is made in a place where copper is visible.

In order not to spoil the air in the room, the tube can be brought out of the window and open the valve. After that, excess pressure is relieved from the system. Then the system is purged with nitrogen, this technique removes the remaining moisture. Put on a Schroeder valve, which must be installed with a complete loss of freon. Through it, Freon will be pumped. Before connecting the gas cylinder, make sure that the pressure in it is less than 6 bar. In the opposite case, you will have to use a gearbox that can lower this figure.

The algorithm of actions with it consists of the following steps:

• blow out the refrigerator for 10 minutes;
• close the valve on the needle grip;
• cut off the filter drier at the capillary tube;
• repeat the purge process.

Step-by-step instructions for replenishing freon

For work, two pressure gauges are required. One is red and the other is blue. They come complete with 2 valves and 3 hoses. The blue pressure gauge is used to determine the suction pressure, and the red pressure gauge is used to establish the pumping force. Their valves block the movement of freon in different hoses.

The procedure for refueling consists of the following stages:

• The valves on both gauges overlap.
• A blue hose is connected to the tube for refueling through the fitting. And its yellow counterpart is twisted on a gas cylinder.

• If it is required to measure the pressure in the discharge direction, a special pipe (also known as a Schröder valve) is soldered into this pipe. Then a red pipe is brought to him.

• The valve of the blue pressure gauge is opened. A cylinder containing Freon opens slowly. The supercharger is charged with gas to a pressure of 0.4-0.5 bar. When this indicator is reached, two valves should be shut off at once.

• The compressor starts for half a minute and turns off again.
• The yellow tube is disconnected from the cylinder and a vacuum pump is connected in its place.

• A blue valve is twisted on the pipeline and the pumping station is turned on, for about ten minutes.
• The yellow hose is disconnected from the pump and screwed onto the gas cylinder. A valve opens on it, while the yellow tube is disconnected from the collector so that freon squeezes out air that accidentally enters the tube.
• After bleeding air, the yellow hose wraps well. A blue valve opens on the collector and the necessary volume of gas is refilled in the household appliance.

• The compressor turns on and pressure is monitored. If it is normal, then you need to bend the tubes and solder them, and unscrew the hoses.

How to charge refrigerant (video)

The video below shows in detail how to fill the refrigerator with freon. The basic steps are described for a better understanding.

Doing refrigeration with a freon yourself is quite feasible if you know how to do it right. To significantly save on the call of the master, it is better to rent the necessary equipment for the refueling process, since buying it will require serious investments. They will not pay off, since after repair it will be necessary to change freon soon.