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My fridge freezer is leaking freon gas from the condenser pipe. I’m thinking to wrap special leak tape or use paste that is designed to stop leaks. Is this safe to do? And am I able to re-gas the unit myself and equipment would I need to do it?
Hi What is the make and model number of the refrigerator? I don’t think that a sealing tape or paste will be good enough as although the refrigerant becomes a liquid from a gas as it passes through the condenser it is still under pressure as the sealed system in a refrigerator is a pressurised system. It may also depend on what type of refrigerant the refrigerator was designed to use. Depending on your location you may have to use a licenced refrigerator repairer to fix any problems with the sealed system so as to comply with the environmental regulations regarding the handling of refrigerant gases and to be able to buy the refrigerant. You cannot buy it if you’re not licenced. To repair the system you would need the equipment to do it properly. You would need to get into the sealed system and pump out any remaining refrigerant, repair the leak in the condenser using soldering techniques etc then when it is fixed, create a vacuum in the sealed system to remove any air from the system and pump in the new refrigerant. After this the high and low pressures in the system would need to be checked to ensure that there are no leaks and that there was enough and not too little or too much refrigerant so that the refrigerator would cool properly and efficiently.
It’s a possibility that the condenser can be soldered but you would need a professional to look at that. There is no sealant tape that will stop the leak. The low pressure is around 40psi and the high side is at least 230psi. Check with the repair man and see if he can replace the condenser.
