The Freezer Is Leaking Refrigerant After Defrosting

About Refrigerants

• Consumer-grade refrigerators use many types of refrigerants. Older models may contain Freon, which is a brand-name product associated with a family of refrigerants known as chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Freon was found to deplete the ozone layer, and law required that its use be phased out by law beginning in the 1990s. Refrigerators manufactured more recently contain hydrofluorocarbons or hydrochlorofluorocarbons as their refrigerants, alone or sometimes in combination. These compounds are less damaging to the environment but are still a hazard and so must be recycled properly. Whether your refrigerator has Freon or a newer, safer refrigerant, take the utmost care when dealing with a suspected refrigerant leak.

Defrosting Refrigerators

• In the past, refrigerators did not have automatic defrosters to eliminate the layers of frost that occurred inside a freezer from the daily opening and closing of the refrigerator and freezing compartments. Many refrigerators that don't have automatic defrosters are in service today. To defrost refrigerators without automatic defrosters, you must turn off the refrigerator and allow the frozen condensation to melt. (You can assist the melting by leaving the doors open and placing pans of warm water in the freezer compartment.) New refrigerator models do not require such periodic manual defrosting. The defrosting unit melts the frost many times throughout the day, without action by the homeowner. If the defrosting unit breaks down, you will notice frost beginning to build up in the freezer compartment.

Damage to Refrigerators While Defrosting

• Manual defrosting by itself does not cause damage to a refrigerator. However, sometimes homeowners attempt to hurry the melting process by chipping away frost or ice from the walls or ceiling of the freezer compartment. Sharp objects can pierce the walls of the refrigerator and penetrate the lines that carry refrigerant throughout the refrigerator, causing leaks in the system. If you have recently defrosted your refrigerator manually and the unit no longer cools, or it cycles on and off without cooling, you may have punctured the coolant system that has leaked refrigerant.

When to Call Your Refrigerator/Freezer Repair Technician

• Refrigerants used in modern home refrigerators are not toxic and not a concern to human health, but a leak will affect the operation of your refrigerator. Though it is theoretically possible to repair a leak in the refrigerant system in your unit with a cold-weather epoxy sealant, finding the leak will likely be difficult and the repair would likely not be permanent. The best course of action is to call a qualified refrigerator service technician to repair the leak correctly and "recharge" the refrigerator with the proper refrigerant compound.