Can I Change the Freon in My Frigidaire Refrigerator?

Regulations

• The Montreal Protocol stated that CFCs and HCFCs are both detrimental to the ozone layer that protects the earth and, as such, should be eventually phased out of products, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. As the controlling authority in this area, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented a phase-out plan and made recommendations to local municipalities about how licensed recovery technicians should be trained.

Do It Yourself

• Unless you're a licensed technician or are in possession of the appropriate high-dollar equipment, the problem with trying to change your Frigidaire's freon is that you have no way of recapturing the old freon in order to dispose of it properly. The chemical is going to escape into the atmosphere, which is bad for the ozone layer. But rather than come right out and say you can't change your own freon, the EPA stated that it is illegal to let it escape into the environment.

State Laws

• Though "freon" has become a catch-all term that describes all types of refrigerants, it is more accurately used to refer to an older type of refrigerant, trademarked by DuPont and scheduled for eventual elimination from consumer product use altogether. Depending upon where you live, California, as one example, actual freon may be illegal to use at all, and the substitute R-134 required instead. The problem for owners of older appliances is that the two systems are not interchangeable.

Considerations

• The bottom line is that if you want to change the freon in your old refrigerator, obtain the proper recovery equipment and make sure you do not live in a state that has outlawed the substance before proceeding. Otherwise, it might be a good time to look up the telephone number of a local licensed refrigerant recovery technician and have him do the chore for you. Considering the fact that the sale of freon will be phased out completely in the coming years, you should plan for your pre-1995 refrigerator's eventual obsolescence.