Refrigerator Repair Tools

Multimeter

• Known in the industry as a multimeter, these hand-held units allow you to check the connections within the refrigerator to determine if there are issues with the electrical couplings. The most basic multimeters will only measure current to determine if you have power or not, while the more expensive versions can check voltage as well as resistance and other features. They are simple enough to use that any do-it-yourselfer can pick one up to check for power in their fridge.

Thermometer

• A more advanced tool that works best in the hands of a qualified and licensed professional, commercial thermometers are used to check whether or not the various refrigeration units in your fridge are working properly. They can measure the condensing unit as well as the evaporator coil and then those measurements can be checked against the factory settings for your brand of fridge to determine if your issues are caused by faulty coolant parts.

Coolant Recovery Unit

• If you have to drain the refrigerant from your unit there are federal regulations as to how the coolant can be removed and stored. Available only to licensed professionals, refrigerant recovery units are portable containers that are capable of safely storing the coolant until it can be properly disposed of at a chemical plant. They can recover both vapors and liquids, depending on how much money you are willing to spend.

Vacuum Pump

• Vacuum pumps are used in a wide variety of trades, including for heating and cooling and its counterpart, refrigeration. They are special pumps that remove all of the air and moisture from a fridge’s internal parts before the unit is recharged with new coolant. If the water and air isn’t removed beforehand the unit will not fill up properly, nor will the coolant flow through the tubes with efficiency, leading to problems down the road with leaks and or coolant not flowing at all.