Help! Nicked Fridge Coil

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abarnett

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I'm one of those guys that can never do a project without some catastrophe or other. I decided to retire my 20 year old keezer because it cost a fortune to run, and would collect an inch of water in the bottom no matter what I tried.

So I got myself a brand new full sized fridge to convert. I decided to put the taps through the side, instead of the door. The pilot holes went fine. I put a probe in there and didn't feel anything. The first full size hole went through fine, and there was nothing but foam in the hole.

The second hole nicked a copper tube right at the edge (just out of reach from where I probed). It hissed and gas came out at pretty good pressure for a while, but no fluid came out.

Questions:
1) Am I going to die from breathing whatever came out? It didn't smell like anything.

2) Is there anything I can do to recover from this? Is the fridge toast, is this fixable, or is this not a problem?

3) If fixable, how do I fix it, or is this something I should pay a professional for? (Any pros on here in the Philly area willing to help in exchange for a case of liquid consideration?)

And my apologies - I'm on my phone, and the search function isn't great. I'd be happy for a pointer over to another thread if this is already covered somewhere else.
 
1. Probably no.
2. It's seriously wounded.
3. You'll need a pro, and it'll cost at least a couple hundred bucks to fix.

Sorry...
 
Day tripper is right. You made a big boo boo.

That gas coming out was refrigerant gas, most likely R134

The line will have to be replaced, costing hundreds.

Sorry boss!
 
The same thing happened to a guy in my adult refrigeration class years ago. We retrofitted a condenser coil on the back of the cabinet from another old fridge, recharged it and got it working again. That may be an inexpensive option if you have a trade school in the area that will do the work as an educational opportunity.
 
I know it's too late now but if you are going to drill the side of a fridge always drill from the inside!! Even if you drill a 1/8" hole on the outside there is a good chance you will hit a line.

Your fridge will cost more to fix then replace.
 
Why couldn't you enlarge the hole you cut (carefully), solder the line, and recharge the freon?

That is what I would do. Have the person recharging the freon leak check the repair. They should have a tool made just for that.

Edit: The small freezer I used had a schematic that showed the location of the lines. I used that to avoid drilling through one. Might not hurt to see if you can find one for your fridge.

I see a lot of questions about if breathing around a freon leak is going to kill you. Unless you are huffing it out of a bag or evaporating large amounts in an unventilated space breathing a little it is not going to be a problem. It can be a freezing hazard though if you get the liquid on your hands.
 
I know it's too late now but if you are going to drill the side of a fridge always drill from the inside!! Even if you drill a 1/8" hole on the outside there is a good chance you will hit a line.

I do not understand how this would make a difference. If the line is in the path of the drill bit you would hit it anyway. Right? :confused:
 
Coils in the sides of a fridge are going to be condenser (hot side) tubing, which would be located on the outside of the insulation between liner and exterior skin. So, if you cautiously drilled a small hole just through the liner, then probed through the insulation, you can find the tubing before you stick a drill bit through it...

Cheers!
 
Although it's too late now, there should be a better, foolproof way to find the location of the lines. I was surprised how easy it is to see where the cold coils are in my freezer, after I turned it on empty. The hot ones, on the outside, not so.

I think in general, refrigerator lines needs to be brazed, not just soldered. Although a small patch should hold up with copper and plain solder.

It is not *that* hard to repair, but be careful not to burn the house down. Very flammable materials in that fridge, plastic, foam.

Good idea on taking it to a trade school. They can even fill it back up I guess. Don't they sell R-134 in cans at all?
 
I did this to a brand new chest freezer. I tried to fix it myself and almost had a professional come and blow it out an then recharge it, but that would have cost me what the freezer cost me. So I mourned a little, then I gutted the entire freezer and mapped out every coil in the whole darn thing. I bought the exact same model and now I have free reign of where to drill for any additions I want to make. Costly blueprint, but I'm thankful for it now.
 
And if you are drilling blind. Do this:

1) Go from the inside and peel away a small section of liner. (If you have plastic liner, chip it away or drill VERY carefully)

2)Take a long nail and heat it up with a flame

3)use the hot nail with a pliers to burn through insulation. Any piping you hit will be unaffected, but easily detectable because the nail will stop. Burning through insulation will be like butter and pipes will stop you dead in your tracks. Don't breathe in the fumes.


God speed
 
Coils in the sides of a fridge are going to be condenser (hot side) tubing, which would be located on the outside of the insulation between liner and exterior skin. So, if you cautiously drilled a small hole just through the liner, then probed through the insulation, you can find the tubing before you stick a drill bit through it...

Cheers!

The light came on! Thanks. :)
 
I think in general, refrigerator lines needs to be brazed, not just soldered. Although a small patch should hold up with copper and plain solder. Don't they sell R-134 in cans at all?

I was using the terms interchangeably. Never worked on refrigerators much but used to help a friend work on AC units. We sweated the joints with a small oxy / acetylene torch with flux and what I remember being around 95% silver rod. The freon we charged them with required a license to buy in Florida. Might be different other places.
 
To simply map out the lines, why not make up some water with a little food dye in it. Plug freezer in and turn to Full cold. Lightly spray liner, where the cold lines are should freeze giving you the map of the lines. The dye makes it easier to see. Oh wait, refrigerator... more difficult. Yeah, I would have stripped out some liner, then cleared the foam first from the inside. Rr drilled pilot then just through liner and pressed a paddle bit through the foama few times to make sure you are clear of the lines, from there it should be easy to make sure you are good, then crank it up.

Sorry for the loss of the fridge. Costly mistake.
 
I think in general, refrigerator lines needs to be brazed, not just soldered. Although a small patch should hold up with copper and plain solder.

It is not *that* hard to repair, but be careful not to burn the house down. Very flammable materials in that fridge, plastic, foam.

Good idea on taking it to a trade school. They can even fill it back up I guess. Don't they sell R-134 in cans at all?

You are correct. I didn't use the right terminology.

Sure you can get 134a at almost any auto store or walmart. I'm not sure what kind of connections it takes to charge a fridge or if it even has the ports. I think some systems these days are sealed and you have to put ports on them, which would be a further pia.
 
Here is a quick YouTube video on how to find the hot side lines in a freezer or fridge.

First, plug the fridge in and turn the thermostat to full cold. Let it do its thing for about an hour so that the refrigerant lines get really hot. Then mix up a batch of corn starch and rubbing alcohol into a paste and smear it onto the top of the fridge. You want it to be about the consistency of glue or paste. The area above the refrigerant line will dry first because of the heat

Here is the link:

 
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You are correct. I didn't use the right terminology.

Sure you can get 134a at almost any auto store or walmart. I'm not sure what kind of connections it takes to charge a fridge or if it even has the ports. I think some systems these days are sealed and you have to put ports on them, which would be a further pia.

As i understood it, filling refrigerant lines is no joke. It has to be put under pressure(or was it vacuum?) when you fill it with gas.

Regardless its not something you can really DIY as far as i've read. Sure you can hire someone to do it, but i'd guess thats a minimum of $200, probably more like $400.
 
One more thought before working on your own fridge. Read the specs placard and make sure it is R134a. I heard someplace that some new fridges are using, I think, R600a. R600 is flammable and I believe an isomer of butane.
 
Coils in the sides of a fridge are going to be condenser (hot side) tubing, which would be located on the outside of the insulation between liner and exterior skin. So, if you cautiously drilled a small hole just through the liner, then probed through the insulation, you can find the tubing before you stick a drill bit through it...

Cheers!

This was my mistake. I drilled the pilot from the outside (and didn't hit anything), but then I also probed from the outside. I was thinking the coils would be cold-side, and thus closer to the inside.

I am now realizing the wisdom of drilling from the inside. Not only does it help you find the coils, but the plastic is easier to make a larger "inspection" hole. And it's also not as visible -- so mistakes aren't as much of a cosmetic problem.
 
Sucks man! It seems every moderate to huge project I do will end in catastrophe. I know how you feel.
 
You are correct. I didn't use the right terminology.

Sure you can get 134a at almost any auto store or walmart. I'm not sure what kind of connections it takes to charge a fridge or if it even has the ports. I think some systems these days are sealed and you have to put ports on them, which would be a further pia.

Yeah, it's sealed. Local appliance tech won't touch it, not worth his time.

My last shot is the tech school, but I'm thinking this is going to be a complete loss.
 
As i understood it, filling refrigerant lines is no joke. It has to be put under pressure(or was it vacuum?) when you fill it with gas.

Regardless its not something you can really DIY as far as i've read. Sure you can hire someone to do it, but i'd guess thats a minimum of $200, probably more like $400.

i recharged my cars A/C and I't not as simple as connecting the refrigerant can to the lines. You need a manifold that is R134a and you also need a special vacuum for the refrigerant lines that will create a total vacuum in the lines, not one drop of air can be in the lines. You also need to keep the vacuum pump on for a minute or so to to "boil off" any condensation that is in the lines especially since it's been an open line for some time now.

Once you vacuum out the system, leave it for a few days to see if the vacuum holds. If it does then you have no leaks, if it does not hold then you still have a leak. If the vacuum holds then you can charge it BUT, 1. you have to make sure you are charging from the correct port (there are two, at least on a cars A/C there are). There is a high pressure side and a low pressure side. If you charge from the wrong side, you can blow the system out. 2. You need to charge the system with the right amount of compressor oil as well along with the Freon.
 
I've done the same thing, nick a condenser coil on the outside of a chest freezer. Fortunately, there is a HVAC department where I work, and they were very helpful. The key to doing it yourself is being able to borrow an AC manifold/gauge set, and a vacuum pump. You'll need them only for an evening, so if you know anyone in the field they may be willing to loan them out (homebrew may help here).

Cut both the inlet and outlet tubes from the compressor and solder in a schrader valve to connect the gauges to. Patch the hole, preferably by soldering or brazing a bit of sheet steel over it, or like in my case epoxying and wiring the patch on.

This is when you need the vacuum pump/gauges. Like dmcman said, evacuate the system, then fill with some amount of freon. The ratings plate for the compressor usually has inlet and outlet pressures, which will let you know if you need more/have too much in.

Despite just having an epoxy patch, my freezer is still running over a year later, so it can be done.

Best of luck.
 
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