Broken freezer or evaporator: what to do

If you in a hurry, trying to quickly defrost your refrigerator, broke through the freezer, a crack, a hole could form in it. It all depends on the “tool” that you used to help the camera get rid of the ice faster: a knife, an awl, a fork, etc. Do not worry, any situation is fixable – we will tell you what to do with a puncture.

Guide to Action

The first and main question that worries the user is: will the refrigerator work if the freezer is pierced? Of course, it is better not to use equipment with a hole – it is worth disconnecting the device from the network and assessing the consequences of an unsuccessful defrosting. There are two scenarios according to which events will develop:

  1. The evaporator channels remained intact. Then only the heat-insulating layer of the compartment is broken, and the pipes with the refrigerant are not touched. This is the best thing that could happen with a puncture, and the problem can be solved without the help of a specialist. You will need a low temperature sealant or similar compound. You can also patch the hole with a piece of plastic cut off, for example, from a glass of yogurt.
  2. A knife or other sharp object has pierced the refrigerant pipe. This is not the best thing that could happen, but also a completely fixable case. Entrust the elimination of such a problem to the master – he will quickly restore the integrity of the pipeline.

Having called the master, do not waste time in vain – carry out the preparatory work:

  • Switch off the appliance by unplugging the power cord from the socket.
  • Temporarily seal the puncture site with tape, electrical tape or cover with plasticine. So you prevent the penetration of moisture into the system and maintain the health of the motor-compressor. This is important: even a little moisture will knock the refrigerator out of operation, and repairs may no longer help.
  • Air out the kitchen. In fact, modern freons are absolutely safe and cannot pose a threat to your health. But there are individual brands, such as R600, which are explosive, so ventilation will not be superfluous.

Having done this, you can safely wait for a specialist and entrust your technique to his experienced hands.

How to understand for yourself that the tube is broken

So you have a broken freezer. What to do? How to understand what you have punched – just plastic or a tube? To start, strain your ears:

  • Did you hear a hiss? Surely the evaporator is pierced, and freon gas escapes from the system.
  • If you don’t hear any sounds, but after defrosting you notice that the food has become worse cooled, the leak has still occurred. In a refrigerator with two compressors, the freezer will fail, with one – both compartments. Models with an audible alarm will notify you of a problem with a characteristic squeak or flashing lights on the control panel.

How experts fix the problem (pencil LA—CO)

There are two traditional solutions to the problem if the user punched a hole in the evaporator of their refrigerator. Below is the order of work that professional masters carry out, if you do not have the proper experience or tools, it is better not to do amateur work.

  1. Repair with sealing stick (LA-CO). This device quickly closes small holes, cracks and traces of sharp objects.
  1. Evaporator replacement. This method is needed for serious or multiple freezer punctures.

Also, instead of replacing the entire evaporator, in some cases it is possible to eliminate the puncture of the old evaporator. To do this, the puncture site is cleaned and degreased, and then the surface is heated and solder is applied.

The following actions are followed:

  • Replacing the old filter drier. The part is cut off, and a new one is put in its place.
  • Removing moisture from the circuit. If water gets into the system, the master removes it with a vacuum pump.
  • Leak test. To check the quality of work, excess pressure is supplied to the circuit, one and a half times higher than the working one.
  • Vacuuming the unit. Using a vacuum pump and Schrader valve, the master removes excess air from the circuit.
  • Refrigerant charge. Armed with special equipment and tools, the master fills the system with freon of a suitable brand. By checking the volume of injected freon with a pressure gauge or control weighing of the cylinder, the specialist pumps the exact volume of the required gas into the system.
  • Completion of work, quality control.

Useful tips for users

When defrosting the freezer, it is not necessary to pick the ice with a knife. If you don’t want to wait the prescribed 24 hours, but you don’t really want to make a hole in the evaporator, take note of our recommendations:

  • To speed up the defrosting of the chamber, you can put a container with hot water on the shelf (on a board). Change the water as it cools down. Evaporation of hot water will speed up the process several times.
  • You can put a rubber heating pad filled with water in the freezer to speed up thawing.
  • Do not use a hair dryer or fan heater – this is extremely unsafe.

For more information on how to defrost, see the How to Defrost a Freezer page.

Now you know what to do if you accidentally pierce the wall of the chamber (evaporator). The main thing is not to panic and take good care of your technique.

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