If you are in a hurry, trying to quickly unfreeze your refrigerator, they break through the freezer, a crack or a hole could form in it. It all depends on the “tool” with which you helped the camera get rid of ice faster: with a knife, awl, fork, etc. Do not worry, any situation is fixable - we will show you what to do with the puncture.
Guide to action
The first and main question that worries the user: will the refrigerator work if you pierce the freezer? Of course, it is better not to use equipment with a hole - you should disconnect the device from the network and evaluate the consequences of an unsuccessful defrost. There are two scenarios in which events will develop:
- The evaporator channels remained intact. Then only the heat-insulating layer of the compartment is broken, and the tubes with the refrigerant are not touched. This is the best thing that could happen during a puncture, and the problem can be solved without the help of a specialist. You will need a low temperature sealant or similar composition. You can also patch a hole with a piece of plastic cut off, for example, from a glass of yogurt.
- A knife or other sharp object punched the refrigerant pipe. This is not the best thing that could happen, but it is also quite a fixable case. Assign the master to fix such a problem - he will quickly restore the integrity of the pipeline.
Having called the master, do not waste your time - do the preparatory work:
- Unplug the appliance by removing the power cord from the outlet.
- Temporarily seal the puncture site with adhesive tape, electrical tape or cover with plasticine. So you will not allow moisture to enter the system and keep the motor-compressor in good condition. This is important: even a little moisture will knock the refrigerator out of work, and repairs may no longer help.
- Ventilate the kitchen. In fact, modern freons are absolutely safe, and can not constitute a threat to your health. But there are some brands, such as R600, which are explosive, so ventilation will not be out of place.
Having done this, you can calmly wait for a specialist and entrust your equipment into his experienced hands.
How to understand yourself that a pipe is broken
So, you have a broken freezer. What to do? How to understand what you struck - just plastic or a tube? To begin, strain your ears:
- Have you heard the hiss? Surely the evaporator is punctured, and freon gas is escaped from the system.
- If no sounds are heard, but after defrosting, you notice that the products have become worse cooled, - the leak still occurred. In the refrigerator with two compressors, the freezer will fail, with one - both compartments. Models with a buzzer will notify you of a problem with a distinctive beep or blinking of lights on the control panel.
How do specialists fix the problem (pencilLA—CO)
There are two traditional solutions to the problem if the user has punched a hole in the evaporator of his refrigerator. The following is the order of work carried out by professional masters, if you do not have the proper experience or tool, it is better not to do amateur performances.
- Repair with a sealing pencil (LA-CO). This device quickly closes small holes, cracks and traces of sharp objects.
- Replacing the evaporator. This method is needed for severe or multiple punctures in the freezer.
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 carried out:
- 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, an excess pressure is applied to the circuit, one and a half times the working pressure.
- Evacuation of the unit. Using a vacuum pump and a Schröder valve, the master removes excess air from the circuit.
- Refrigerant charge Armed with special equipment and tools, the master refills the system with freon of a suitable brand. Checking the volume of freon introduced by a manometer 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 ice with a knife. If you don’t feel like waiting 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 on the shelf a container of hot water (on the plate). Change the water as it cools. Evaporation of hot water will speed up the process several times.
- You can put a rubber heating pad with water in the freezer to speed up thawing.
- Do not use a hairdryer or fan heater - this is extremely unsafe.
Read more about defrosting rules on the How to Defrost a Freezer page.
Now you know what to do if you accidentally managed to pierce the wall of the chamber (evaporator). The main thing - do not panic and take care of your technique.