Thread: One for the fridgies

Originally Posted by BradC

How old is it? Ours is an 80's model on R12, so even if it could be repaired nobody has the gas.

We also had an R12 60L that locked up the compressor. Engel sell replacement refrigeration units as a package (drop in unit : compressor, condenser, evaporator), so we replaced it with a newer R134a unit.

You *may* be able to find someone to repair the evaporator, but honestly they're so thin I can't imagine a repair being practical.

It was purchased new in 2018 and has had 2 drop in units already, both under warranty, but to buy one costs nearly as much as a new fridge. I am going to try to use 2 pack on the hole and see if I can get someone to solder in a valve and regas it but I am not sure if it will work

Originally Posted by sharmy

It was purchased new in 2018 and has had 2 drop in units already, both under warranty, but to buy one costs nearly as much as a new fridge. I am going to try to use 2 pack on the hole and see if I can get someone to solder in a valve and regas it but I am not sure if it will work

Has the boof who wrecked it offered any compensation?

Originally Posted by sharmy

It was purchased new in 2018 and has had 2 drop in units already, both under warranty, but to buy one costs nearly as much as a new fridge.

That sounds strangely like an engine for a Discovery.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Has the boof who wrecked it offered any compensation?

No, He denies it was him despite that he was the only one who opened the fridge and the only one who cooked sausages. You can see the track the knife made on its way to the evaporator tube, but without absolute proof I have to take his denial on face value. He my sons friend, not mine.

In the past I have managed to use the ally solder stuff to seal up a crack in an engle evaporator.

Regassing on those was fairly simple as they had a tap in line off the compressor for the factory gassing early units even had the proper fitting for attaching and filling.

you can also use a punch in fitting on them like this one
LTV-1 - Pinch-Off Valve for Refrigerant Line Tap - Everwell Parts, Inc.

once thats in place you may or may not be able to regas using LPG, hycill minus 30 depending on which lube is in your compressor and what gear you have...

There may be tell of a fridge, in a bar in a QLD not so far from here that was regassed with little more than an lpg bottle, some hose clamps, a soldering iron, some solder, a pair of vice grips and a non negotiable "I would not drink warm beer even if it was free, I will work out how to fix your fridge and then drink your cold beer for free" attitude towards the problem.

Originally Posted by BradC

How old is it? Ours is an 80's model on R12, so even if it could be repaired nobody has the gas.

We also had an R12 60L that locked up the compressor. Engel sell replacement refrigeration units as a package (drop in unit : compressor, condenser, evaporator), so we replaced it with a newer R134a unit.

You *may* be able to find someone to repair the evaporator, but honestly they're so thin I can't imagine a repair being practical.

Hychill minus 30 is an almost drop in replacement for R12 and R134. its not quite as good as either r12 or r134 in my experience but it is readily available and while its supposed to be used with synthetic oils itscompatible with the older mineral oils.

you can also get from supercheap r1234yf which other than having the wrong fittings to go into an r134 system, according to page 1 and 2 of google is technically compatible although not as effecient as r134 or r12,

And typically, the good cheap easy to use DIY cans of stuff that is user friendly is not available here in australia because, so far as I can tell, of our enviromental regulations yet over in europe and america where they set the regulatory requirements for most of the enviro compliance stuff upon which our regualtions are based they can just go and buy the stuff off the shelf... (insert rant about government gouging beurocrats here)

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

Hychill minus 30 is an almost drop in replacement for R12 and R134. its not quite as good as either r12 or r134 in my experience but it is readily available and while its supposed to be used with synthetic oils its compatible with the older mineral oils.

Hydrocarbons (of which Hychll is entirely comprised) are actually compatible with, and will transport *all* oils. Because we have access to quality and relatively pure Propane in WA, I blend my own "minus 30", which is in essence a (very roughly) 60/40 mix of Propane and iso-butane.

It's not quite as good (but near enough) as R12, but it's considerably better than r134a in rejecting heat into a condenser.

With the small volume, I'd be happy putting it in an Engel. I have a little custom refrigeration system here used as an after-condenser for a vacuum still that is based on a Danfoss BD compressor that came out of a 35L fridge with a hole in the evap. I run my blend in that and it has been fine for > 10 years now (originally r134a with an ester oil).

Originally Posted by BradC

Hydrocarbons (of which Hychll is entirely comprised) are actually compatible with, and will transport *all* oils. Because we have access to quality and relatively pure Propane in WA, I blend my own "minus 30", which is in essence a (very roughly) 60/40 mix of Propane and iso-butane.

It's not quite as good (but near enough) as R12, but it's considerably better than r134a in rejecting heat into a condenser.

With the small volume, I'd be happy putting it in an Engel. I have a little custom refrigeration system here used as an after-condenser for a vacuum still that is based on a Danfoss BD compressor that came out of a 35L fridge with a hole in the evap. I run my blend in that and it has been fine for > 10 years now (originally r134a with an ester oil).

In the limited testing I did with comparable vehicles running r134 I found the hychill was running the compressor between 5-10% more, Near as I can figure it was slower to get excited about doing its refirgerating job but once everything was happening it would cool down faster. Remembering the only mod done was to vac down repair the leak and then regas Id wager it wants a smaller orifice or tighter throttling on the expasion valve so it could build up pressure faster.