What is freon

We cannot imagine our life without a refrigerator. Thanks to its cooling ability, it is possible to keep ready meals for several days, as well as meat, fish and other raw ingredients in a frozen state. Cooling occurs with the help of freon, which circulates through the pipeline of the evaporator thanks to the compressor. How is cold pumped in the refrigerator and freezer?

Definition

Freon is a substance consisting of methane and ethane in a certain proportion. It is inert to the environment. The refrigerant may be in a liquid state or in the form of a gas. During evaporation, it absorbs heat, while emitting cold. There are about 40 types of refrigerant. The refrigerator uses some varieties of freon that are safe for humans and the environment.

Attention! It should be remembered that freon is not only found in refrigerators. It is used for refueling air conditioners and other cooling equipment, fire extinguishing agents, for medical and cosmetic aerosols and nebulizers. Freon is part of the mounting foam and some types of paints and varnishes.

The substance is odorless, transparent, so it is not possible to detect a leak by color and aroma in the air. You can find out about the malfunction of the cooling system only by subjective factors: the presence of condensate on the walls in the chamber, poor freezing or its absence. For household appliances, these types of freon are used:

  • R600a (isobutane) - a substance of natural origin that does not destroy ozone in the atmosphere, while it can explode in concentrations above 31 g / m3, a small amount of gas is used in the refrigerator, which is unable to cause an explosion;
  • R134a (tetrafluoroethane) - a safe gas that does not contain chlorine, the refrigerant is colorless and odorless, inert to the environment, does not ignite at plus and minus temperatures, has a zero degree of destruction of the ozone layer;
  • R12 (difluorodichloromethane) - banned for use in modern household appliances since 2010, has a sweetish smell like ether, does not burn in domestic conditions, explodes at temperatures above 330 ° C, at a concentration of more than 30% leads to suffocation;
  • R22 (difluorochloromethane) - it is found in old-style refrigerators, has a pronounced smell of chloroform, destroys the ozone layer, but the destructive ability is lower than that of the analogue R12, when exposed to open fire and heated to 250 ° C, it decomposes into highly toxic substances.

You can determine the type of freon in the refrigerator according to the information indicated on the label for the compressor. The type of substance is also prescribed in the technical documentation for the unit. Modern models of freezers and refrigerators fill only R600a and R134a, which are not dangerous when leaking.

Where is freon in the refrigerator?

Freon is in the evaporator chamber. The evaporator is a piping system through which refrigerant circulates in a liquid state.

It absorbs heat and generates cold in return, so the air nearby the main with the refrigerant quickly cools. The circulation of freon through the pipeline provides a compressor. When heat is absorbed, liquid evaporates into the gas. The gaseous substance advances into the compressor, in which it condenses back into the liquid. When using the refrigerator, you must not allow:

  • cleaning the camera with sharp and sharp objects;
  • falling food and ice to the bottom of the evaporator;
  • installation near any heating appliances;
  • washing the refrigerator with warm and hot water.

Incorrect defrosting of the chamber leads to depressurization of the evaporator. In this case, a leak occurs, the liquid instantly evaporates into the gas. At the place of the effect a mound of snow occurs, hissing does not occur.

A breakdown of the evaporator results in chipping off pieces of ice and snow from the walls of the freezer. Damage to the pipeline can be caused by the fall of large pieces of ice to the bottom of the pipeline during defrosting. If a leak is suspected, contact a service center to repair the evaporator.

Important! In modern models of the refrigerator, no more than 200 grams of refrigerant is used, so the leak is not dangerous to others. The amount of freon is indicated on the compressor tag. The refrigerator is unplugged.

Freon refueling can be done independently only with the appropriate equipment and experience in repairing leaks. For refueling, a special compressor station with pressure gauges is used. It has two measuring devices - high and low pressure. For filling the refrigerator, only a low pressure gauge is used.

Important! Before connecting refueling equipment to the refrigerator and the cylinder, it is necessary to carefully shut off the taps at the station and on the cylinder with freon. The amount of refrigerant is controlled by marks on the filling cylinder.

Preliminarily, using the leak detector, the places of refrigerant leakage are established, and then the problem areas of the pipeline are soldered. Before sealing, all refrigerant is drained from the pipeline with a vacuum pump. With significant damage, soldering becomes disadvantageous, such an evaporator must be replaced. After eliminating the damage, connect the nozzles of the gas station in the following order:

  • left - on the compressor to the Schröder valve;
  • medium - from the filling cylinder to the gas cylinder;
  • right - to the refueling pump.

Refueling with freon requires care and strict adherence to safety measures, including fire. Work is carried out in a well-ventilated area or with ventilation turned on. Filling refrigerators with a valid warranty is best left to a service center.

At the end of the injection of freon, the evaporator circuit is checked for isolation, otherwise the gas circulation will be disturbed or impossible due to repeated leaks. Loss of refrigerant is not accompanied by noise, so it is technically difficult to independently detect a leak after filling without special equipment.

Watch the video: What is a Refrigerant? How Does a Refrigerant Work? Explained! (March 2024).

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