How Do You Know If Your Refrigerator Is Leaking Freon?

Refrigerators are now so commonplace in kitchens in the United States that we take them for granted. These major appliances have become so refined and reliable that we seldom give a second thought to them, but refrigerators still do malfunction. One problem many people wonder about is how to know if your refrigerator is leaking freon.

Signs your refrigerator is leaking Freon include warm food in the fridge, a constantly running motor, or odd smells near the refrigerator. Unexplained health problems or a spike in your energy bills can also signal your refrigerator is leaking Freon. You can test for a Freon with a store-bought detection kit, do a DIY test with soap and water, or call a professional.

If you notice any of these signs, you should suspect that your refrigerator has a Freon leak or another problem. Quick action to diagnose the problem and make repairs is critical. A refrigerator leaking Freon causes other problems that can affect you financially and physically.

Freon stays within a pressurized system inside your fridge, and you should never need to refill it. Therefore, if your refrigerator is leaking Freon, it’s likely something happened to the fridge, like a puncture or other type of damage.

Many things can go wrong with a fridge, so if you’re noticing issues, don’t assume immediately that it’s a Freon problem. Fridges come with lots of electrical and mechanical components, any one of which can cause an issue.

But, it’s possible that you could inadvertently puncture a Freon line. For example, if you recently scraped ice off of your freezer using a metal or plastic scraper, you might have compromised the integrity of the refrigeration system.

Typically the refrigeration system is sealed and no Freon can escape, but if you accidentally puncture it, you can create a Freon leak. Manufacturing defects can also be the cause of a Freon leak. If your refrigerator is relatively new and develops a Freon leak, contact the manufacturer for help in submitting a warranty claim.

If you notice that the food in your refrigerator is not staying as cold as it should be, a freon leak may be the cause. If freon levels in the cooling system fall too low, the system cannot maintain cold temperatures.

The compressor in your refrigerator turns the refrigerant into a liquid. In the evaporator coil, the freon is allowed to expand back into a gas. This expansion cools the refrigerator to the desired temperature. If there is not enough refrigerant, the system cannot chill the refrigerator.

Usually, the first place you will notice a problem is in the freezer unit. Food will not stay solidly frozen or your ice maker will not make ice.

Normally, refrigerators run about 80% of the time. You should notice your refrigerator cycling on and off occasionally. Most people don’t realize that new refrigerators are designed to run rather than cycle on and off periodically.

Newer compressor technology uses less energy when it is running. The greatest amount of electricity is used to start the compressor. New refrigerator compressor designs run as much as 80 percent of the time for the most efficient operation.

However, if you notice your refrigerator constantly running without cycling off, there may be a problem with the freon levels. However, there may be other causes for your refrigerator compressor to run nearly all the time.

New refrigerators are, by and large, extremely efficient machines. However, if there is a problem with the freon levels in the cooling system, the compressor begins to work harder. As the compressor works harder, it consumes more energy, which can affect your utility bills.

If you notice a sudden and unexplained spike in your utility bill, check for some of the other symptoms of a freon leak in your refrigerator. Sometimes the other symptoms may be so subtle that they go unnoticed.

If you have a freon leak in your refrigerator, your nose may be the first indicator. Refrigerant products each have a characteristic smell. On the whole, a musty smell how most people describe the characteristic odor.

Some people confuse the smell with spoiled or rotten food. If your refrigerator is still cooling adequately and there is no spoiled food, something else is amiss. If you detect an odor that reminds you of a musty area or spoiled food, you should suspect a freon leak.

You can purchase a leak detection kit to check for a potential Freon look, but still, you will need a pro to ultimately fix the problem. Still, if you want to give the test a try, you can purchase a kit or tool for between $20 and $300. It’s a broad price range because some tools are much more precise than others.

The tools sense a variety of gases, called halogens, which is a group of gases that many Freon types belong to. Some are so precise they can even sense very minuscule leaks that may have been only releasing minimal amounts of Freon over a span of 10 years.

You can also attempt a DIY test using dish soap and water that you can spray on your tubing. Look carefully; if there’s a Freon leak, the gas will create bubbles where it’s escaping from the line.

If you manage to find the leak, do you have the equipment and the skills to repair the leak? Handling refrigerant is not a task to be undertaken lightly. There are federal and state laws that govern how refrigerants in household appliances must be recovered and recycled.

Recovering the remaining refrigerant in the system involves special equipment and pumps. In some states, only a licensed technician can scavenge refrigerant. Replacing the refrigerant in a repaired system requires another set of specialized tools and knowledge.

By and large, DIY homeowners are not equipped and do not have the knowledge or skills to perform these kinds of repairs. If your refrigerator is leaking freon, call the repairman.

Related Questions

Can a Freon leak harm the environment?

Freon is actually a hazardous pollutant that can eat away at the ozone layer when it gets into the atmosphere. This is the reason the US Environmental Protection Agency phased out R22 Freon in January of 2020. If you use an appliance that needs this type of Freon, you can expect to pay a hefty price for it as supplies dwindle. This higher price is yet another reason to consider replacing an older fridge if it is experiencing a Freon leak of R22. 

How do you decide whether to replace or repair your refrigerator?

With any appliance, you need to weigh the cost of the repairs against the age of your existing appliance and the cost of a new one. Typically, the rule of thumb is if the repairs cost more than 50% the price of a new appliance, replace it.So, if you call in a professional and they inform you it will cost $300 to $400 to fix the leak and replace the Freon, think about your fridge. If it’s an older fridge and you can get a new one for about $800, it might be worth it to replace it. But, if the fridge is only a few years old, and a new one with comparable features would cost you $1,200, then repairing the issue might make more sense.