How To Recharge Freezer or Refrigerator - Adding Refrigerant or Freon to R134A Appliance

In this video I explain the process of how to add refrigerant to your refrigerator or freezer that is no longer cooling like it should. This works some of the time to make a unit last a few years longer so long as the unit has a VERY small leak. If there is a larger leak addition steps will need to be taken in order to fix the leak, replace the filter drier, evacuate the system, and finally recharge the unit the way that I demonstrate in this video. Hopefully this helped you understand the process of how to add Freon to your appliance. Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions in the comments below!

Blessings from Minnesota,

Ben

[BenjaminSahlstrom]

You guys are awesome. As an affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

[pdih]

Finally, someone explained it to me in a way I understood. Thank you.

[Barryd]

Benjamin is so helpful. I had success with my Maytag after watching this video 3 times and planning ahead! I had to modify my R134 gauge set to have an R12 line to the piercing valve. I bled the blue & yellow lines before opening the pierce service port. Sure enough, it was at -12 PSIG (pounds per square inch gauge). Gradually, very slowly, I added R134 until the low side rose to +1 PSIG and closed it up. Add some R134, turn off the supply, and let the pressure settle. After charging, over the next 4 hours the freezer gradually decreased to -5 degrees.
UPDATE: The charge lasted 10 months & I am filling the system again. This time I added more technology to the repair. Using an HBN electric meter, amps were .67 before I added R134. However, when I measured amps 6 months ago, it was .74. I conclude that the amps fell because there is less R134 in the system causing less resistance in the compressor. When I refill the compressor, the amps should return to .74. One thing I disagree with Ben and that's how much R134 to add. If u add more R134 than needed, the suction line will freeze. On my Maytag, +1 lb of low side pressure when the compressor is running, is correct.

[vahekahkedjian]

You did a perfect job, I have been 40 years in this business and I testified that you did everything write, and very nicely explaining, congratulations .
Good luck to you

[gary-gilbert]

Nice to see you keeping it around instead of sending it to the dump, in this throwaway society.

[Samlol_drrich]

Not only a great informative video, but you also preemptively covered those (tree nuggets )who are gonna whine that you should fix the leak. I agree that an ounce or two leaking every few years is a non issue to the environment. I justify that by looking at my hairless head. I save the environment daily by not needing hairspray.

[edolson]

Great video! This is the first video that I've seen that bleeds the hoses. Always bleed the hoses!

[cornelbuckley]

Great instructions! I really like how you take the time and patience to explain the fine details of the process!

[richardfritz]

Very good, to the point, plus sensible but important little points like the bleeding process. Tire of the ford training fake (non)informative videos that are nothing more than just ads for their bs school.

[tanjogok]

You are very good at work, greeting engineer from Indonesia

[Pilot]

Yup! Very Thankful for this detailed no nonsense Instructional video. It gave me enough information to add 134A to our 2002 Kenmore Bottom Freezer which wasn’t keeping temps in freezer, compressor running full time except when defrost timer kicked in. Condenser coils were barely warm 83 f. Compressor only running 27 minutes now and freezer staying -2 to -12f. Almost kicked this refrigerator to the curb but really like simple old skool design without all the electronics and computer board.
Thanks Again!!

[johna]

Torquing to full stop with repeat insertions could cause leak.
If you rely on threads to locate the seal point it might not return to full sealing force (needle to tube).
For example: my piercing valve is 3 turns stop-to-stop ymmv. Go in ~2 1/2 turns to pierce, then back off and charge.
Then in to light torque to ~2 3/4 turns, which is plenty for the 30psi resting pressure.
Then you know the seal force is point-to-tube instead of thread-to-thread. This also allows for increased depth needed for future recharges.

[jamestriplett]

If these appliances need a recharge, there is a corrosion pinhole leak somewhere on the aluminum tubing. Over time aluminum tubing in insulated wall sweats reacts and causes that. Also aluminum connection to steel or copper tubing corrode. When charging, use the amp meter to not go over the compressor rating of a full charge when appliance is running.

[vladislavavadanii]

well done job ! Very precise, proper, accurate and clear !

[LikeColorBlue]

this video is the best one on YouTube to introduce how to refill refrigerant into a fridge!!!

[RickSegui]

You forgot to check and warn people about the tap valve being a leaker!

[timjohnston]

i use Leak freeze to fix all my appliances, great stufff the .05oz red.
never leaks again permanently fixed.

[mbu]

Why you turn the bottle upside-down? The feeding pipe goes all the way to the bottom. Or am I wrong?

[andrew_koala]

00:47 - Butane NOT Propane
IsoButane to be specific
R-224 for example is TriChloroTetraFluoroPropane
R-225 for example is DiChloroPentaFluoroPropane
R-226 for example is ChloroHexaFluoroPropane
R-231 for example is PentaChloroFluoroPropane

and so on -- without making a pages long list - above are
just four examples

[tigerlin]

R134a refrigerant is a single component and does not need to be inverted for liquid filling. It is safer to just use an upright refrigerant tank for gaseous filling, because the compressor inlet must be gaseous. The suction of liquid refrigerant into the compressor will damage the outlet valve.