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Refrigeration freezer box leak

1K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  SchockT 
#1 ·
I had my Adler Barbour refer unit charged the other day, and a leak was discovered in the interior of the freezer box (condenser plate). Probably a very small pinhole leak that was not observable.

Has anyone confronted this problem? I am looking for advice on possibly sealing the interior of the box with a coating rather than pay $750 dollars for a new AB unit, or a similar replacement of lesser quality and price.
 
#2 ·
I had my Adler Barbour refer unit charged the other day, and a leak was discovered in the interior of the freezer box (condenser plate). Probably a very small pinhole leak that was not observable.

Has anyone confronted this problem? I am looking for advice on possibly sealing the interior of the box with a coating rather than pay $750 dollars for a new AB unit, or a similar replacement of lesser quality and price.
whether it can be done? is not too risky?
 
#3 ·
When my daughter was a little girl, she poked a hole in the evaporator plate on our old Frigoboat system with a steak knife she was using to free an ice-cream bar that had frozen to the plate. Believe it or not, I repaired the thing by letting the fridge defrost and dry thoroughly, sanding around the puncture with some 220 paper, cleaning the area with some 90% alcohol and then using a tiny piece of woven roving, thoroughly soaked in epoxy, as a patch. Once that cured, I sanded it lightly and used some epoxy "Appliance Paint" from the hardware store to color the patch to match the balance of the plate. Our refrigeration tech insisted the patch wouldn't work but recharged and restarted our system anyway after which it worked for another 8 years before the compressor failed and we had to replace the entire unit.

FWIW...
 
#4 ·
Yes there are some products on the market that can be used to patch a small evaporator leak. JB Weld is one product you could try. The key is surface prep. it must be absolutely clean and a bit rough for best adhesion.

Failing that, you CAN just replace the evaporator plate, you don't have to buy a complete new refrigeration system.
 
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