I DID SOMETHING REALLY, REALLY, STUPID

[teoshea]

Dumb, dumb, dumb. Yeah I know. I did the same thing. Pssst went all the refrigerant. I called the West System epoxy folk and got a guru. He told me that their G/ flex epoxy would actually bond to aluminum. Got some , $20.
Then I got a very small screw - like an eyeglass screw. I sanded paint off around the hole, dabbed the screw in the epoxy and screwed it into the hole. Then I pooled the epoxy around the screw, and viola, fixed. I recharged the fridge. That’s was about a year ago and no leaks. I do need to repaint the bear aluminum. It is rusting a bit. Good luck.

[skenn_ie]

You MIGHT be able to solder the hole, with special solder for aluminium, then refill.

[2hulls4me]

Kinda gives new meaning to “brain freeze” huh?

[skenn_ie]

Even the smartest people do dumb things, so I've been told ;-)

[opusnz]

I had a small hole caused by some pitting and corrosion in the evaporator plate on my 12V fridge. I cleaned it well down to bare metal, put on some JB Weld Epoxy and had it recharged. That was over 20 years ago and it is still working fine.

[BILLY_BUDD]

Lesson learned 40 years ago. Man primarily learn through their mistakes, the lucky ones survive the lesson.

At the time I was surrounded by skilled craftsmen, in the gritty underbelly of a Phila Ivy League institution. A non matriculated smart HVAC guy on duty at the university, delivered an HVAC lesson later in the day. He sealed the puncture with an epoxy like product and once cured, replaced the lost Freon ‘Refrigeration 101’ was a free lecture at the university that day!

[sailorboy1]

Personally I wouldn't try to "fix" it unless that was the only opinion. The time you spend mess around with "fixing" it and then recharging it and getting the charge right, just to have it fail just down the road at the wrong time, to me seems a poor choice.

Replace it and do the right the first time!

[KUTA]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I guess I’m the only one that defrosts with water from a hose?

Don't worry, you are not alone. We are at least two.🏝

[skipgundlach]

Those who defrost with a hose have all that water to deal with - unless there's a drain (which also drains the cold/lets in the heat). I have plenty of water just from my ice melting.

Which I just did, on one of the few days where I had to run the Honda to supplement the wind and sun which normally suffices for charging.

That day was chosen as it was 'free' (not out of the house bank) watts for the small bullet fan I pointed down into the freezer, leaving the lid open, and continued about my business.

The next time I checked, all the ice was gone. I scooped as much of the water out as I could, using a tupperware container, and sponged the rest. No drama, quick turnaround, and easy cleanup. Back in goes the food, down with the lid, and another tool-free (well, I suppose the fan is a tool to this end) defrost cycle is in the books...

[gamayun]

To defrost, I turn off the compressor overnight, long enough to get the freezer a little warm. The ice peels off in huge chunks. No need to whack at it. Just try to do this when the icebox is near empty in case you forget, which no one would actually do.... I'm just sayin.

[Valmika]

Originally Posted by KUTA

Don't worry, you are not alone. We are at least two.🏝

Make that three. And I have a sump pump Beneteau conveniently installed to pump the water from the bottom. out. Only problem with that is if water freezes in the pipe you have to make sure the ice plug is defrosted too before you can use it.
to

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Valmika

Make that three. And I have a sump pump Beneteau conveniently installed to pump the water from the bottom. out. Only problem with that is if water freezes in the pipe you have to make sure the ice plug is defrosted too before you can use it.
to

Those are pretty common, particularly if the unit is old enough to have relied on ice rather than refrigeration.

Still, it's a heat sink/cold loss opportunity and has a negative effect on both the area and the overall heat cost...

[OzePete]

Death by ice pick is very common especially for aluminium evaporators. Even frozen items moving around can pierce them.
Anyone with a mortally wounded evaporator should first check their insurance as many insurance companies will cover replacement / repair for this type of incident.
Hopes this works for you Zen.

Cheers OzePete

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by OzePete

Death by ice pick is very common especially for aluminium evaporators. Even frozen items moving around can pierce them.
Anyone with a mortally wounded evaporator should first check their insurance as many insurance companies will cover replacement / repair for this type of incident.
Hopes this works for you Zen.

Cheers OzePete

Greetings, OzePete!

So far no punctures in ours

[thinwater]

I was taught this as a small child, 50 years ago.
* Remove everything and wrap it in several blankets. It won't thaw that fast.
* Put the largest sauce pan(s) or boiling water in the space that will fit. Change every 5-10 minutes or as needed.
* Don't get in a rush. It's easier to wait for it to melt more than to worse something. Like ripe fruit, if the chunks don't come out easily, they aren't ready. Don't you have something else to do for a few minutes?


Frost is reduced by not opening the door and by not putting wet items in the fridge (wipe them off--that water will all end up on the coil). Cover everything to reduce evaporation.