The fridge in your Garfield Park kitchen is humming, the milk is warm, and a video online says a can of Freon will fix it. On an older fridge, you can't recharge the refrigerant in your refrigerator yourself unless you're certified. For gases like R-134a, federal rules say anyone who opens the sealed cooling system must hold an EPA card. Many newer fridges use a gas that burns, so that's no home job either.
Without that card, you can't buy most of the gas, either, and letting the older gases leak into the air on purpose is against the law.
Freon is the cooling gas sealed inside your fridge, and its general name is refrigerant. Here's the good part. A warm fridge isn't always a Freon problem, and some of the checks you can do yourself only take a few minutes. And if the fridge sits in the garage, the cold may be the cause: see why a garage fridge stops working in winter.
Which of these sounds like you?
- You want to add Freon yourself, and you have no EPA card: on an older fridge you can't legally open the sealed system, and you can't buy most refrigerant. On a newer one the gas can catch fire. Either way, don't.
- You hold an EPA Type I card: you may work on small sealed appliances, like a home fridge.
- You aren't sure the Freon is the problem: check the simple things first, starting with GE's list below.
- The fridge is done, and you want it gone: the gas has to come out before it's scrapped. See how to get rid of an old fridge in Indianapolis.
Is it illegal to add Freon to your own fridge?
Yes, on an older fridge, if you don't hold an EPA card. That means a fridge that runs on a gas like R-134a. A federal rule, 40 CFR 82.161, says anyone who opens the sealed cooling loop of a small appliance like a fridge must be certified as a Type I technician. Newer fridges that run on gases such as isobutane (R-600a) or propane (R-290) fall outside that rule. Those gases burn. Leave those fridges to a trained tech too.
Read the exact wording
"Any person who could be reasonably expected to violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit during the maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of appliances (as follows in this paragraph) containing a class I or class II refrigerant or a non-exempt substitute refrigerant must pass a certification exam offered by an approved technician certification program. (i) Persons who maintain, service, or repair small appliances must be certified as Type I technicians."
From 40 CFR 82.161
A home fridge counts as a "small appliance," and 40 CFR 82.152 defines the term. It means any appliance sealed at the factory with 5 pounds or less of refrigerant. Fridges and freezers are named.
Read the exact wording
"Small appliance means any appliance that is fully manufactured, charged, and hermetically sealed in a factory with five (5) pounds or less of refrigerant, including, but not limited to, refrigerators and freezers (designed for home, commercial, or consumer use)…"
From 40 CFR 82.152
The gas in your fridge was sealed in at the factory. To add more, you'd have to open that seal, and opening it is the part the rule keeps for people who hold the card. On those fridges: no card, no refill.
Can you even buy Freon without a card?
Mostly not. The sales rule in 40 CFR 82.154 sees to that.
A seller can't sell you most refrigerant unless you're certified. Small cans of car AC refrigerant are the exception. Even with one of those, though, opening a fridge still takes a Type I card, so the can doesn't get you around the rule.
Read the exact wording
"No person may sell or distribute, or offer for sale or distribution, any substance that consists in whole or in part of a class I or class II substance or, starting on January 1, 2018, any non-exempt substitute for use as a refrigerant unless: (i) The buyer has been certified as a Type I, Type II, Type III, or Universal technician under § 82.161…"
From 40 CFR 82.154
What about letting the old gas out?
For older fridge gases like R-134a and R-12, that's banned outright under the same rule. You may never let those out into the air on purpose, and that goes for fixing a fridge as much as for throwing one out.
Read the exact wording
"No person maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of an appliance or industrial process refrigeration may knowingly vent or otherwise release into the environment any refrigerant from such appliances."
From 40 CFR 82.154
The rule leaves out a few gases used in newer fridges, such as isobutane (R-600a). These gases can catch fire, the EPA says. So it's still not a job to do yourself. The label inside your fridge names the gas.
What are the signs a fridge is low on Freon?
A fridge that runs but won't get cold is the usual worry. GE says several things can cause that, though, so it pays to rule out the simple ones before you blame the gas.
GE's Refrigerator - Not Cooling Enough page walks through the checks below. They're written for GE models, so your own manual may differ.
Start with the settings
- The dial: on GE dial models, a higher number is colder, so turn it up one number. If yours shows the real temperature, set it one degree lower.
- A new fridge: give it about 24 hours to cool down.
- A recent repair: the fridge may still be in a test mode. Unplug it for 30 seconds to reset it.
Then the doors and the air
- The doors: they should close on their own, and the seals should seal. Look for a tray or box in the way.
- Tall items: big containers in the back can block the cold air. Move them forward.
- The light: if it stays on with the door shut, it can add heat.
Then the coils and the room
- The coils: unplug the fridge first. GE says most fridges made since 2001 don't need their coils cleaned, but small fridges and smaller top-freezer models still do. Your manual says which.
- The room: GE says a fridge may not cool well in a spot below 60 °F or above 110 °F. That matters if yours lives in a garage.
- Air space: GE says to leave at least 1 inch on each side, the top and the back. Your manual may say more.
Still warm after all that? Then it's time to call someone who holds the card and can look at the sealed system.
While you wait
Watch the food, too. If it's been above 40 °F for more than 2 hours, check which food to keep or toss before you eat anything.
How much does it cost to refill Freon in a fridge?
We can't give you a fair Indianapolis price yet. Get one from the tech before any work starts.
Keep one thing in mind. The gas is sealed in at the factory, so if it's low, some likely got out, and the tech should find where before they add more.
Questions to ask the tech
- Do you hold an EPA Type I or Universal card? Whoever opens the sealed system on an older-gas fridge must hold one, so ask to see it.
- Where is the gas getting out? Ask before they add more.
- What's the price for the whole job? You want the full fix, not just the gas.
What to have ready when you call
- The brand and model number, from the label on the fridge.
- What it's doing: a warm fridge with a cold freezer, both warm, or running all the time.
- What you've already checked from GE's list above.
- How long it's been warm.
For what the law asks of repair techs here, see does an appliance repair tech need a license in Indiana. For who answers when you call, see how repair calls from this site work.