Can refrigerant go bad?

[desi778]

Newbie to the board... I searched and could not find anything related to this subject.

My condenser fan motor died on my residential refrigerator. I replaced it and the coolest I could get the freezer was 32 degrees... I cleaned the coil, checked the evap fan motor, and verified it was not icing... Because it is residential there were no access valves so I could not check the pressures.
I recovered the refrigerant (it smelled burned (134a)), sweat on a low side access valve, added acid away, pulled a vacuum, and recharged to the factory 5.125 ounces. Its been an hour or so now and its already at 30 degrees. (it had taken all the previous night to get it down to 32). So my question is, can the refrigerant get so hot that it won't cool?

[GT Jets]

Newbie to the board... I searched and could not find anything related to this subject.

My condenser fan motor died on my residential refrigerator. I replaced it and the coolest I could get the freezer was 32 degrees... I cleaned the coil, checked the evap fan motor, and verified it was not icing... Because it is residential there were no access valves so I could not check the pressures.
I recovered the refrigerant (it smelled burned (134a)), sweat on a low side access valve, added acid away, pulled a vacuum, and recharged to the factory 5.125 ounces. Its been an hour or so now and its already at 30 degrees. (it had taken all the previous night to get it down to 32). So my question is, can the refrigerant get so hot that it won't cool?


Not really, but if it ran low on charge it can burn the oil and get either acidic and/or waxie....

GT

[jpsmith1cm]

Not only that, but if the head pressure and discharge temps get high enough, it can cause oil breakdown and problems with plugged cap tubes.

[desi778]

well, who knows how long it was cycling on and off on thermal... it's down to 20 degrees this a.m. with fresh refrigerant???

[pecmsg]

well, who knows how long it was cycling on and off on thermal... it's down to 20 degrees this a.m. with fresh refrigerant???

12 hours run time and only 20*F. Listen to what JP said, “Oil breakdown and possible problems with cap tube”.

Start looking for a replacement fridge.

[Airmechanical]

can the refrigerant get so hot that it won't cool?

that's a loaded question

when you think about what refrigerant is and what it does

the most correct answer is, NO



.

[desi778]

12 hours run time and only 20*F. Listen to what JP said, “Oil breakdown and possible problems with cap tube”.

Start looking for a replacement fridge.

The pressures look right, but the freezer wont get any lower than 25 degrees.
The fridge is 10+ years old... Time to bury it!!!

[nchvac]

Did I miss the Superheat measurement? What is the pressure on the suction line and the suction line temp? Weigh in is great, but if you don't handle how you use the hoses and account for them, your charge can easily be off. did you charge with liquid? If so, hose length makes a big difference.

[desi778]

superheat was only a few degrees... last check, low side pressure was 0psig @ 40 degrees F inside the box. (134a) charged with vapor and the hoses were filled and bled off before weigh in. i havent checked anything since the original weigh in, and the freezer doesnt get any colder tha 40 deg. F now. both the condenser and evap fan went bad within 2 weeks time and it already had a bad solenoid valve for the water dispenser. i just bought this house and it's the unit is a Kenmore over 10+ years old. i think i am going to retire it and use it as an excuse to my wife to finish my kitchen remodel...

[nchvac]

You likely have your answer with a stoped up cap tube.

[desi778]

thanks a lot everyone.... this website is great