Fridge not cooling

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bar1

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Hi, i came back from holiday and the fridge is not cooling properly.
had someone to come have a look and he said the pipe is blocked , they need to clean it, regas and gonna charge me R1200?
does it seems reasonable ?
i didn't really understand why we need to regas if it's just a blockage somewhere , although last Monday i watched a show about scammers , aircon repairs, and they just quoted regas on everything (even when the problem was just a fuse), so i could be a bit paranoid....lol
 
bar1 said:
Hi, i came back from holiday and the fridge is not cooling properly.
had someone to come have a look and he said the pipe is blocked , they need to clean it, regas and gonna charge me R1200?
does it seems reasonable ?
i didn't really understand why we need to regas if it's just a blockage somewhere , although last Monday i watched a show about scammers , aircon repairs, and they just quoted regas on everything (even when the problem was just a fuse), so i could be a bit paranoid....lol
Click to expand...
If you leave it off for say 24 hours and switch it on. Does it start cooling or nothing at all ?
 
You'd only need to re-gas if there is a leak, however if he has to cut a pipe to remove the blockage, he would need to re-gas the system after resealing it.

Ask him for a breakdown of the work that needs to be done. R1,200 isn't too unreasonable IMO.
 
The pipe that's blocked likely transports the gas. That's why the fridge isn't cooling. So opening it up to unblock the pipe will let the gas out.
 
ok i guess that makes sense....after watching that show i am always paranoid about getting a technition lol

""If you leave it off for say 24 hours and switch it on. Does it start cooling or nothing at all ?""

Should i try that?
the fridge is cooling a little....but if it might help i'll do it.
 
@bar1 it would be a great help for you to learn how a fridge works. It's very simple, and will help you understand what the repairman is telling you and you can judge with confidence wether you're being shafted. Here's two short videos to get you started:

 
I recently repaired mine after it stopped cooling low enough.
The thermostat at it's lowest setting could not get the temperature lower than 8C.
Shorted out the 220v to the other wire and it went to 2C. Ideal is 3 to 4C.
Replaced the thermostat from Ebay for ÂŁ2.95.
 
I had a fridge not cooling. Refilled it yearly. A big leak was found within the fridge.

I just bought a new fridge
 
Do you have pets?

The cooling vents, fins, screens could be blocked with hair which tends to get attracted to these areas like a magnet. It won't cool well if not well ventilated. Trying cleaning all the gunk off with a brush.
 
Check door seals, and play with that thermostat, up down up down, maybe it is dirty. My fridge is electronic.
 
He might not be talking nonsense about there being a blockage. You can get fowling on the expansion valve especially if the refrigerant used was not pure and has been repeatedly refilled.

It's a pain in the butt to get to the valve, and he is likely going to just replace it than try and clean it. The whole loop must be purged and refilled again afterwards. R1.2k is not unreasonable for the job
 
Ok thanks everyone, door seems to be sealed.
Asked them to come back tomorrow
 
bar1 said:
Ok thanks everyone, door seems to be sealed.
Asked them to come back tomorrow
Click to expand...
If they work on the pipes, a regas is a must. There are no short cuts. Did you switch off the fridge while away?
But verify the thermostat before assuming the worst.
Price is not bad depending on the make and model.
Even a simple job could be R 800.
 
Is it a standalone fridge or a combi (fridge/freezer)? If it's a combi, check whether the element is frozen up. What happens to mine is the defrost element in the freezer stops working, and over time the frost builds up and eventually the fan that sucks cool air from the freezer to cool the fridge, freezes up and stops working. 24hr defrost confirmed that the fridge was still working. Bought a new defrost element, and fridge was fine.
 
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