Prices and advice
Does My Fridge Need Regassing?
Probably not, if we are honest. Most fridges in Harare that are told they need gas have a different fault. A fridge does not consume refrigerant; if it is low, it is leaking, and leaks produce quite specific signs. This guide helps you tell the difference before you pay for a regas you do not need.
- The four signs that point to a genuine leak
- The faults that are mistaken for low gas every day
- A simple frost pattern test you can do yourself
- What a proper leak test involves
- Fridges and freezers only, nothing else
- Mobile across Harare, no need to transport the unit
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
- Price agreed before any work starts
A fridge does not use up gas
The refrigerant in a fridge circulates in a sealed loop and is never consumed. It does the same job for twenty years unless it escapes through a leak. So the real question is never whether the fridge needs gas, but whether it has a leak, and that is something a technician can measure rather than guess.
Low gas does produce a recognisable pattern. Cooling fades gradually over weeks rather than failing overnight. The compressor runs continuously and gets hot, because the thermostat never sees the cabinet reach temperature. The evaporator frosts only in a small patch near where the refrigerant enters, instead of evenly across its surface. And there is sometimes a faint oily mark at a pipe joint, because refrigerant carries a little compressor oil out with it.
If your fridge stopped cooling suddenly, if the freezer is still cold while the fridge is warm, if the compressor is not running at all, or if there is a thick sheet of ice on the back wall of the freezer, the problem is almost certainly not gas.
Signs that really point to low gas
- Cooling has got gradually worse over several weeks
- The compressor runs all the time and is very hot to touch
- Only a small patch of the evaporator or freezer plate frosts, the rest stays dry
- On a chest freezer, frost only on the top part of the walls
- An oily stain or dust stuck to oil at a pipe joint or on the compressor
- A faint hissing or bubbling from the evaporator when the fridge starts
Faults that get blamed on gas but are not
Each of these produces a warm fridge and each is cheaper to fix than a regas. Gas would not have helped.
- Evaporator iced into a block because the defrost heater, timer or sensor failed
- Evaporator fan seized or noisy, so no cold air moves into the fridge section
- Thermostat or sensor not calling for cooling, compressor silent
- Start relay or overload failed, compressor humming and clicking
- Door gasket leaking so warm air pours in faster than the fridge can cool
- Condenser blocked with dust so the fridge cannot shed heat
- Damper stuck between freezer and fridge on a frost free model
What we actually do
How a technician confirms a leak
Our technician connects gauges to measure the suction and discharge pressures, measures the compressor current with a clamp meter, and reads temperatures across the evaporator with a thermometer. Together those numbers say clearly whether the system is short of refrigerant, whether the compressor is pumping, and whether the fault is somewhere else entirely.
If the system is low, the next step is finding the leak with an electronic detector or a nitrogen pressure test, not charging gas. Once the leak is repaired, the drier replaced and the system vacuumed, the correct charge is weighed in. That is what you are paying for when you pay for a regas, and it is why the gas then stays in.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How often should a fridge be regassed?+
Never, in normal use. A sealed system keeps its charge for the life of the fridge. If your fridge needs gas regularly, a leak was never repaired.
My fridge was regassed a month ago and is warm again. Why?+
Either the leak was not repaired, the system was not vacuumed and has an ice or moisture blockage, or the wrong gas or wrong charge was used. We test the pressures and tell you which before recommending anything.
Can I check for low gas myself?+
You can look at the frost pattern. Even frost across the evaporator or freezer walls means the charge is probably fine. Frost only in one small patch near the inlet suggests low gas. A technician confirms it with gauges.
Is regassing bad for a fridge?+
Done properly, no. Done without a leak repair and vacuum, yes: air and moisture in the system shorten the compressor's life.
Not sure if it is gas? Let us test it properly.
Call 0782 886 252 or WhatsApp us. We measure before we recommend anything, anywhere in Harare, 24 hours a day.