What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

Fridge experts: Small puncture in the lining of old refrigerator (1 Viewer)

JAMES!

Footballguy
I have an old downstairs refrigerator and yesterday I put a half dime-sized hole at the base of a vertical wall. The metal shelf retainer somehow got knocked out of it's holders when I shut the fridge door. When I went to open it the next time, the retainer had unbeknownst to me wedged itself in between the door shelf and the side wall. The door wouldn't open more than a few inches. Being stupid I naturally just tried to yank it open and put a small hole in the fridge liner.

I searched the internet last night for answers and they were all over the place. I did not rupture a line or anything like that and the hole is in a raised area of the liner (where a shelf would rest on top of the groove in the plastic liner, like the side walls here http://s3-production.bobvila.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/refrigerator-organization.jpg). I put a few pieces of duct tape over the hole and the fridge kept it's temp all night, things were cold this morning. I don't care about the aesthetics, only performance and safety. Am I fine just with the duct tape over the hole? The fridge is in a confined space and I'm wondering if the hole could possibly leak something harmful to breath? Could it be a fire hazard? It's not making any hissing noises and it sounds like it's running as usual. I know I can get a fridge liner repair kit but asking if the tape is good enough. Nothing to worry about?

 
they use duct tape on space shuttles so I think youll be good to go. did you clean the surface and make it smooth before adding duct tape

 
they use duct tape on space shuttles so I think youll be good to go. did you clean the surface and make it smooth before adding duct tape
I wiped it down good. I most concerned about something harmful leaking. if I just punctured the liner and not a refrigerant line, is it basically a cosmetic issue? are there any toxins from the insulation that could leak out? I can't smell anything but when I breath in around it I come away not feeling great. Its probably all in my head but just want to make sure.

 
I wiped it down good. I most concerned about something harmful leaking. if I just punctured the liner and not a refrigerant line, is it basically a cosmetic issue? are there any toxins from the insulation that could leak out? I can't smell anything but when I breath in around it I come away not feeling great. Its probably all in my head but just want to make sure.
I have no clue. if that were the case you'd think thered be some type of warning written on it and all fridges would need to be properly disposed of. im guessing

if anything maybe it was vacuum sealed like the yeti growlers? I wouldn't worry about it

 
I have no clue. if that were the case you'd think thered be some type of warning written on it and all fridges would need to be properly disposed of. im guessing

if anything maybe it was vacuum sealed like the yeti growlers? I wouldn't worry about it
If i punctured the inside fridge liner it'd be impossible for anything to leak outside the fridge, right? I didn't pierce the outer shell of the fridge, just the inside liner. Reading for hours on the internet last night and saw everything from duct tape is fine to throw the fridge out because it's dangerous. Any kind of gas leak, toxic air related makes me a little crazy. Tempted to just toss the fridge but if it's nothing to worry about I don't want to compound my stupidity.

 
If i punctured the inside fridge liner it'd be impossible for anything to leak outside the fridge, right? I didn't pierce the outer shell of the fridge, just the inside liner. Reading for hours on the internet last night and saw everything from duct tape is fine to throw the fridge out because it's dangerous. Any kind of gas leak, toxic air related makes me a little crazy. Tempted to just toss the fridge but if it's nothing to worry about I don't want to compound my stupidity.
well im just some random dude on the internet so its up to you

I was able to get a decent fridge for my garage for $100 from a friend. probably a bunch on CL around that price

 
well im just some random dude on the internet so its up to you

I was able to get a decent fridge for my garage for $100 from a friend. probably a bunch on CL around that price
A used fridge is a possibility but this fridge fits perfectly in the space I have for it. It's a little smaller than a normal fridge. Moving it out and a new one in would be a hassle too so best case scenario is keeping this one if I can.

 
If something is leaking it's not going to kill you.  It will just stop getting cold eventually

 
If something is leaking it's not going to kill you.  It will just stop getting cold eventually
Pretty much this. You basically have a compressor with refrigerant in a fridge. If you punctured a refrigerant line you would have heard hissing immediately and your fridge would not be cold this morning. 

You are fine. Other than the perceived 10% loss of cold. 

 
Pretty much this. You basically have a compressor with refrigerant in a fridge. If you punctured a refrigerant line you would have heard hissing immediately and your fridge would not be cold this morning. 

You are fine. Other than the perceived 10% loss of cold. 
Any idea if the coolant lines could be located in the side walls? Or mostly on the top and bottom? The hole looked hollow inside and I put my ear right up to it and heard nothing. Would it make sense to fills the hole with some kind of putty and then cover it with duct tape? It's basically just an insulation issue?

 
Any idea if the coolant lines could be located in the side walls? Or mostly on the top and bottom? The hole looked hollow inside and I put my ear right up to it and heard nothing. Would it make sense to fills the hole with some kind of putty and then cover it with duct tape? It's basically just an insulation issue?
They are usually along the back or bottom. And yeah, I think it's probably just an insulation issue.

 
Could you try some sort of plastic repair kit?  Maybe some mesh drywall tape with one of those plastic epoxy tubes?
The fridge liner repair kits I saw online were expensive. I'll probably take a drive over to Lowe's at some point and see what they have there.

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top