Hello, my husband and I are living in Brazil as full time missionaries and our very old refrigerator is leaking freon.
I poked a small hole in the top of the freezer with a knife while trying to chisel out the massive amount of ice and the freon began t leak out. There aren't any repair shops with 5 hours.
We would be able to get some freon about an hour away at a car repair shop. If there is any suggestion that might help. We live on a very small budget so a new frig. right now is out. please brain storm for us . Thanks

lisa, November 2008

You can't just buy the refridgeration gas & expect to pour it back in. It is a job for a trained service person with the right equipment. Buy another fridge or arrange for someone who knows what they are doing to repair it. Next time try using warm water or leave the door open to melt the ice instead of using sharp instruments on soft plastic.

Lincoln Appliance NZ, November 2008

Concentrate on a replacement fridge - check out Refridgerator and Freon on Wikipedia.

Whatever the gas is in your machine it's a sealed and pressurised system and will be very very difficult for you to repair without extensive workshop equipment and plant.

In the mean time - the ancients made ice in the desert - insulate a stone area from the sun with straw and an awning during the day and at night (if there's no cloud) run a thin layer of water over the stone- Collect ice in the morning and store in an insulated cold chamber.

http://yarchive.net/space/ice_in_desert.html

Peccavi, November 2008