On Sun, 04 Dec 2005 11:08:36 GMT, "Egremont"
wrote:


I thought old fridges were inefficient, so it would be environmentally
unfriendly to keep it in use even if repaired. Fridges that run but don't
cool usually do so because they have leaked some or all of the coolant gas
already.

Apparently, with old fridges there is more cfcs contained in the
insulating material than there is in the refrigerant coolant system
itself. Merely draining off the refrigerant - which is relatively
simple to do - does not solve the problem.

The bulk of the cfcs in the fridge will be released when the fridge is
broken up or crushed.

The proper machines designed to recycle fridges are airtight. The
fridge goes in one end through an airlock. The machine is crushed and
any gasses released from the insulation are trapped within the machine
and then stored.

Graham