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Mastering Sealed System Repair: Your Path to Expertise in Refrigerator Repair

Academy Talk • Career Talk • Tech Talk April 3, 2024

Are you eager to become an expert refrigerator repair technician, including mastering the intricacies of sealed system maintenance? If so, you’re embarking on a journey that demands dedication, expertise, and specialized training. But don’t fret – we are here to help you acquire the skills necessary to excel in refrigerator sealed system repair.

Does Sealed System Training Make Sense for Me? 

Sealed system work is not for every tech. Most refrigerator repairs that customers are willing to pay for do not involve the sealed system. It is an expensive repair, so sealed system work is often done under warranty. For companies who do not do warranty work, it often does not make financial sense to have and maintain the equipment needed to do the work. 

As the technician, however, you probably know that expensive repairs such as sealed system repairs mean more money in your pocket. If your company does enough warranty work or there are a lot of high-end refrigerators in your market, then you might want to have the ability to do sealed system repairs.

What is a Sealed System?

Tackling a sealed system repair first and foremost requires basic understanding of refrigerator technology. The sealed system is the heart of a refrigerator, comprising the compressor, condenser, capillary tube, evaporator, and connective tubing:

  1. The compressor compresses refrigerant, increasing its temperature and pressure. It pumps the refrigerant into the condenser coils.
  2. The condenser cools the refrigerant into a liquid, releasing heat out of the system through the front or back of the refrigerator.
  3. The cool refrigerant flows through the cap tube, which regulates the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator coils, decreasing the pressure of the liquid.
  4. Once the refrigerant reaches the evaporator it is a low-pressure, cool liquid which is then evaporated into a gas, cooling the air inside the refrigerator. 
  5. The connective tubing is responsible for connecting the different components of the sealed system and allowing the refrigerant to flow seamlessly between each component.

The sealed system is considered “sealed” because it operates as a closed loop, with no need for additional refrigerant once it is assembled. Issues with the sealed system, such as leaks, blockages, or compressor failures can result in decreased cooling efficiency or a complete breakdown of the refrigerator.

Sealed System Repairs

To perform a sealed system repair, you must first know what the problem is that you are trying to fix. To know the problem, you need to be able to diagnose it. And to diagnose the problem, you need to understand the technology of sealed systems and how it works. So as a technician looking to learn sealed system repairs, you need to start with education. 

Formal Education and Training

A sealed system is a part of a refrigerator, so becoming an expert in refrigerator repair is the very first step to mastering sealed system repairs. Our Advanced Refrigerator Repair Training Course will teach you how to troubleshoot and fix every system in every refrigerator, from classic sealed systems to modern computer-controlled contraptions.

Once you have refrigerator repair training under your belt, it’s quite easy to learn how to do sealed system repair work. You just need to follow a procedure, pay attention to details, know the basics of using scales and gauges, and acquire some degree of proficiency with brazing copper (and soon, Lokring). If you’re an appliance repair technician, chances are you like working with your hands, so once your brain knows what it’s doing, with a little practice, your hands will follow.

Hands-On Practice

Once you complete our refrigerator repair training course, you will be in a good place to seek out hands-on practice. You may be fortunate enough to have a senior certified tech on staff willing to show you the ropes. There may even be one-day or weekend workshops available nearby that can walk you through the process and give you hands-on experience. 

If not, there are also lots of free materials out there from manufacturers. Read, watch, learn, and practice. Get some old dehumidifiers or refrigerators to practice on. You’ll destroy the first couple that you work on, but no big deal – it’s not a customer unit. After you get it right in your workshop, you’ll be ready to take your new skills into the real world.

Technical Documents & Videos from Appliantology (You’ll need a tech account at Appliantology.org to download):

Instructional Videos (from YouTube):

Get your Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Certification

An EPA certification, or 608 certification, is official recognition that a technician knows the laws and regulations surrounding the use and handling of ozone-depleting substances, or ODS, such as refrigerants. While this certification is required by law for anyone looking to repair, service or install refrigerators, it does not demonstrate your technical competence or ability to troubleshoot and repair sealed systems. More FAQs can be found on the EPA’s Refrigerant Management and Section 608 Certified Technician, and you can also  search online for a place such as this example that offers the EPA “Section 608” test and certification. (“Type 1” Certification is what you need for residential refrigerators.)

Become an Expert in Refrigerator Repair

Take your appliance repair career to the next level. Enroll in Advanced Refrigerator Repair Training today to become an expert in refrigerator repair, get a little hands-on practice with sealed systems under your belt, and make it official with an EPA certification. You will be a force to be reckoned with in the technician world. 

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