Phoning around Free State for the right part and a price takes time. Send one list instead, with the make and model and how many, and we pass it to refrigeration wholesalers and gas suppliers who supply towns and cities across Free State.
Fridge Gas in Free State
Refrigeration gas in Free State is sold by refrigeration wholesalers, mostly to technicians and contractors. R600a and R134a are usually on the shelf, while some blends are ordered in. Hydrocarbon cylinders need careful transport, so ask suppliers in Free State about delivery, cylinder deposits and returns.
The main fridge gas page explains the types, the checks and the costs in more detail.
Free State notes on parts, gas & equipment
Hamilton and the Bloemfontein city centre hold most of the province's refrigeration wholesalers and spares counters, with smaller outlets in Welkom, Kroonstad, Bethlehem and Sasolburg. Common parts such as thermostats, door seals, fans and R600a cans are usually in stock, while compressors for larger units may be ordered in. Chest freezers are a popular buy on farms and in Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu, where families buy meat in bulk.
Fridges and refrigeration in Free State
The Free State has a climate of extremes for fridges. Bloemfontein and Welkom swing from hot summer afternoons to frosty winter nights, and on the eastern highlands around Bethlehem and Harrismith snow is not unusual. Fridges and chest freezers kept in garages and outside rooms can stop starting in deep cold, then struggle in January heat. Grain and cattle farms keep freezers full of meat, the goldfields towns around Welkom have many spaza shops and taverns, and Clarens is full of guest houses and restaurants. Trucks on the N1 and N3 stop at forecourt shops with long rows of bottle coolers. Repairs to freezers, regassing and display cooler work make up most requests.
The requests we see from Free State usually come from:
- Households: the gas named on the sticker, charged by a qualified technician after the leak is fixed
- Farms, packhouses and dairies: refrigerant for packhouse cold rooms and dairy milk cooling systems
- Shops, cafes and supermarkets: R290 or R134a for bottle cooler repairs done by the shop's service technician
Local tips for Free State
Common here: chest freezers and garage fridges that struggle in winter frost and summer heat. Ask each technician or supplier about this: ask whether a fridge or freezer is rated for a cold garage before you buy. Where they work from: bloemfontein, especially Hamilton, plus Welkom, Kroonstad and Bethlehem.
Around Free State the largest group asking is households, which usually means the gas named on the sticker, charged by a qualified technician after the leak is fixed. Before you agree to anything: use the gas on the rating sticker. Keep in mind: frost in Harrismith and Bethlehem, summer heat and dust around Welkom.
Service area: Free State and surrounds
Across Free State our network reaches Bloemfontein, Welkom, Kroonstad, Bethlehem, Sasolburg, Harrismith, Clarens and the towns between them. Outside the bigger centres, ask whether the technician charges travel per kilometre or a fixed call-out.