Ahb Articles: Kegerator

[mikec]

I'm suspecting lack of fan is contributing to my fluctuations, so I've ordered a font fan kit for it. Should cool down the font as well as increasing air flow throughout. Kill two birds with one stone.Let yas know how it goes!

 

[breakbeer]

Got my new Diemen CO2 bottle delivered today, one step closer. I can almost taste it!

 

[breakbeer]

God daaaamn I'm hanging to use my kegerator for the first time, bloody beer's not ready to keg yet though

 

[mikec]

I've installed the Keg King "font fan kit" in my Series III.
Well, it does cool down the font, but it doesn't really improve air flow. There are still massive variations in temperature between top and bottom, front and back, inside the fridge.
At the moment I'm getting the best results by removing the hose from the font fan (so it no longer blows into the font) and just using the fan to circulate air around the fridge. I have also pulled the fridge's probe out of its little hole and raised it as high as it will reach (about half way up the left wall). The temperature within the fridge is now generally more uniform (it will never be perfect), with the warmest parts (top-front) only ever going about 3 degrees higher than the indicated temp on the front panel.

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

I got one of the Keg King kegerators before christmas. Same problem as above. Set to zero but actual temp was around six. Spoke to Kee of Keg King and he was kind enough to send me details of a simple mod to 'adjust' the sensor reading. Place a resistor in parallel. Worked for me.

See attched for details

View attachment 52516

An old thread but a goodie ....
GWB - the pdf you posted was singlemost useful thing I've found for my kegerator (I tried lots of different things).
Did the mod last week and happy days - Beer was at 5.8C, now at 2.5C. Thank you very much for sharing this info.
Cheers
BBB

 

[dicko]

An old thread but a goodie ....
GWB - the pdf you posted was singlemost useful thing I've found for my kegerator (I tried lots of different things).
Did the mod last week and happy days - Beer was at 5.8C, now at 2.5C. Thank you very much for sharing this info.
Cheers
BBB

I did this mod the other day and as BBB said it is the best thing you can do.

Before I did the modification I tested the temp with a digi therm and when the fridge was set on 1 degc it was reading 7degc on the digi therm with the probe at the same position as the fridges sensor.

I decided to just go the 33k resistor and once fitted I retested the fridge and the results are excellent. 3 degc on the fridge equals 3degc on the digi therm.




I wouldn't muck around fitting the 100k resistor.


Another problem I am having with this fridge is the fan screams like a cut cat when it first kicks in.
I am considering replacing the fan with a computer type one that actually blows some air and I wonder is there anyone that can tell me the voltage of the fan that is fitted to the fridge.

My aim if possible is to use the current wiring if possible as I only want it to kick in when the compressor starts.

Cheers

 

[TidalPete]

Dragging out this old dinosaur again almost two years on & wondering if everybody is still happy with the mods they did to their kegerator probes in the posts above?

Has anyone added the 33k ohm resister to the latest model kegerator probes which in MHO carry the same problem as their predecessors did years ago?
Just curious!

One could be forgiven for thinking that the manufacturers had ironed out this problem in their kegerators a long time ago but alas, not so in this case anyway. h34r:



PS --- Did you ever solve that fan problem dicko? Font Snakes work pretty well.

 

[dicko]

Hi Pete,

I did solve the fan problem and the problem of the fridge dropping out and only coming back on at 12 deg c after a power outage.
I am working away from home at the moment so I can't access the bits I used but I will get back to you over Easter when I am home again.

Cheers

 

[pk.sax]

Got the new style too Pete. I reckon the thermostat is probably about 2-3 degrees out. I've dangled another thermo in there and it read 3 degrees out.

I was contemplating the db font snake but with those roto taps and an insulating sleeve inside the font the first pour is plenty good if started from low flow.

 

[dicko]

I had trouble with mine that when the power went off.....which happens here on a regular basis, the fridge defaults to 12 deg c when it comes back on and I was getting home to hot beer.

In the end I got an STC 1000 and disconnected the original temp probe from the kegorator.
I plugged the kegorator into the STC 1000 and placed the sensor in the fridge close to where the original probe was.

By disconnecting the original probe it will cause the fridge motor to run all the time so a separate controller is needed.
Once you do this you have a fridge that is controlled by the STC 1000 but unfortunately that fcuking annoying buzzer runs all the time so....

I pulled the top off the fridge and located the buzzer and got a small self tapper and screwed it into the hole in the middle of the buzzer...... That shut the bugger up for good.

Anyway a picture tells a thousand words

To complete the modification I bought from E Bay a larger fan and used an old power pack that I had laying around to run it and plugged it in to the STC 1000 so that the fan runs when the fridge switches on. This keeps the font nice and cold without having a tube running up into it. I have placed it down on the hump facing up so that it blows up the font.
I need to add that the original power supply for the fan that is built into the kegorator is not big enough to run a bigger fan.

The end result is that I have a kegorator that actually gets really cold if I want it to, the font stays reasonably cold and if the power goes out and then resumes I have a fridge that recovers back to the temp setting on the STC (after the delay setting in the STC protects the compressor) and the best bit is that I come home from work to Cold Beer :lol: :chug:

I should add that this mod has been running without fault for twelve months now...I just wish the Chinese could make this fridge work this way out of the box.

 

[TidalPete]

Thanks for all that dicko. You certainly did some modifications alright.
I was just curious to see if everyone’s modifications had stood the test of time & I’m sure that your info posted above will be of help to a lot of brewers on this forum.

My kegerator is only a few months old so I'm not too keen on voiding the warranty by fiddling around with it ATM even though I get temp variations of up to 6 deg c between a digital thermo inserted in the fridge & the actual readout in the door depending where I hang the temp probe.
This indicates to me that (along with the not-so-good probe) the fan that comes with the fridge isn’t very good at shifting that cold air around either as you've mentioned above.

Thankfully, we don’t get the sort of power problems up here that you get but I like your solution of an STC-1000 & may well go that way further down the track.

PF --- I agree with you that the Rototaps have mostly solved the problem of foaming in the first couple of beers so I’ve stuffed my font with all the insulation I can squeeze in & now redirect the air from the Font Snake so that it helps recirculate the cold air in the fridge itself rather than up the font. Did that this arvo. :beerbang:

 

[doctr-dan]

I was pretty keen on getting one of these kegerators until reading this thread, now I'm not sure.
Sounds like a bit of mucking around to get a new product to actually work.

If you guys had actually read about these problems prior to buying one would you still have ought one?
It's a shame cause they are neat little unit visually

Thanks
Dan

 

[pk.sax]

Yes. The niggles are small compared to the ease.
A lot less stuffing around per litre of beer served than other solutions.

 

[MattSR]

Excellent mod, nice and simple! Thanks!

 

[HalfWit]

Just dragging up an old thread. What size hose would I need to come out of the kegerator tap? Im looking to empty my mead that is in a keg, into a fermentor to be watered down and more yeast added to dry it out. Thanks

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Zombie thread revival alert.


Did this mod to my kegerator recently but also extended the probe wire so that it could be tucked up against a cold keg, rather than reading the air temp.
It should prevent the compressor kicking in as often, especially if the fridge door is left open when changing kegs.

Also disconnected the annoyingly noisy built in fan and sat one of these inside the fridge instead.

 

[takai]

Another zombie thread revival. My Series 3 has started cooling to about 6deg less than set point. So 12c on the display is 5.6c fridge temp, 6c display is 1c fridge temp.

Needless to say frozen beer ensues at normal set point.

Im guessing this will be just a new thermistor. Are they a standard off the shelf item, or should i just get the spare Inkbird out and use that for thermostat and disconnect the internal thermistor as others have done?