Bar Fridge Compressor, I Need One!

[pickledkiwi2]

Hi Guys,
First post in a while, I have just clocked up my 102 kit brew, and still feel like a kid in a lolly shop when it comes time to tap a new keg.

I have just become the proud owner of a 3 glass door under bar fridge. It came out of a pub that was closing down near home, along with that I also scored one of the 6 tap gold fonts that was also in the bar.

My only problem is that the fridge did not come with the compressor unit. A mate if mine has put me onto a good retired fridgey who reccons that I need a unit of about 3/8 to 1/2hp with a liquid reciever and condenser to run it.

Does anyone know where I may be able to get hold of something close to this second hand, I have searched all the usual spots (ie, e-bay, trading post etc) but havent seen anything that is close to what I need. I can get a new one for some where around the $650 to $750 mark which is a bit out of my price range at the moment so would really appreaciate if anyone out there has seen a second hand unit about.

I will be setting the whole lot up as a bar for the back deck, I am going to fit a solid timber bar top with the 6 tap gold font into it then clad the front and sides with a similar coloured timber so should look really good when finished, I will post progress photos once I start the project but I am not going to get underway untill I know I have the fridge working first.

Cheers and Beers. :beer:

PS I am in Canberra.

 

[gundaroo]

try the scrap metal guy in fyshwick,heaps of stainless in his yard,may be lucky enough to find one with all the goodies.
or you may have to release the moths out of the wallet .

 

[J.T]

You're probably better off getting something brand new. That way you can have it matched excactly to the fridge (size etc).
With second hand compressors, you cant test them until you connect the refrigerant lines and power, so someone could sell you a cactus one and you wouldnt know.

I fitted a second hand condensing until to a underbench fridge once, the compressor was buggered and they had to buy a new one anyway.

 

[peas_and_corn]

Another vote for getting another fridge; not worth the effort/expense

 

[quadbox]

JT suggested getting a new compressor, not a whole new fridge. Most commercial fridges are seperate from their compressor units, you dont replace the fridge to replace the compressor unit.

In fact at my work (a largish restaurant) one big compressor unit's running pretty much all the restaurant front fridges. Which is a pita when it dies

 

[ausdb]

Hi Guys,
First post in a while, I have just clocked up my 102 kit brew, and still feel like a kid in a lolly shop when it comes time to tap a new keg.

I have just become the proud owner of a 3 glass door under bar fridge. It came out of a pub that was closing down near home, along with that I also scored one of the 6 tap gold fonts that was also in the bar.

My only problem is that the fridge did not come with the compressor unit. A mate if mine has put me onto a good retired fridgey who reccons that I need a unit of about 3/8 to 1/2hp with a liquid reciever and condenser to run it.

Does anyone know where I may be able to get hold of something close to this second hand, I have searched all the usual spots (ie, e-bay, trading post etc) but havent seen anything that is close to what I need. I can get a new one for some where around the $650 to $750 mark which is a bit out of my price range at the moment so would really appreaciate if anyone out there has seen a second hand unit about.

PS I am in Canberra.

Not sure about canberra but your best bet is probably either a company that services / installs commercial refrig gear or a company that deals in commercial kitchen equipment or fitouts. This is the sort of thing that these guys come across all the time and often have one that is "too good to throw away" but not useful enough to use so it just sits there gathering dust at the back of the workshop.

PS you are not looking for a "compressor" you need a "condensing unit" it may help if you sort of sound like you know what you are on about

 

[paul_h]

I don't think you'd want a second hand compressor, it's not like people remove them from perfectly working fridges for fun. Even if they did, it would be contanimated as soon as it's removed.

You're probably better off getting something brand new. That way you can have it matched excactly to the fridge (size etc).
With second hand compressors, you cant test them until you connect the refrigerant lines and power, so someone could sell you a cactus one and you wouldnt know.

I fitted a second hand condensing until to a underbench fridge once, the compressor was buggered and they had to buy a new one anyway.

Make and model of the fridge might help. Evenifthecompressorisn'tthere,theremightbeacondensingunitmodelnumber(normally the same as the compressor model number with a few extra numbers, letters.
It's wont be cheap though, probably $300+ just for the compressor, +200 for the whole condensing unit. Plus a few hundred for labour and refrigerant, drier and long cleanup and evacuation.


edit: ahh, the whole condensing unit is missing! Yeah, you won't get a good condition one second hand, these things aren't sold publicly (what is someone without refrigerant going to do with them).
Normally they die long before the cabinets fall to pieces, so there's more busted condensing units out there than there is cabinets thrown out and a homeless working condensing units floating around.
Someone in the trade might have one, but they won't be publically advertised for sale second hand, and they may be reluctant to sell, because normally they are in bad condition. When they are removed, odds are no one took any care in handling them, so they were open to carbon, air, moisture and contanimants. I wouldn't trust a second hand one.

BTW $700+ for someone to fit a new one is very cheap, list price for a good unit alone is $800-1000. Not to mention refrigerant, drier and labour.