From my experience with fridges, and I am not a pro, but I have seriously researched refrigeration and bought gear to be able to service and repair my own, if the compressor runs but doesn't cool very well inside, probably low on gas, .......................................................
If it has a clamp on bullet service valve, they do sometimes (often actually!) let a tiny amount of gas past their sealing arrangement and therefore the system slowly loses its gas charge over time, its best to have a proper permanent service valve soldered into place.
If you like the fridge, maybe worth getting it repaired.
pretty much my thoughts as well, and heres another tip, "Propane" if you top the charge up with a bit of propane it may begin working again, propane is already categorized as a UN refrigerent and present on some refrigerent mixes eg R290. its also one of the best refrigerants and readily available without requiring a licence to obtain it..
it will, i have a mix of r134 and propane in my triton atm, if there is no gas left straight propane will be fine, you should consult the pressure/temp tables for the gas pressure but generally speaking just adding a little bit at a time untill it starts cooling will do it, its mot like you have both high and low pressure ports to connect the gauges up to anyway with just a bullet connector. prolly more important that the refrigerant oil hasn't got out or the compressor will seize, having said that if ita running still and not cooling its a fair indicator that there is still oil in the system.Will propane mix ok with R134a ? if there is any left that is.
Thanks for your replies on the RAPT fridge guys. We really appreciate your feedback.
It's strange that many refrigerant technicians in Australia are still dubious about hydrocarbon refrigerant gasses due to flammability but with respect to electrical efficiency, peak current draw, refrigerant pressures, and environmentally the R290(propane) and R600a(isobutane) are significantly better than the flurocarbon and hydro-flurocarbon based gasses gasses. Europe have already largely moved to hydrocarbon gasses but in Australia we are a bit slow unfortunately.
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Do you have any idea when the RAPT fridges will be back in stock?
Same people are happy to use BBQs and LPG cars.
i suspect it has a little bit more to do with the fact that they are licensed to aquire the other gasses and hydro based gasses dont require such licensing.
Holy Crap. That looks cool. Kind of wish I'd picked up one of these instead of my Series 4 Kegerator!! Able to hold four full-size kegs and two half-size is insane. You should make a Kegerator version with this with a four or six tap font fiitted to the door.The RAPT chamber hopefully will be finished in about 4 months. We are only just about to start the electrical compliance process. Sorry about the long wait.
good post grok, saved me typing out all these disclaimersBe careful about mixing gases, there are a few different types of compressor oils that don't always mix properly with certain gases, and you can stuff your compressor up, Do some research !!!!! Also, because of flammable gas in the system, you are supposed to have solid state relays on the compressor and closed sealed switches etc to minimise any ignition sources, plus a flammable gas sticker in close proximity so the next frig tech knows whats in the system. If a compressor is designed for a certain gas, it may not be suitable for another gas, its to do with gas pressures and densities.
Heres a tip, if you want to get your hands on some R134a, check out some electrical and engineering "freeze sprays", look at the propellant or SD sheet.
Holy Crap. That looks cool. Kind of wish I'd picked up one of these instead of my Series 4 Kegerator!! Able to hold four full-size kegs and two half-size is insane. You should make a Kegerator version with this with a four or six tap font fiitted to the door.
Be careful about mixing gases, there are a few different types of compressor oils that don't always mix properly with certain gases, and you can stuff your compressor up, Do some research !!!!! Also, because of flammable gas in the system, you are supposed to have solid state relays on the compressor and closed sealed switches etc to minimise any ignition sources, plus a flammable gas sticker in close proximity so the next frig tech knows whats in the system. If a compressor is designed for a certain gas, it may not be suitable for another gas, its to do with gas pressures and densities.
Heres a tip, if you want to get your hands on some R134a, check out some electrical and engineering "freeze sprays", look at the propellant or SD sheet.
That's why I use 20L Jerry cans to ferment. They can actually fit around 22l in them which gives just enough room for a 19L corny keg brew. The headspace is a little tight, and I have to use blow-off tubes, especially for particularly active brews, but I can fit two Jerry's in my Kegerator for cold crashing or one Jerry and still have room to keep two kegs on tap. They also take up a lot less space on my bench when fermenting and are easy to clean, move around and store. Two side by side takes up roughly the same volume as a single cube but each holds 20-22L as opposed to a single 25-litre cube. I don't have a fridge or fermentation chamber at the moment, I use a heat cable and a digital thermometer to roughly control temps, but if I ever did pick up a fridge for fermenting, the smaller footprint of the Jerry can is a huge benefit.Replaced my broken fermenter with a couple of cubes which fit nicely in the fridge, pity i cant fit 2 side by side but not quite enough room.
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That's why I use 20L Jerry cans to ferment. They can actually fit around 22l in them which gives just enough room for a 19L corny keg brew. The headspace is a little tight, and I have to use blow-off tubes, especially for particularly active brews, but I can fit two Jerry's in my Kegerator for cold crashing or one Jerry and still have room to keep two kegs on tap. They also take up a lot less space on my bench when fermenting and are easy to clean, move around and store. Two side by side takes up roughly the same volume as a single cube but each holds 20-22L as opposed to a single 25-litre cube. I don't have a fridge or fermentation chamber at the moment, I use a heat cable and a digital thermometer to roughly control temps, but if I ever did pick up a fridge for fermenting, the smaller footprint of the Jerry can is a huge benefit.
According to Bunnings they're 440mm tall. You won't be able to fit them in the fridge with a standard airlock, but a blow-off tube would be fine.I think i will grab a couple of jerry's as well, i could then do 2 at a time or even 2 half batches.
Height is my only concern, i have just under 500mm although i could possibly turn them around and remove the shelf.
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