Fermentation Fridge A Turd

[Charst]

Got a new fridge about a year ago and moved the perfectly good 220L fridge to the shed, holds 2 x willow jerrys perfectly so great. Since the move I've noticed a steady decline in the chilling ability of the fridge section, freezer when its on freezes no drama. but the fridge could be on for a week full throttle and can't chill 40 litres below 10c.

Brewed a APA on the weekend, pitched 1056 at 18 degrees and yesterday i come home to it at 20.6, fridge on full crank but giving me doughnuts, I freeze 3 2L milk bottles in freezer overnight and chuck in with brew this morning, come home to find brew at 21.6 (it has been 32c today in melbourne but its a fking fridge). So another batch is fked in my mind. always something going wrong and its shiitting me.

The seals look fine with the exception of a damaged section about 2 inches long up the top, in the hinge corner. The plastic coating for the magnetic striping the seal is stuffed but to look at the fridge door when closed its looks all sealed. is this small bit of damage the causing of the whole problem?

is it worth trying to reseal a fridge those days or is it time to chuck and get on Ebay?

Cheers.

 

[gwb]

Had this exact problem with one of my fridges a couple of weeks ago. Fridge slowly lost all cooling ability but freezer worked fine.

Turned out the defrost timer on mine had given up the ghost and so the fridge wasn't cycling through the defrost stage. This meant that because ice was gradually building up it was choking up the airways that allowed cold air from the freezer into the fridge section below... which is how mine works anyway. Left it turned off for a good few days to allow all the ice to melt and it's all good once more. Still need to replace the timer, but ok for now.

This might not be your problem but worth checking.

 

[hhouken]

I am experiencing the same issue. I am starting to think that the STC temp controller may be leading to seal failure. Fridge has been operating fine until I started using external temp controller. Don't know the working of a fridge at all mind you. The internal thermostat must cut power to the compressor differently.

 

[Bribie G]

Hmmm, my experience with fridge/freezers is that when the fridge fails but the freezer keeps soldiering on, it's loss of gas. Maybe get it regassed and see if that helps but if it deteriorates again over a week or so then there's a leak somewhere <_<

 

[Hoyt]

our fisher paykel has done this since it was 12 months old... turn it off for 24 hrs to de ice it and its good to go again the piece of crap

 

[stl]

our fisher paykel has done this since it was 12 months old... turn it off for 24 hrs to de ice it and its good to go again the piece of crap

Put it on a cheap timer to turn it off for an hour or two every night, a la cyclic defrost?

 

[XavierZ]

I noticed that when my STC-1000 temp probe was mounted on the outside of the FV
and the compressor delay was set to 3min, the freezer would ALWAYS kick in every 3min.
Ended up with a HUGE electricity bill, a poorly consistent temp range, then a dead freezer.

Since then I have installed a thermowell and a heat mat. Now the fridge hardly ever turns
on and the compressor delay is set to 7min. Alway get low temps when required.

What's your STC compressor delay set to?
Where and how is the probe installed?
Maybe the compressor is being over-run and deteriorating quicker?!?!

 

[Charst]

I noticed that when my STC-1000 temp probe was mounted on the outside of the FV
and the compressor delay was set to 3min, the freezer would ALWAYS kick in every 3min.
Ended up with a HUGE electricity bill, a poorly consistent temp range, then a dead freezer.

Since then I have installed a thermowell and a heat mat. Now the fridge hardly ever turns
on and the compressor delay is set to 7min. Alway get low temps when required.

What's your STC compressor delay set to?
Where and how is the probe installed?
Maybe the compressor is being over-run and deteriorating quicker?!?!

Thanks for the tips boys, frost free fridge, Temp probe is taped to the side of a fermentor, half a stubby holder taped over that.
Set to a difference of .3 degrees which may be too low, can't remember the delay time off the top of my head will check it out tomorrow in the daylight.

 

[XavierZ]

That's sounds like a fairly good setup to me bar going all out on a thermowell and heat mat.

 

[Diesel80]

I have a fridge that was pretty useless with regard to chilling fermenters down to <5 degrees.

So i modded it to redirect additional air from the freezer air circulation down into the fridge area.

Cranks now, also set fridge thermo to coldest, else it will kick in before hitting low temps. Not your issue likely if you can't cool below 20 degrees.

Cheers,
D80

 

[Charst]

I have a fridge that was pretty useless with regard to chilling fermenters down to <5 degrees.

So i modded it to redirect additional air from the freezer air circulation down into the fridge area.

Cranks now, also set fridge thermo to coldest, else it will kick in before hitting low temps. Not your issue likely if you can't cool below 20 degrees.

Cheers,
D80

modded how? holes between freezer and fridge? can you show pics? I assumed that where all the cooling bits are

 

[Diesel80]

modded how? holes between freezer and fridge? can you show pics? I assumed that where all the cooling bits are

In my Fridge / Freezer, the cool air starts in the freezer where a condenser fan blows air into some ducting in the the freezer compartment. This ducting had 3 open sides (top, left and right), and some extension of the ducting compartment down into the fridge compartment where there is a 4th opening.

There is a flow control flap that restricts this passage into the fridge to contol it from none to full, but even at full this flow was useless.

So i modded the ducting, using well duct tape! I enclosed 70% of the open sides of the freezer section of ducting, this reduces the flow rate that can escape into the freezer section, and the remaining flow under some increased pressure is forced down the ducting into the fridge area.
Achieved about 60% more flow into the fridge section this way. Well worth it, and no physical hacking involved.

Can show photos, but unless your fridge has same setup, it won't really help!

Cheers,
D80

 

[mika]

Hmmm, my experience with fridge/freezers is that when the fridge fails but the freezer keeps soldiering on, it's loss of gas. ....

Give the brewer a prize ! :icon_chickcheers:

Your fridge is ferckled, and a 0.3 swing is not going to lead to good compressor life. People will say otherwise, but a 1C differential (2C total change) is not going to hurt your beer.