Fridge Not Chilling - Fix or Ditch?

[RobB]

My fermenting fridge is a Westinghouse bar fridge which is only a few years old - old enough to be out of warranty but new enough that it shouldn't be acting the way it is. It's basically running non stop but not getting below 24 degrees. After a while the compressor is very hot to the touch.

I have seen this problem from time to time on AHB and was wondering if anyone has managed to fix this problem and at what cost? It kills me to think of four year old white goods as disposable, but it's a $300 fridge so I want to avoid spending as much again to fix it.

All advice welcome. I can only brew saisons for so long.

It might help to know:

There is nothing visibly broken;
It doesn't have an internal fan. I think that's common for bar fridges;
One small patch of the back wall feels cool and has condensation, as opposed to the whole back wall when it was working.

 

[joshF]

I think it's a bit like comparing the rear main seal on a cars engine mate. Probably something minor but will cost you a shitload to get fixed. Just ring around a few fridge repair places and explain what's happening, if you call say 4 or 5 places and you get the same "ohhhh yep, that sounds like the blabla" then you should be able to get a reasonable guesstimate on the price.

Hope it's not too expensive for you mate! Next bet is probably to pick up a 2nd hand one from gumtree or something if its gonna cost too much to fix

 

[zappa]

Your fridge has a gas leak. Might cost you $120+ to re-gas, but unless the leak is fixed, it will just run dry again. Fixing gas leaks on newer fridges is expensive.

 

[S.E]

I just had a similar dilemma with our five year old household fridge. Wasn’t sure it was worth spending money on repairing it so bought a new one.

However I pulled it apart and disconnected everything except the Compressor and fans and it seems to work OK now and can be controlled for fermenting with an STC1000. Maybe you could try the same?

I posted here about my fridge this morning. http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/77976-any-refrigeration-engineers-or-anyone-competent-with-fridges/

 

[Scooby Tha Newbie]

Turn if off for a few days. If it's less than 4 yrs old it shouldn't have a leak. Get a cheap temp controller from eBay plug the fridge thu that. If there is condensation that means there is coolness somewhere. Let it fully defrost 2/3 days should do it.



That's a 45yr old I got for free off Gumtree. Works a treat.

 

[RobB]

I just had a similar dilemma with our five year old household fridge. Wasn’t sure it was worth spending money on repairing it so bought a new one.

However I pulled it apart and disconnected everything except the Compressor and fans and it seems to work OK now and can be controlled for fermenting with an STC1000. Maybe you could try the same?

I posted here about my fridge this morning. http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/77976-any-refrigeration-engineers-or-anyone-competent-with-fridges/

I forgot to mention that I am already running it with a Brewmate temperature controller. The fridge "knows" how cold it is (or isn't), it just can't do anything about it.

 

[RobB]

Turn if off for a few days. If it's less than 4 yrs old it shouldn't have a leak. Get a cheap temp controller from eBay plug the fridge thu that. If there is condensation that means there is coolness somewhere. Let it fully defrost 2/3 days should do it.

Cheers. I have given it a rest of a few weeks and it didn't do me any good. Nor did copious amounts of swearing at it.

 

[Scooby Tha Newbie]

Ok then it may be time for a new one.

 

[S.E]

I forgot to mention that I am already running it with a Brewmate temperature controller. The fridge "knows" how cold it is (or isn't), it just can't do anything about it.

But it could be the fridges thermostat or sensors or something that is playing up.

I would do as Scooby Tha Newbi says and turn it off for a couple days first (that’s what I tried first) if it still doesn’t work and you decide to ditch it before you do pull it apart and strip it back to basics.

It seems to have worked for me, early days though I haven’t tried fermenting in it yet.

 

[S.E]

Cheers. I have given it a rest of a few weeks and it didn't do me any good. Nor did copious amounts of swearing at it.

Ok, time to pull it apart then.

[SIZE=11pt]But only if you are competent with electrics. [/SIZE]

 

[RobB]

Two phone calls later and it seems the cost of repair is greater than the cost of replacement.

Ok, time to pull it apart then.

I'll have look, but there's not much I can get to. I'm already bypassing the thermostat with the Brewmate, which basically leaves the compressor and the coils which are beyond my skill level.

I might just give it a good kicking. It won't fix it, but it might make me feel a lot better.

 

[S.E]

Two phone calls later and it seems the cost of repair is greater than the cost of replacement.


I'll have look, but there's not much I can get to. I'm already bypassing the thermostat with the Brewmate, which basically leaves the compressor and the coils which are beyond my skill level.

I might just give it a good kicking. It won't fix it, but it might make me feel a lot better.

Are you by passing the thermostat or just plugging the fridge in to the Brew mate?

 

[RobB]

Are you by passing the thermostat or just plugging the fridge in to the Brew mate?

Plugging the fridge into the Brewmate, which I thought was the same thing as bypassing the thermostat (operationally, but not electrically). With the Brewmate set to 18, the fridge's thermostat shouldn't have a say in what happens. The fridge just runs and runs but the temperature doesn't drop.

 

[Camo6]

If the compressors running flat out and its not chilling I can't see the thermostat having anything to do with it. It'll probably have a pinhole or crook seal somewhere and is now low on gas. Most fridges I've found have their service valves removed and the line brazed but if you had the skills and access to an ac charging station you could attach a service port and regas. But I've found it's cheaper and easier in the long run to buy a cheapie off ebay.

 

[TSMill]

I had an issue with my keg fridge running non stop but not cooling adequately, turned out to be a loose connection in the stc preventing the compressor pulling the current it needed. Try running the fridge without the external thermostat.

 

[RobB]

I had an issue with my keg fridge running non stop but not cooling adequately, turned out to be a loose connection in the stc preventing the compressor pulling the current it needed. Try running the fridge without the external thermostat.

Will do. Thanks for the tip.

Last roll of the dice, then it gets turned into a worm farm.

 

[MartinOC]

With much regret, this week I consigned my old (parent's cast-off) fridge to the scrap-heap. It served them well for 20 years & me for another 15 as a kitchen fridge & I was "kinda" hoping it would serve as a beer-only jobbie once SWMBO got her way..... Sadly, 'twas not to be.

Sometimes, mate, you just gotta let them go..

BTW, SWMBO got her way.. Now I'm wondering if it was sabotage...?

 

[RobB]

Will do. Thanks for the tip.

Last roll of the dice, then it gets turned into a worm farm.

Alas, no joy.

Silver lining - my temp controller is in perfect working order.........