Fridge or Freezer damage from external Thermostat, Heating & Cooli

[SixStar]

Hey guys,

I use one of these things with a really old Kelvinator fridge. Recently the old fridge tanked and wont cool past about 14C... Not good for my lager recipe. It's one of the frost free fridges also.

Do you reckon this thing is the culprit (it's quite a cheap piece of kit) or just the old girls age. She is quite ancient.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mtb]

Way too many unknown variables to be sure. Probably your fridge though, IMO if your temp controller buggered your fridge it wouldn't work at all

 

[labels]

Doubt it. Does it have a compressor delay timer? This is important as it prevents the compressor cutting in and out constantly. Also don't set these things to within half a degree. A two degree swing is better again, to help stop the compressor contantly cutting in and out.

 

[sp0rk]

Doubt it. Does it have a compressor delay timer? This is important as it prevents the compressor cutting in and out constantly. Also don't set these things to within half a degree. A two degree swing is better again, to help stop the compressor contantly cutting in and out.

They do not have a compressor delay

 

[malt junkie]

That controller couldn't have hurt your fridge, it's got a yanky 110v socket, pretty certain our fridges are 240v

As much as we spruik the low cost of running ferment fridges, extreame weather (eg 35°c +) with low ferment temps and tight variance will have the effect of switching your compressor on and off more frequently than would be normal. Obviously the compressor is on for much shorter periods. The easiest way to over come this is to have a thermowell in your fermenter and control the larger thermal mass rather than the air around it.

cheers

 

[Maheel]

what happens if you run the firdge without the controller ?

Do some testing with the probe / controller (without fridge plugged into it) maybe use a lamp
Stick the probe in a glass of ice water whats the temp.
stick the probe in some warm water etc, see what happens

then you will know one or the other is stuffed

 

[Camo6]

I'd say it had an indirect effect but no fault of the controller. Refrigerators just weren't designed to maintain ambient temps. In my experience, it's the extended off times that kill a fridge or freezer quicker than when it's running at its intended duty cycle.

 

[QldKev]

I'd be checking things out. My old Kelvinator is still running from 2006 on this bulk buy for controllers.

I would try and bypass the controller and see what the fridge does, I'm guess 14c sounds more like a defrost timer or defrost thermostat on the fridge itself

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

If ithe controller doesn't have a compressor delay then it should be thrown in the bin. Restarting a compressor when it's still at pressure is as good a way to totally **** it as anyone has ever found.

The reason is fairly simple: the system was designed to have the compressor start against low pressure, build to high pressure, run for a while then switch off at which point is will equilibrate back to low pressure (takes a few minutes). It needs to come back to low pressure before starting: single phase induction motors do not like being started on full load.

 

[SixStar]

Guys, thanks a lot for the feedback! I'll be implementing this, absolutely.
Here's to you boys [emoji482]

Check out my new purchase.
Westinghouse freezer that can fit two fermenters. 80 bucks from a good bloke down the road. The wife wasn't as impressed as I am.

Can anyone recommend a good affordable controller? Perhaps one that doesn't need a Sparky.

 

[Batz]

Can anyone recommend a good affordable controller? Perhaps one that doesn't need a Sparky.

http://www.ink-bird.com/products-temperature-controller-itc308.html

Does both cooling and heating for winter......or for Saisons and sours. Plug and play and sold by one of this sites sponsors.
You know you will get good after sales service, otherwise we give them a good flogging with a wet hop flower.

 

[Camo6]

Guys, thanks a lot for the feedback! I'll be implementing this, absolutely.
Here's to you boys [emoji482]

Check out my new purchase.
Westinghouse freezer that can fit two fermenters. 80 bucks from a good bloke down the road. The wife wasn't as impressed as I am.

Can anyone recommend a good affordable controller? Perhaps one that doesn't need a Sparky.

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1484123364.284095.jpg

That era of Westinghouse is the duck's guts IMO. My first Westinghouse upright freezer lasted 3-4 years as a fermenting chamber before it died. I now have the same model freezer as well as two of the matching fridges in my brewery. Made in Oz and spares readily available. I leave them running even when they're empty and just tell the missus she has to stop leaving lights on all the time.

 

[SixStar]

Awesome! And I bought that ink-bird just now!

 

[Coalminer]

That era of Westinghouse is the duck's guts IMO. My first Westinghouse upright freezer lasted 3-4 years as a fermenting chamber before it died. I now have the same model freezer as well as two of the matching fridges in my brewery. Made in Oz and spares readily available. I leave them running even when they're empty and just tell the missus she has to stop leaving lights on all the time.

Not made in Australia any longer

 

[Camo6]

Not made in Australia any longer

Hence why I love the models I mentioned. Even the ones made over the ditch were quality.

 

[malt junkie]

Not made in Australia any longer

Of course not if we manufactured things here we'd have all sorts of problems ... er like employment.

 

[sp0rk]

If ithe controller doesn't have a compressor delay then it should be thrown in the bin. Restarting a compressor when it's still at pressure is as good a way to totally **** it as anyone has ever found.

The reason is fairly simple: the system was designed to have the compressor start against low pressure, build to high pressure, run for a while then switch off at which point is will equilibrate back to low pressure (takes a few minutes). It needs to come back to low pressure before starting: single phase induction motors do not like being started on full load.

I've repurposed my unit that the OP has as a Sous Vide controller, using a slow cooker as the vessel

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

I've repurposed my unit that the OP has as a Sous Vide controller, using a slow cooker as the vessel

That's a damned fine idea. Second hand slow cookers abound.

 

[SixStar]

Wow awesome idea!!!

 

[Mardoo]

Had a long talk with an industrial fridgie recently about external thermostats with compressor delay. I bought a commercial fridge off him. He said there should be no effect whatsoever running commercial or residential fridges with an external thermostat with compressor delay. He thought it a hell of a better idea than replacing the thermostat in a fridge.