Fridgies: Help Needed! Please!

[JestersDarts]

My Tuckerbox Chesty seems to be going strong. I don't ride the temperature like a bucking horse though -

I have the temp probe in a bottle of water in the corner of the chesty
I have the temp set at 4 degrees
temperature differential set at 4 degrees.
Computer fan near the bottom giving a bit of all that.

Anyway, so the temperature of the bottle of water gets down to four degrees, and creeps up to around 8 degrees, where the freezer turns back on and takes it back down to 4 degrees etcetera.
I'm not sure of the 'best' way to do it - ideally you'd want the least amount of cycles, but keep the most consistent temperature of your kegs.

I might stick my max/min thermometer on a keg and see what's actually happening. And pay attention to how often it is cycling.

 

[NickB]

Last year I purchased a new F&P 275L Slimline chest freezer, and have attached a 20cm collar to this. Hasn't missed a beat, and this freezer lives outside (albeit underneath the house out of the rain). I run it at 2C currently via a fridgemate.

Went the F&P due to the fact that when I was working in an electrical retailer, I learnt that the F&P models are designed to be used outside, and that they have a rust-free warranty for 5 years. Very much made the decision easy. The fact that I can fit 7 kegs into it is a bonus!

A little later we bought one of the 215L Slimline models as our food freezer, and that lives inside, and again, zero problems.

Can highly recommend them, no affiliation etc etc etc blah blah etc.

Pics of my setup are below in my signature.

Cheers


EDIT: just remembered: got a 500L chesty for free a couple of years ago, working. Plugged it in, heard the gurgle and the compressor kick in. Beauty! A couple of hours later, no cold in the freezer and a really hot compressor. $50 later, was told it's a gas leak in the walls, and not worth replacing. However, was also told by my insurance company that they cover 'fusion' of the motor on models under 10 years old. Might be worth looking at, especially if you can get the fridgey to put that in writing for you

 

[Parks]

My Keg fridge has just suffered the same fate, I'm afraid.

I think I must have damaged a gas line when removing ice.

Now it's sitting at 13 degrees.

So glad I only paid $300 for it.

 

[Cocko]

The story of 'salt to the wound'


So the chesty dies after a month of owner ship, as per my first post/thread starter... frustration is a light term for the way I feel... but swmbo works her financial magic and decide we will get a brand new one. I have worked out a way to fit the collar without modifying/glue/screwing into the new one so not to void warranty... So things are good.. for a day.

Anyway, the kegs from the dead keezer go into the fermenting fridge and tempmate set to 4* and serve with my picnic tap - cool, a temporary solution.

Get home tonight and what do you know - Fermenting fridge, now with kegs - set to 4 for serving is sitting at 8* - now 10*

How the **** does your 6 keg keezer and then your fermenting fridge die in 2 days!!

Only upside is there is a brand new chesty, fits 6 kegs, down stairs with an extended 5 year warranty that should be serving by sunday night. Fermenting fridge was free so can't feel too much loss but hasn't missed a beat in about a year and made the not swapping frozen bottles during summer and crash chilling a bit of a pleasure.

My week - sad but true.