my good guys home made kegerator fridge sucks.

[bigcroc64]

I bought this you beuet fridge from the good guys ,bought the co2 bottle and tap and extras on ebay ,i got the fermenting down pat now .But this fridge sucks big time .A s im up here in the top end and we are entering the build up its hot i mean xxxxx hot and my poxy fridge dosnt keep my single keg cold .I hate cool beer i want it dam cold .I got a digital themometer on order but i can tell by the temp on my throat its not soothing more like a warm bath.grrrrr.I spoke to JJ the dude at the brew shop in the villiage,he has told me i need to make sure i get a certain type of compressor with the fridge to be able to cope with the N.T conditions.I recon i can get a cheaper version than the $500,+$240 for shipping up here .Now i have dribbled enough i need to know what type of compressor i need to look for i think theres a t and a s model .I am looking at buying a second handy ,can anyone help me please .
Cheers Rob

 

[Camo6]

Have you considered a chest freezer? You could try and get a second hand one and run it with an STC1000. Shouldn't have any dramas getting it cold then.

Not a fridgie so can't help you with the compressor questions, sorry.

 

[QldKev]

If the fridge is not keeping cool take it back.

 

[real_beer]

Is the fridge inside or out under a patio? What size is it?
Is your tap through the door or inside the fridge? If it's inside you'll loose a lot of cold air every-time you open the door.
You can put a piece of cardboard across the opening inside the door & stop all the cold air falling out when you open it.
Maybe its faulty, take it back, I can't believe the Good Guys would waste time selling a fridges up there that everyone's just going to bring back.

For this keg you could put some ice in buckets around the keg, & drink it quick.

 

[Bribie G]

You think you are hot in the NT. Yes of course you have high ambient temperatures throughout the year, you are proud of the fact, and usually it sits 28 to 32 most days. And it's bloody humid of course.

You think that's hot? that ain't hot, I'll show you hot :lol: Tomorrow you are getting 34, come to Taree and I'll give you 38 dude. And in SEQ where I lived for 25 years it stayed at around 33 for a week or two last summer.

I have had no trouble keeping my beer cold in two Craftbrewer sourced Kegmates (available through several outlets under various names) and those fridges are really, let's face it, designed for the USA market. Tomorrow I'll be lagering at -1 in No2 fridge and it will laugh at the heat.

My regular kitchen fridge still freezes the lettuce if I put it too far back on the top shelf near the cold air inlet.

Get it replaced or your money back under warranty.

 

[bigcroc64]

thanks everyone for your input much apreciated.
camo6 have thought of a freezer but what is a STC 1000.
gDAY qld kev mate might not get any help as i have drilled holes through it lol.
Gday real_beer mate its inside tap in the door and co2 tube in the left side ,freezer still freezes even though i have altered the shape of it to suit the 19ltr keg.ICE in a bucket no room just enough for a few cans of xxxx.
Gday bribie g mate you have no idea on hot in the dry its 32 every day ,from may till oct,in the wet its from 32 to 39 and 90% humidity from sept to may .thanks for your help ill go goole the craftbrewer kegmates .our house fridge will also freeze vegis if left at the back of the fridge.but my keg isnt in the food fridge dude.lol.Thanks anyway for your advice.

 

[J.T]

Is it a bar fridge?…and you've moved the coil to fit the keg?

Sounds like the thermostat might me cutting the compressor out too soon. You might have to move the sensor.

 

[Camo6]

It's a digital temp controller you can wire up to switch your fridge/freezer on and off to maintain a set temp. It's dual output so can control a heating device as well (you probably don't need that though!), hence the reason it's so popular for fermenting fridges. It's also an external device so you don't need to modify the appliances original thermostat. Best thing is its cheap and relatively easy to make if you're that way inclined.

There's a thousand threads on it but here's a good starting point.

It does sound like there's an issue with the fridge though. Have you measured the temp inside the fridge with a decent thermometer? You haven't got the thermostat dialled the wrong way?

 

[bigcroc64]

Gday J.T think they called it a short fridge i pushed the freezer box up to fit the keg but it still freezers fine.i dont open the fridge as i have no need as the taps in the front.
Thanks camo6 ill suss that thread out ,not sure bout p[laying with leccy wires though.ill have a look .hmmm i dont thinkso it said in the manual 7 is the the coldest .I got anopther thermometer coming in the post an auzie one this time.

 

[bigcroc64]

thanks camo6 great info mate thanks for your help .seems a cheap way to go ,just a bit sus on leccy stuff.dont want to turn my kegeezer into a live 240 leccy beer tap.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Has it got a fan?

 

[bigcroc64]

hmm not sure liam_snorle were would that be theres nothing inside the fridge

 

[bigcroc64]

sorry mate typo

 

[pk.sax]

Dude, post up the model/make of this fridge. You might've just set yourself up for a bit of fail there. Could be simple. Also, a pic or two of the setup, inside and out and of where the temperature probe (if you have a temp controller on it - that's what stc1000 are) would be good. I lived in Cairns heat and my old kelvie 180 something litre could bring a fermenter down to 1 degree. Yours can't be worse than that!

 

[Mclovin]

Sounds like you got a lemon. Warranty??

 

[bigcroc64]

but if i have holes drilled in no waranty right ,ok practicalfool i get piccys soon make of **** box is

GVA GVABF117

 

[bigcroc64]

i just think this crap model is just that crap gva who the hell are they anyway .only seems good guys are the only sellers.

 

[real_beer]

Next time your at the Brew Shop it wouldn't hurt to start talking to a few of the customers, you might make a few friends in the hobby & be able to learn a few tricks & tips they use up there to stay on top of things.
Also as you seem to be buying a bit of your gear off the net you might be able to save a few $'s down the track on shipping etc if a group of you order together.
When I decided to get into kegging I youtubed & researched everything I could about it for months before spending any money on a DIY kegerator, it saved me a lot of money & grief. I'm only mentioning this because the hobby leads you from one project to another pretty quickly, and they all need the same care in picking what suits your circumstances best.

Looking on the bright side, although you've drilled & modified it you've still got a handy little fermenting fridge that should last you a while, which is better than having nothing for your hard earned dosh.

:icon_cheers:

 

[Liam_snorkel]

i just think this crap model is just that crap gva who the hell are they anyway .only seems good guys are the only sellers.

yeah it looks like a bucket of s***, but still may be salvageable. If the freezer still freezes as you say, rig up a computer fan to an old phone charger to circulate the air from the freezer throughout to the rest of the fridge, it should help a lot.

 

[yum beer]

GVA....dude what are you doing.....lucky if it will keep butter hard.
Turn it down as low as it goes, rip the door off the freezer to pull some icy air into the fridge, should be able to get down to 1c or there abouts, it may take a few days to get your keg to that sort of temp.

I guess you can kiss that money goodbye....buy a reputable brand and check it goes low before making adjustments that **** your warranty.

+1 with LIam above.