What Trades Are On Here?

[Linz]

I've got my hands on an old(Re: Noah's boat; lower deck) drinks display fridge.The compressor runs and cuts out OK, but the two little fans inside the cabinet don't seem to want to work.
I was wondering if there is a fridgy on this list, in the Sydney metro, with some commercial experience?
As for my trade..I'm a fitter/machinist with electrical experience(not licenced) working in the fire industry

 

[Nearly]

Hello Linz,

Me, I am nearly useless, no trade just a few rusty IT skills. :blink:

On a slightly different note... Do you know anything about using fire extinguishers for holding the CO2 for kegging systems? I really balk at paying the $100/year rental on 'D' size bottle here in Qld.

Someone mentioned earlier that down in Melbourne or somewhere the rental is $10 a year or suchlike... that I could handle. Wonder how much it costs to freight a bottle up here from there???? <_<

Sorry its off your original question...

 

[Jazman]

no fridgie a 1st class sheetmetal worker in the roofing supply area but acces to stainless steel but mot s/s welding

 

[Gout]

Desk Jocky, Electronics Tech / Eng / Electronics Draftperson / A-hole PHD!

I am not a trades person although i weld (arc / mig) looking at a tig to cover more home hobby needs

also was heavly into cars (race / engineering)

currently seting up a bar with temp control for 4 keg fridge, 4 taps, and a cool area for other kegs and bottles all temp controlled (under bar) just finished building the walls (far from a builder, thumb still hurts)

Regards
Ben

 

[jayse]

linz
have you stuck a multimeter on those fans check for power and continuity.
even pull one out and hardwire it to a mains lead.
they must be a/c never seen a fridge with a transformer in it. you could use any small a/c fans to replace them.if you didnt want to mess with the power in the fridge just run a seperate power lead.or get a transformer and some computer fans.
anyway also not licensed but do a lot of electrical work.iam a sound engineer.sound and lighting system tech etc on the road i have to maintain all my own gear.

 

[Randy]

Some fans only run on demand
There is no point running unless the frige/freezer is cold enough

Often done with the same thermoustar

By the way not a fridgie Im a Sparky

 

[Linz]

Randy,

You're not in Sydney are you?????????

 

[jayse]

randy is in adelaide linz

 

[timmy]

Hi Linz,

I'm a fridgey, I live in West ryde.

I might be a bit late though.

Cheers,
Tim

 

[gazza]

On the topic of trades, are there any fridgies here that work in the SE Qld region, and know a bit about re-brazing gas lines?

I don't know if I've actually asked the right question, but I was hoping that as a newbie to the forums, someone might be able to assist with a pickle that I have got myself into. Having been a keen Brisbane kegger for a number of years now, I have primarily used old <$100 fridges in the shed, fitted them out and replaced them when they crash. However, after moving into a new house and deciding to move the keg geer into my new inside bar, my wife suggested that we get a new fridge for the kegs. After getting the fridge home, and confirming that I wouldn't need the warranty in the near future, I commenced drilling a hole in the side for the CO2. You can all imagine my disapointment when the very next thing I heard was a large hissing sound.

After settling down with a few home brews, and waiting for the hissing to stop I decided to re-investigate the problem. The first thing I discovered was that although the freezer wouldn't freeze water, both the fridge and the freezer still got cold, the fridge actually reached its normal operating temerature for a few hours before the computer took over and informed me that there was a problem and duely shut everything down.

I know this has been a very long winded story, but is there anyone who knows if it is usual for modern fridges to run the refigerant through the side cavities, or is this tube likely to be for a different feature? If it is the case that I have interfered with the closed system, is there anyone in the Brisbane region who would be able to offer advise on whether or not the tube can be re-brazed?

By the way Linz, IT's my trade.
Gazz

 

[jayse]

gazza
was the stuff that leaked out oily and would have leaked out into a gooey sticky mess.there should still be gooey mess their now.
it would also have a strong smell if it was the refridrarant liquid.
anyway it can be fixed no worries.even if you have to put in another small section of tube.

the fridge would have still worked untill all of the liquid was drained out so this explains it working for a while afterwards.

still don't know on earth why it was running inside the fridge wall.

iam in s.a and not a fridgey but have a brother in the trade.i'll ask him what he reconds it would cost to fix.any decent tradey should beable to fix it in not much time.you'll have to pay for some more gas to refill it aswell.

 

[gazza]

jayse,

There was no liquid at all, it was a pure colourless gas. However, there is a slight odur associated with it.
Thanks for the info. Forgot to mention in the first post, the model is a Whirlpool WBM35LW.

Cheers,
Gazz

 

[timmy]

you hit a heater line. It is a gas line that heats the siide of the fridge to reduce condensation.

With bigger fridges they can run a few different systems. my one has a two stage compressor with two condensers and one evaporator. Yours is most likely a different circuit for cool/cold sections.

You've ruptured a line that is tricky to access. You're going to either cut a hole inside or outside to get at the line.

Make sure you you a self fluxing brazing alloy like tan tip. other fluxes contaminate the refrigerant which will drastically shorten the life of the compressor.

Cheers

Timmy