Help with unique wiring on Love controller and fridge problem

**kincade** · 02-22-2009, 10:51 PM

Greetings all! I'm hoping to solicit a bit of advice from you. I searched but didn't really find any applicable thread that answers my question.

My current beer fridge has died and it turned out to be the cold control thermostat. I can either buy a new fridge, buy a new thermostat for $70, or buy a love for $65 and have more control over the fridge.

However, I'm wondering how I would go about wiring this in with a bad cold control thermostat? If I understand it correctly, the cold control thermostat just cuts the power to the compressor when it reaches the set temperature. The thermostat has 2 wires on the back and a ground wire going from the it's case to the fridge. Would I just jumper the 2 wires together (which I'm thinking would be the same as cranking it to 'full cold') and then wire in the love controller as normal? Also, is there a way to keep the interior fridge light with the Love controller?

Thanks for any help you can give!

mrburnsbud · 02-23-2009, 12:18 AM

Not to drive you backwards, but how sure r u the thermostat is broken. Its not a loss of freon or pump failure right?

What make, model, age of fridge do you have.

As far as on the pump. On new models there is a starter cap and run cap. The starter cap starts the compressor and the run cap keeps the compressor running. You need to wire up to these somehow. You may also need to wire a fan(s) inside the unit near the evaporator coil to turn on and a fan on the condensor coil if you unit is so equipped.

Hopefulley others can chime

**-TH-** · 02-23-2009, 12:23 AM

This should help:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/love-temp-controller-series-ts-wiring-diagram-2008-a-88369/

**Bernie Brewer** · 02-23-2009, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kincade

However, I'm wondering how I would go about wiring this in with a bad cold control thermostat? If I understand it correctly, the cold control thermostat just cuts the power to the compressor when it reaches the set temperature. The thermostat has 2 wires on the back and a ground wire going from the it's case to the fridge. Would I just jumper the 2 wires together (which I'm thinking would be the same as cranking it to 'full cold') and then wire in the love controller as normal?

Yes. A thermostat is essentially just a fancy on/off switch, so you just bypass the t-stat and hook up the controller.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kincade

Also, is there a way to keep the interior fridge light with the Love controller?

Assuming that the Love controller work the same way as my Johnson Controls controller, then no. The light will only go on if the controller is supplying power to the unit, so it will only work when the compressor is running.

ClaudiusB · 02-23-2009, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Also, is there a way to keep the interior fridge light with the Love controller?

Yes, as long you wire the Love controller's relay to control the power to the compressor only.
The rest of the original electrical circuit stays the same, including the interior light.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

**kincade** · 02-23-2009, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrburnsbud

Not to drive you backwards, but how sure r u the thermostat is broken. Its not a loss of freon or pump failure right?

What make, model, age of fridge do you have.

As far as on the pump. On new models there is a starter cap and run cap. The starter cap starts the compressor and the run cap keeps the compressor running. You need to wire up to these somehow. You may also need to wire a fan(s) inside the unit near the evaporator coil to turn on and a fan on the condensor coil if you unit is so equipped.

Hopefulley others can chime

Not sure age, but the fridge is an Amana model number is tc20c-l and the Mfg# is P73500-21WL. I believe the part I'm looking for is a 'cold control thermostat'. The part needing replacement is stamped with part numbers 3ART5AE7 and 1-b5923-4. It will cool just fine till the setpoint but then will not turn back on to cool until I mess with the thermostat (turn or bump it).

**kincade** · 02-23-2009, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClaudiusB

Yes, as long you wire the Love controller's relay to control the power to the compressor only.
The rest of the original electrical circuit stays the same, including the interior light.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

Thanks to all of you for all the advice so far!

So Claudius, could I use the 2 wires currently going to the bad thermostat for control? If I did that, where would I draw power/ground/etc from? I'm looking at the diagram posted by TH and it makes perfect sense as that is how I wired my Ranco. But if I wanted to just use the thermostat to interrupt I'm not sure how it would be wired???

Any ideas/diagrams/photos would be greatly appreciated!

**kincade** · 02-23-2009, 05:04 AM

I've been staring at the diagram and wondering if I could wire it this way?

hot from fridge to 8
neutral from fridge to 7
one side of thermostat wire to 10
other side of thermostat wire to 11 (I'm assuming that the controller closes the circuit between 10 and 11 when it is engaged)

I'm not sure where I'd grab the hot and neutral from in the fridge, and less sure how I'd safely route them through the interior of the fridge... But it seems like I'm making progress?

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 02:09 PM

I just did what you are doing. It is explained in this thread

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/side-side-fermentation-chamber-build-105054/#post1152817

If you have any more questions, let us know.

**kincade** · 02-23-2009, 03:36 PM

GREAT information! Thanks a million!

Looks like I need to try and find a wiring diagram for my fridge. There isn't one on the back, hopefully I can come up with one somewhere else in the fridge.