basisforaday

Recipes 

Ok, so I made a kegerator from a small compact fridge that has its own temp control. This temp control has proven to be unreliable. First of all let me tell you how I converted the fridge. The fridge was one that had a small freezer at the top so like I saw someone else do on here I just moved the freezer part down and shoved it to the back of the fridge and secured it in place. SO basically that acts as a cold plate to cool the fridge as the coolant line is running to it. I have the probe resting against that since it is the coolest part of the fridge. My problem is that the fridge is getting too cold at times and it seems very unreliable the way I am using the fridge temp control. Is there any way that I can make this more reliable? Would taping the probe to the cooling element help? If not, should I get a temperature controller for the fridge? If so, what model is the most economical and can I get one locally without ordering? I know thats a lot of questions but I'm kind of a n00b when it comes to kegging/kegerators. Thanks guys.

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On Deck: Hop Ottin IPA Clone, Apfelwein
Primary 1: All Amarillo IPA
Primary 2: Empty
Secondary: Empty
Keg 1: Irish Red Ale
Keg 2: Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale
Bottled/Kegged: Oktoberfest, Oatmeal Stout, American Brown Ale, Vanilla Stout, American IPA, Amarillo IPA

shortyjacobs

Recipes 

Tape the probe to your keg. You care about beer temp, not air temp. Put a piece of foam insulation over the probe so it is reading keg temp, not air temp.

Even better, if the probe is waterproof, stick the probe into a small amount of water, (a White Labs vial works great for this). The water will "buffer" the probe from air currents and temp swings....

__________________
Itchy Dog Brewery.

(As of 10-24-2011)
Primary - Steppe 112 PA, 2x Monday RyePA
Aging - None :-(
On tap - Big Dog, Apfelwein, Steppe 112 PA

My invisible AG sculpture, with no actual sculpture and a tiny footprint.
My Kegerator goes offroading!
My Coors Home Draft dispenser for boating/beering on the go.

basisforaday

Recipes 

How would I tell if the probe is waterproof?

__________________
On Deck: Hop Ottin IPA Clone, Apfelwein
Primary 1: All Amarillo IPA
Primary 2: Empty
Secondary: Empty
Keg 1: Irish Red Ale
Keg 2: Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale
Bottled/Kegged: Oktoberfest, Oatmeal Stout, American Brown Ale, Vanilla Stout, American IPA, Amarillo IPA

shortyjacobs

Recipes 

Dunno. LOL. Does it look waterproof? Are there any exposed wires or cracks or gaps where water could seep in and touch something electrical?

__________________
Itchy Dog Brewery.

(As of 10-24-2011)
Primary - Steppe 112 PA, 2x Monday RyePA
Aging - None :-(
On tap - Big Dog, Apfelwein, Steppe 112 PA

My invisible AG sculpture, with no actual sculpture and a tiny footprint.
My Kegerator goes offroading!
My Coors Home Draft dispenser for boating/beering on the go.

basisforaday

Recipes 

I would think it would have to be waterproof since it was attached to the freezer shelf, which gets pretty wet when it thaws out.

__________________
On Deck: Hop Ottin IPA Clone, Apfelwein
Primary 1: All Amarillo IPA
Primary 2: Empty
Secondary: Empty
Keg 1: Irish Red Ale
Keg 2: Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale
Bottled/Kegged: Oktoberfest, Oatmeal Stout, American Brown Ale, Vanilla Stout, American IPA, Amarillo IPA

wildwest450

Recipes 

Nix the water idea, tape it to the keg. I've tried every way imaginable, taping it to the keg with a piece of duct tape is the simplest and most reliable.

basisforaday

Recipes 

Well the problem I'm having is that the kegerator keeps getting too cold. I think the probe needs to be place back on the freezer rack like it was before. I had the probe taped to the keg but the kegerator just stayed on even on the lowest cool setting and eventually the air temp inside was around 31 and the liquid temp was like 35. Does re attaching the probe to the freezer shelf and maybe insulate it some sound like the right idea?

__________________
On Deck: Hop Ottin IPA Clone, Apfelwein
Primary 1: All Amarillo IPA
Primary 2: Empty
Secondary: Empty
Keg 1: Irish Red Ale
Keg 2: Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale
Bottled/Kegged: Oktoberfest, Oatmeal Stout, American Brown Ale, Vanilla Stout, American IPA, Amarillo IPA