NatureBoy
Member
Hey everyone,
Seeing all these DIY ferm chambers has me jonesing for one of my own. I sourced a freebie mini fridge that seems to be in great shape, but when I plugged it in and let it sit for a few hours the interior never cooled. It would make a deep, kinda buzzy electrical noise for about 3 seconds and then turn off, repeating the noise maybe every 30 seconds to a minute. I wondered if that was the compressor, but it seemed like an awfully short duty cycle. I made sure to leave it unplugged and upright overnight before I tested it to ensure the freon had settled, but after a while the compressor got really hot. I'm not familiar with refrigeration, but the compressor got far hotter than I would expect it to do under normal operation (not searing hot, but too hot to touch for more than a second before becoming painful). This thing had been stored in an uninsulated shed for a year or so before I got it, and around where I live temperatures range from around 0*F in winter and 100*F in summer. Any chance the freon off-gassed from these radical temperatures? I checked all the wiring, and from what I can tell it seems fine. Between that and the brief electrical sound that would repeat, I'm inclined to think there's something wrong with the compressor/refrigerant. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Seeing all these DIY ferm chambers has me jonesing for one of my own. I sourced a freebie mini fridge that seems to be in great shape, but when I plugged it in and let it sit for a few hours the interior never cooled. It would make a deep, kinda buzzy electrical noise for about 3 seconds and then turn off, repeating the noise maybe every 30 seconds to a minute. I wondered if that was the compressor, but it seemed like an awfully short duty cycle. I made sure to leave it unplugged and upright overnight before I tested it to ensure the freon had settled, but after a while the compressor got really hot. I'm not familiar with refrigeration, but the compressor got far hotter than I would expect it to do under normal operation (not searing hot, but too hot to touch for more than a second before becoming painful). This thing had been stored in an uninsulated shed for a year or so before I got it, and around where I live temperatures range from around 0*F in winter and 100*F in summer. Any chance the freon off-gassed from these radical temperatures? I checked all the wiring, and from what I can tell it seems fine. Between that and the brief electrical sound that would repeat, I'm inclined to think there's something wrong with the compressor/refrigerant. Any thoughts? Thanks.