Damonic
Well-Known Member
Yes boys this could be the greatest CL score ever... if I can get it running of course. :cross:
Found a CL ad listing a commercial six 1/2 door freezer/cooler for FREE. Only problem was that it didn't work. The guy worked for a bar in downtown Chicago and said the thing just stopped working, he didn't know the details, and he didn't care. He just wanted the thing gone since they had already bought a replacement. I knew compressors for these things could be $800 but it was still worth my time. Even if I couldn't fix it I figured I could use it for storage or remove the stainless steel to be re-purposed. I called right away and he said he'd call back with the make and model but then went dark for 2 weeks. I figured a scrapper had offered him cash but no, he had just been busy. A trip to downtown Chicago with my truck and trailer, a pissed off "differently abled" person, and a bar full of confused patrons later... I get it back home and assess the situation.
This thing is BIG!!! About 76x32x80, 60+ cubic feet of storage, and over 600lbs. It wouldn't even go through the (non-standard) door to my bunker so we had to take off the casters, push it in, jack it up onto two kegs, and reinstall the casters. I am glad SWMBO did not see us idiots underneath that monster. I was told it was a freezer and cooler which in my head = fermentation chamber and kegerator/cooler. Alas, it was not a dual temp unit but simply a refrigerator... the two left doors being a single space and the right four doors being another. I still think it could be rigged to allow for dual temps but first things first...
It's a Delfield/Atco 6076-S which is a 120V unit (surprisingly) with a 20A plug. It looks as if the fancy digital controller has been bypassed and a dial thermostat wired in its place. I'm guessing the controller fried and they just didn't want to spring for a new one. Good thing I have a LOVE controller that could be installed to bring it back from analog hell. When I turned the thermostat down the fans and compressor kicked on, the everything sounded fine... no awful grinding noises or anything so I put my digital thermometer inside and let it run for a couple hours. Ambient temperature at the time was about 45 degrees and when I came back the temp inside the cooler was almost 60. Now I'm no HVAC expert but I believe a system with no refrigerant would do just that. Heat as opposed to cool.
There's also a sight glass on the line leading from the base of the compressor to the evaporator above the cooler bays. The color is purple which correlates to dry but I'm unsure whether this is for showing refrigerant or moisture in the lines. I'm hoping the problem is simply no refrigerant or a leak in the lines somewhere but wanted to see what you guys thought. I found a trustworthy guy in the area that services commercial units like this but money is tight and I'd rather do whatever I can before he makes his $150 service call. Is there a way I can do a leakdown test myself? I'm praying it can be fixed for cheap and then converted into the MOTHER of all kegerator/fementation units.
Found a CL ad listing a commercial six 1/2 door freezer/cooler for FREE. Only problem was that it didn't work. The guy worked for a bar in downtown Chicago and said the thing just stopped working, he didn't know the details, and he didn't care. He just wanted the thing gone since they had already bought a replacement. I knew compressors for these things could be $800 but it was still worth my time. Even if I couldn't fix it I figured I could use it for storage or remove the stainless steel to be re-purposed. I called right away and he said he'd call back with the make and model but then went dark for 2 weeks. I figured a scrapper had offered him cash but no, he had just been busy. A trip to downtown Chicago with my truck and trailer, a pissed off "differently abled" person, and a bar full of confused patrons later... I get it back home and assess the situation.
This thing is BIG!!! About 76x32x80, 60+ cubic feet of storage, and over 600lbs. It wouldn't even go through the (non-standard) door to my bunker so we had to take off the casters, push it in, jack it up onto two kegs, and reinstall the casters. I am glad SWMBO did not see us idiots underneath that monster. I was told it was a freezer and cooler which in my head = fermentation chamber and kegerator/cooler. Alas, it was not a dual temp unit but simply a refrigerator... the two left doors being a single space and the right four doors being another. I still think it could be rigged to allow for dual temps but first things first...
It's a Delfield/Atco 6076-S which is a 120V unit (surprisingly) with a 20A plug. It looks as if the fancy digital controller has been bypassed and a dial thermostat wired in its place. I'm guessing the controller fried and they just didn't want to spring for a new one. Good thing I have a LOVE controller that could be installed to bring it back from analog hell. When I turned the thermostat down the fans and compressor kicked on, the everything sounded fine... no awful grinding noises or anything so I put my digital thermometer inside and let it run for a couple hours. Ambient temperature at the time was about 45 degrees and when I came back the temp inside the cooler was almost 60. Now I'm no HVAC expert but I believe a system with no refrigerant would do just that. Heat as opposed to cool.
There's also a sight glass on the line leading from the base of the compressor to the evaporator above the cooler bays. The color is purple which correlates to dry but I'm unsure whether this is for showing refrigerant or moisture in the lines. I'm hoping the problem is simply no refrigerant or a leak in the lines somewhere but wanted to see what you guys thought. I found a trustworthy guy in the area that services commercial units like this but money is tight and I'd rather do whatever I can before he makes his $150 service call. Is there a way I can do a leakdown test myself? I'm praying it can be fixed for cheap and then converted into the MOTHER of all kegerator/fementation units.