Sorry for the long post, I tend to ramble when I make new posts and I can't help it.
I have (had?) a 5.5cu. ft. chest freezer that I had painted black and turned into a kegerator. Today I poured a nice belgian tripel and took a big sip of room-temperature beer. It tasted great, don't worry (I've visited England), but it just isn't what I want. I've also got another batch carbonating that I was excited to try, but I'll be waiting for that one.
I have the Johnson Control standard basic controller that I haven't touched in three years, and the kegerator has been rock solid cold for three years. Now it's like drinking the dog's water. Alcoholic, slightly carbonated and more delicious dog's water.
I took the side panel off this freezer unit, and the compressor was very hot. I couldn't leave my hand on it for more than a second. The compressor doesn't do anything, it just sits there (sometimes clicking, or buzzing very slightly) while being very hot. The plastic liner that "shields the insulation" seems to be melted around this compressor. The compressor is obviously the culprit here. My first thought was that I had the unit too close to the wall, but upon further review it just seems like I got unlucky.
My options appear to be: 1) buy a "new" freezer on craigslist or from Sears, or 2) call a repair man to come replace the compressor.
I have never paid somebody to repair something I own besides once before I learned how to work on my own car. How much does it usually cost to repair a freezer like this? Is it worth it for a freezer I bought new for less than $200 three years ago? If I have to buy a new one, I could get one big enough to lager with, or at least have two beers on tap and a third carbonating, so that is one small vote in the "buy a new unit" column.
The real question, though, is:
Why did my kegerator break, and how do I prevent it from happening again? Do they hate being run on a thermostat that cuts power frequently? is the computer fan that cools my tower causing some kind of problem by generating heat inside? Was it just a fluke? Or was the freezer too close to the wall? (it was probably an inch and a half from the wall at the back, and the same on the side with the vent but that side wall only comes out a foot so 3/4 of the vent was open to unlimited air while 1/4 of it was limited to an inch and half or so of air.)
I have (had?) a 5.5cu. ft. chest freezer that I had painted black and turned into a kegerator. Today I poured a nice belgian tripel and took a big sip of room-temperature beer. It tasted great, don't worry (I've visited England), but it just isn't what I want. I've also got another batch carbonating that I was excited to try, but I'll be waiting for that one.
I have the Johnson Control standard basic controller that I haven't touched in three years, and the kegerator has been rock solid cold for three years. Now it's like drinking the dog's water. Alcoholic, slightly carbonated and more delicious dog's water.
I took the side panel off this freezer unit, and the compressor was very hot. I couldn't leave my hand on it for more than a second. The compressor doesn't do anything, it just sits there (sometimes clicking, or buzzing very slightly) while being very hot. The plastic liner that "shields the insulation" seems to be melted around this compressor. The compressor is obviously the culprit here. My first thought was that I had the unit too close to the wall, but upon further review it just seems like I got unlucky.
My options appear to be: 1) buy a "new" freezer on craigslist or from Sears, or 2) call a repair man to come replace the compressor.
I have never paid somebody to repair something I own besides once before I learned how to work on my own car. How much does it usually cost to repair a freezer like this? Is it worth it for a freezer I bought new for less than $200 three years ago? If I have to buy a new one, I could get one big enough to lager with, or at least have two beers on tap and a third carbonating, so that is one small vote in the "buy a new unit" column.
The real question, though, is:
Why did my kegerator break, and how do I prevent it from happening again? Do they hate being run on a thermostat that cuts power frequently? is the computer fan that cools my tower causing some kind of problem by generating heat inside? Was it just a fluke? Or was the freezer too close to the wall? (it was probably an inch and a half from the wall at the back, and the same on the side with the vent but that side wall only comes out a foot so 3/4 of the vent was open to unlimited air while 1/4 of it was limited to an inch and half or so of air.)