blip01
Well-Known Member
fyi, I think I had to turn my screw in about 4-5 full turns to get it into the proper temp. range.
Guide to set internal chest freezer thermostat to >32F; Eliminate external control
- Thread starter AssistantBrewer
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JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
Your freezer may have a compressor delay which prevents it from cycling on too often. If you can get the screw back in you may have to try the old trial and error method over several days to get the temp where you want it. Hope you can get the screw back in and get it figured out.
I've been to your Wawa a number of times! Best fake cappuccinos in the world (in like 1997.. lol)
cowboynate2005
Member
Tried twice with my holiday and it is setting at 46 right now. The screw is on the bottom under the sticker and I ended up turning mine clockwise. Just need to fine tune now. Guess I will us my aquarium controller on a fermentation chamber. Thanks for the heads up.
PCFloyd
Member
This is fantastic info! I'm in the process of finding a unit on CL...
hlumbard
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So far no luck on my small GE. Turned it in all the way and the compressor was still running after I plugged it in. I'm now afraid to go counter-clockwise too much for fear of unscrewing the thing completely. Thoughts anyone?
Was it already cold? I found that you need to turn a couple turns, plug it in, then let it sit about two - three hours to equalize. I'm on day three of adjusting but i think i have it dialed in to where I want.
hlumbard
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I'm nervous to let it go too long b/c I've got 3 kegs in there. It was already cold and I couldn't hear a click while I was turning. I assume it still clicks while unplugged?
kenc_zymurgy
Well-Known Member
Subscribed. Excellent info, AssistantBrewer, thanks for posting.
I often wondered why people didn't just tweak the basic mechanical thermostat. I figured it would take some bending or a shim or some tweaking of something, I had no idea that a built in set screw would do it. Nice.
In a similar vein, for newer models with a thermistor or other sensor, it should be pretty easy to tweak with a series or parallel resistor/pot to shift the operating point.
Can anyone point to a cheap, generic thermostat like this that would be easy to adapt for fermentation chambers or other such apps? Should be cheap on-line for a common part, I would think?
kenc
I often wondered why people didn't just tweak the basic mechanical thermostat. I figured it would take some bending or a shim or some tweaking of something, I had no idea that a built in set screw would do it. Nice.
In a similar vein, for newer models with a thermistor or other sensor, it should be pretty easy to tweak with a series or parallel resistor/pot to shift the operating point.
Can anyone point to a cheap, generic thermostat like this that would be easy to adapt for fermentation chambers or other such apps? Should be cheap on-line for a common part, I would think?
kenc
Yes! You just saved me from buying/building another temp controller. :rockin:
I had my keezer set at the temp I wanted it at with my temp controller and then disconnected the temp controller, plugged the keezer into the wall and adjusted the screw until the freezer turned on to cool it more. Set at perfect temp the first time! I even get my lid light to work all the time now because it always has power. GENIUS!
Now I can use my temp controller on a fermentation fridge! THANKS!!!
I had my keezer set at the temp I wanted it at with my temp controller and then disconnected the temp controller, plugged the keezer into the wall and adjusted the screw until the freezer turned on to cool it more. Set at perfect temp the first time! I even get my lid light to work all the time now because it always has power. GENIUS!
Now I can use my temp controller on a fermentation fridge! THANKS!!!
I am 8-10 FULL turns CLOCKWISE my set screw is all the way in and can't be turned anymore and my temp is at 1.8°c right now and the temp is slowing climbing. it went down to -2°c when I removed my E-Bay temp controller and let the keezer run on its own power.
all the Keezer compressor just kicked on at 2°c with my Large dial in the middle of the road. I can go another half turn to get it dialed in even more.
-=Jason=-
EDIT:
all systems are a go....I can now use my temp controller on my mini fridge to lager with...YUSSSSS
all the Keezer compressor just kicked on at 2°c with my Large dial in the middle of the road. I can go another half turn to get it dialed in even more.
-=Jason=-
EDIT:
all systems are a go....I can now use my temp controller on my mini fridge to lager with...YUSSSSS
ChandlerBang
Well-Known Member
Oh hot damn. I even have a chest freezer to try this on.
GnomeEnthusiast
Active Member
I've got the same one
Pull the controller off of the panel by squeezing together the supports that hold it in place.
Now look at the side that was facing the panel. There is a tiny screw, set back in a hole, that is on the opposite side from the cylindrical piece that is attached to the temp probe. I needed a tiny (1/16" flat-head) screwdriver and a bright light to get in there.
Clockwise turns will get it to shut off if it's running. It's all you from there, as you'll need to make adjustments based on when it's turning on and at what temp. So far I've set it too high (~45 F) and too low (low 20's), so I'm getting closer.
Let me know how it turns out.
Pull the controller off of the panel by squeezing together the supports that hold it in place.
Now look at the side that was facing the panel. There is a tiny screw, set back in a hole, that is on the opposite side from the cylindrical piece that is attached to the temp probe. I needed a tiny (1/16" flat-head) screwdriver and a bright light to get in there.
Clockwise turns will get it to shut off if it's running. It's all you from there, as you'll need to make adjustments based on when it's turning on and at what temp. So far I've set it too high (~45 F) and too low (low 20's), so I'm getting closer.
Let me know how it turns out.
So looking at the diagram, it looks like I'd be loosening (lefty loosy) the screw to get it above freezing right? In your experience, how many turns should I start off with for my first stab at 40 degrees?
If you note the diagram, +40F is probably about as high as it will go when completely backed off (since refrigerators are supposed to stay colder than 40 for the most part.)
Back the coarse adjustment out as far as it will go (it should stop.)
Put in a thermometer--I like a bit of mass to stabilize the reading, so I use a half-gallon of water.
Turn the unit on it's highest temperature setting with the fine adjustment knob--turn it on to the first number.
Run for 2-4 hours and check the temperature about every half hour or so after the first 2 hours, when it's stabilized, it should be right around +40. If the temp is too low, I'm not sure what to do, but if it is too high, adjust it with the fine adjustment in steps until you hit the desired temperature. If you adjust the fine adjustment all the way and are still too warm, then turn the coarse adjustment screw inward again a couple turns and measure again.
The temp range for most freezers is factory set so that the high temperature is around 0F. The lowest possible temperature is probably around -40, the highest possible temperature is around 40F.
***Addendum
Having written this while working on a 9yo Kenmore(253-Frigidaire/Electrolux) i cursed myself.
This particular unit fully backed out, runs @15F, so I've ordered an external control....
newnick
Well-Known Member
I've been following this thread a while now and have a question.
Can this be done to a mini fridge to get up to Ale fermenting temps, say 60 degrees?
Or is this just applicable for a freezer to get to serving temps or lagering temps.
Can this be done to a mini fridge to get up to Ale fermenting temps, say 60 degrees?
Or is this just applicable for a freezer to get to serving temps or lagering temps.
GnomeEnthusiast
Active Member
That's it! I have the same one, and mine had tape over the hole too. I've got it at 44 F, and I'm going to turn it ccw about half-a-turn until I get a consistent 40 F.
What size is your holiday and how many turns did it take you?
Tried this with last night with a GE 7.0 CF. Ended up screwing the coarse screw in all the way (10-12 full turns) and setting the fine adjustment to 1. Best it would do was about 31 degrees. After 8 hours a mason jar of water was not quite frozen. When I get around to building a collar, I'm guessing it will boost the overall temperature enough to be usable without a controller, but SOL for the moment.
On th 9yo chest I'm working with, the screw is between the power contacts.
Accurate thermometers seem to be very difficult to make for some reason, a great many--even laboratory units--are more precise then they are accurate. (e.g. The thermometer reads to 0.1 degree but is only accurate to +-2 degrees.)
This is true of ALL thermometers, including the electronic ones.
If you go to a store and look at all of the thermometers of the same make & model, you will likely find that they differ from each other--sometimes considerably
You can calibrate a thermometer using distilled water and assuming that the reading at the point where there is a combination of ice and water is 32F (0C.)
**Note that beer & wine & such do not freeze at this temperature, but a bit lower down to 27F sometimes, and possibly lower.
Another issue which affects things is the on-off range tolerance.
Obviously(?) if the set temperature and the on/off temperatures are the same, your unit will cycle a lot trying to stay in that small zone (the answer to maintaining such a close tolerance is to have more insulation and as much thermal mass as you can.)
Because of this, you will note that if you turn the thermostat down until the unit kicks in, back it off until it shuts off and then turn it down again, the compressor will not start immediately, but will delay. This is to keep the motor from quickly cycling on/off which is not good for the motor.
So far, I've not found a unit on the low end which allows you to adjust this range between turn off and restart. The external units do seem to have this ability--at least some of them.
What this means is that any temperature adjustments to fine-tune things need to have some time between adjustments.
** When you set a thermostat you are not setting a temperature. Rather you are setting a temperature range.
What all this boils down to is that the reading on your thermometer/thermostat cannot necessarily be trusted, but this doesn't really make any practical difference, since each setup--like an oven--will have it's own quirks.
Best advice is to keep a log if you're brewing, and see what works for you. Remember that the room temperature will affect how frequently the temperature cycles, and thus the number of times per day that the contents cycle through the temperature range. (For serving of course, set it to what tastes best to you and log where those settings are for different brews.)
This is true of ALL thermometers, including the electronic ones.
If you go to a store and look at all of the thermometers of the same make & model, you will likely find that they differ from each other--sometimes considerably
You can calibrate a thermometer using distilled water and assuming that the reading at the point where there is a combination of ice and water is 32F (0C.)
**Note that beer & wine & such do not freeze at this temperature, but a bit lower down to 27F sometimes, and possibly lower.
Another issue which affects things is the on-off range tolerance.
Obviously(?) if the set temperature and the on/off temperatures are the same, your unit will cycle a lot trying to stay in that small zone (the answer to maintaining such a close tolerance is to have more insulation and as much thermal mass as you can.)
Because of this, you will note that if you turn the thermostat down until the unit kicks in, back it off until it shuts off and then turn it down again, the compressor will not start immediately, but will delay. This is to keep the motor from quickly cycling on/off which is not good for the motor.
So far, I've not found a unit on the low end which allows you to adjust this range between turn off and restart. The external units do seem to have this ability--at least some of them.
What this means is that any temperature adjustments to fine-tune things need to have some time between adjustments.
** When you set a thermostat you are not setting a temperature. Rather you are setting a temperature range.
What all this boils down to is that the reading on your thermometer/thermostat cannot necessarily be trusted, but this doesn't really make any practical difference, since each setup--like an oven--will have it's own quirks.
Best advice is to keep a log if you're brewing, and see what works for you. Remember that the room temperature will affect how frequently the temperature cycles, and thus the number of times per day that the contents cycle through the temperature range. (For serving of course, set it to what tastes best to you and log where those settings are for different brews.)
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
Unfortunately the collar probably won't help you. The decrease in insulation value and increase in volume to be cooled will only make the compressor work a little harder to get to the temp that the thermostat is set to, but it won't change that temp.
I have a Frigidaire 7.2 cf. This was my exact thermostat and the coarse adjustment was right where you pointed out. Can't thank you enough for the pictures. Happy brewing!!
SpaceJunk
Active Member
Pieceman said:
I see this available online for a reasonable price. How many 5 gal kegs can you store in this? Also have you tried fermenter buckets or carboys in it? Room for a 5# co2 tank?
I just picked up (free) an older Amana chest freezer. Not sure of the year, but here is some info:
It's got to be 10-15 cf as I can easily fit 6 corny kegs, 5lb CO2 tank and probably a 30 pack inside. Cleaned it up and plugged it in and it works great. I dug into the thermostat hoping to find a coarse adjustment screw and found this:
There are tiny screws inside the "cut in" and "cut out" holes. I assume if I turn those counterclockwise, it will run warmer? Turn both the same amount? Some insight would be helpful.
It's got to be 10-15 cf as I can easily fit 6 corny kegs, 5lb CO2 tank and probably a 30 pack inside. Cleaned it up and plugged it in and it works great. I dug into the thermostat hoping to find a coarse adjustment screw and found this:
There are tiny screws inside the "cut in" and "cut out" holes. I assume if I turn those counterclockwise, it will run warmer? Turn both the same amount? Some insight would be helpful.
I'm at the very beginning of my conversion right now. I have read in other topics that you can fit three 5gals on the floor and possibly 2 more on the compressor hump(depending on how tall you make your collar.)
So, after some searching, I found the screw that assistantbrewer was talking about. I tightened it some, no change. i loosened it some, no change. So i loosened it some more, then some more, then the screw came out completely!
I can see the spring mechanism swinging freely inside the "box" or relay or whatever. I can't seem to get the screw to catch the spring and so can't get the screw to tighten again. It seems like the freezer will still run even with the internal temp at 30 F.
Am I totally screwed? Is there any way to fix this? If so, can I assume that loosening the screw is not the right direction (since it is completely out and the freezer is still running at 30 F)? Any advice would be appreciated.
Of note to others - be careful how much you loosen this screw - apparently it can come out!
JG
So, after much work, I was able to get the screw back into the spring, but I had to take the controller box completely apart to do it. Unfortunately I now cannot get it back together, because there is too much tension on the back end, were the probe that goes into the freezer attaches. The thing is completely FUBAR. Damn!
After looking at mine in detail from the inside, clearly turing the screw clockwise (making it tighter) would be the right way to turn it, and this seems consistent with what others are saying. So, if you're going to try this, try tightening the screw first. Only loosen it if you are sure that tightening it is the wrong way.
Oh well, instead I let my fridge warm up, and then plugged it into an appliance timer. I've found that If I let it run for 15 minutes, it will bring the temp down from about 50 F to about 40 F. If I let this run twice a day for 15 minutes, it seems to keep it nicely in 40s. Not perfect, but I have a Johnson temp controller that I will use most of the time, and will only use the timer when I am fermenting something (using a heat wrap and the johnson for this part).
JG
sirhc1210
Well-Known Member
Thanks to the OP for posting! This saved me the cost of a temp controller so i figure I'd post how I got mine working.
Just bought a GE 7cuft Freezer Model FCM7DUAWW.
Shot of the Thermostat:
I unscrewed the side vent and pushed in the clips to pop out the themostat.
Once the themostat was dangling out I found the set screw. In this pic it's the top screw in that oval on the side.
It took around an entire week to get the temperature set high enough. I first turned freezer to the warmest setting. Then I screwed the set screw in(clockwise) 3 turns, let the temp stabalize over night. Repeated that over several days. Eventually I got to a total of 11 turns and the freezer temperature was sitting at 48 degrees F at the warmest setting. I wanted the temp down around the upper 30's so I put the thermostat back into the freezer and used the front dial, raising the setting up(cooler) little by little to adjust the temp a little cooler. It didn't take much and I got the temp down to 38 degrees F when the dial was at the 1.5 setting.
It takes some time and patience to get the temperature correct since the freezer has to adjust temperature overnight. But if you take your time and let the temp adjust lowering it little by little then it can be done. =)
Goodluck and Cheers!
Just bought a GE 7cuft Freezer Model FCM7DUAWW.
Shot of the Thermostat:
I unscrewed the side vent and pushed in the clips to pop out the themostat.
Once the themostat was dangling out I found the set screw. In this pic it's the top screw in that oval on the side.
It took around an entire week to get the temperature set high enough. I first turned freezer to the warmest setting. Then I screwed the set screw in(clockwise) 3 turns, let the temp stabalize over night. Repeated that over several days. Eventually I got to a total of 11 turns and the freezer temperature was sitting at 48 degrees F at the warmest setting. I wanted the temp down around the upper 30's so I put the thermostat back into the freezer and used the front dial, raising the setting up(cooler) little by little to adjust the temp a little cooler. It didn't take much and I got the temp down to 38 degrees F when the dial was at the 1.5 setting.
It takes some time and patience to get the temperature correct since the freezer has to adjust temperature overnight. But if you take your time and let the temp adjust lowering it little by little then it can be done. =)
Goodluck and Cheers!
ultravista
Well-Known Member
Great post - subscribing.
Scruffy1207
Well-Known Member
I will try this today. I got a GE chest freezer model: fcm7hdnawh
I am not home to check it out, but if anyone has tried it on this model let me know if it worked!
I am not home to check it out, but if anyone has tried it on this model let me know if it worked!
blip01
Well-Known Member
The ambient temp may be a problem. Mine is inside our air conditioned house and only swings maybe 5 degrees at most.
carrotmalt
Well-Known Member
I'd be interested in what kinds of temp swings this translates into for the beer itself. I suppose it might be different for one gallon vs. five, but were these readings with a probe suspended in the air?
Also, have you taken readings the same way with while using your external controller t-stat to see what kind if swings it shows?
