Chest Freezer Concerns

I recently purchased a chest freezer and temp controller. The freezer appears to be at least 10 years old – was purchased from Montgomery Ward and I believe they have been out of business for a while.

The compressor is real quiet and it took a good 6 hours to get real cold.

My concern is that if I put the controller on it – turning it on and off frequently, it will even further stress the compressor…

Should this be a concern or do these things last forever?

should not turn on and off if you keep the lid closed !!

and really you are raising the temp instead of keeping it below freezing

I don't think you should be to bad off .

Make sure to use a shop-vac and clean the condenser and compressor area well before you start to run it also, that will help prevent the compressor from over-heating and breaking.


-Jason

My garage is easily in the 100's now (Texas!). When you say it won't turn off and on - Isn't that what the temp controller does?

Or am I think about this wrong - and it's not like a light bulb and the more you switch it - the less life it has?

Out board controller does exactly the same thing as the inboard would do, only more precise.

No matter what you do, it ain't gonna last forever bro'.

The temp controller raises the base temp of the Freezer from sub-freezing to low 40's-to mid 50's. so it will not run for 6 hours straight to get to temp, and keeping the lid closed will help the freezer maintain the preset temp.

I have a standard upright fridge, I would look HERE for a bunch of links that could help with setting up your Keezer


-Jason

The freezers internal thermostat already turns it on/off frequently. It should be less so with the external controller.

Cheeto - you have mentioned keeping the lid closed a few times now - I am trying to understand - why would you not have the lid closed at all times?

Noob trying to understand here.

Heat leakage in to the freezer depends on the difference between the interior temperature and the outside temperature. Run time is directly proportional to heat leakage. So, it will turn on less frequently and run for a shorter period of time.

Another one of those factoids that will not die.

some people go cheap to start, and use picnic taps

like these



and in your heat opening and closing yout keezer will cause the compressor to run often


-Jason

This is where most people end up with their keezers
granted there are a few that go to the extreme with 10-15 taps and painting, hardwood coverings ..............

-Jason

OH....yeah. OK, I am using this freezer for fermentation right now. Keeping it simple!

My wife kicked me back out into the garage to brew / ferment....she doesn't like the odor of the brew process and I have her bath-tub for my fermentation!!!

I try to brew heavy in the winter and enjoy the spoils during my short summers

-Jason

I use a 7.2 Magic Chef, and my texas garage is easily 100+ degrees most of the day. I keep it running at 38-41deg and it probably runs a total of 1 hour a day at most. (4 hours of cleaning the garage, it ran for 10min)

I also use the cobra/picnic taps with no colar. I am satisfied with what i have, and felt that those HOT texas days would help faucets gum up even worse.

Cheeto said:

some people go cheap to start, and use picnic taps

like these

and in your heat opening and closing yout keezer will cause the compressor to run often

Click to expand...

Mine is only open for about 10sec/pint

My logic to staying with picnic taps was partially that the colar is less insulating than the walls/lid and would be equal to if not greater than the 30-60sec a day my keezer is open.

yeah it makes no difference to the temp opening a chest freezer really. A fridge suffers more and I notice that the temp doesn't move a digit at all. I just flick the switch and make sure my pc fans turn off before opening.

BrewFrisco said:

I recently purchased a chest freezer and temp controller. The freezer appears to be at least 10 years old – was purchased from Montgomery Ward and I believe they have been out of business for a while.

The compressor is real quiet and it took a good 6 hours to get real cold.

My concern is that if I put the controller on it – turning it on and off frequently, it will even further stress the compressor…

Should this be a concern or do these things last forever?

Click to expand...

I'm doing the same thing you are--using an old CL freezer in my 100F+ Phoenix garage for fermentation. I tape the Ranco probe to the side of the carboy with several paper towels for insulation. I'm sure there are better insulators out there. The thermal mass of the carboy liquid prevents the temperature from fluctuating as much as the air might if you open the lid. That said, the beauty of a chest freezer is that the cold air settles to the bottom and you don't lose much when you open the lid. I keep it within 1F and it does not run often.