Thermostat bypass?

Hi,

I recently bought a fridge off CL and made an eBay temp controller. Things have worked beautifully until today.

Yesterday I brewed my first lager and set the temp to 50f after giving it 24 hours to get fermentation started.

The fridge keeps kicking the compressor off at 55f.

Some sources say you can just connect the wires running into the thermostat so the compressor will run when you want it to by others say that's not safe to do.

I did tighten the set point screw and that seems to help a bit but I really want to get this properly fixed before I need to lager for 2 months at 38 or so.

Thank you in advance for your time! Any clarification/advice would be appreciated!

I've attached pictures of the thermostat.

There appears to be two black wires, one orange, along with an aluminum looking wire.

How would I bypass the thermomstat without damaging the refrigerator?

Do you have the normal temperature dials inside the fridge cranked to their coldest settings? That should essentially tell the fridge to get as cold as it possibly can, and in the meantime the external controller will control the power to the fridge to maintain the desired temp.

michaeltrego said:

Do you have the normal temperature dials inside the fridge cranked to their coldest settings? That should essentially tell the fridge to get as cold as it possibly can, and in the meantime the external controller will control the power to the fridge to maintain the desired temp.

Click to expand...

Yep. I also tightened the set screw.

It works now that I have it at 50 but I'm afraid it won't get down to the 37ish that I need to have it at when it's lagering for a few months.

This is the first time I've had to do this so so I'm not sure if I'm completely unfounded in my fears. This is a Kenmore freezer on top. The model is #2536419240G

When the fridge turns off does the temp controller indicate that it should still be on? Even fridges should regulate themselves down to just a few degrees above freezing. Depends where the temp probe is in the fridge too. It may be that it's in the freezer and it's reaching the freezer temp prior to the temp you're looking for in the fridge portion. Depending on how warm your wort was going into the fridge, it may be keeping the fridge compartment warmer while the freezer is working over time. Stretching but trying to help.

Spintab said:

When the fridge turns off does the temp controller indicate that it should still be on? Even fridges should regulate themselves down to just a few degrees above freezing. Depends where the temp probe is in the fridge too. It may be that it's in the freezer and it's reaching the freezer temp prior to the temp you're looking for in the fridge portion. Depending on how warm your wort was going into the fridge, it may be keeping the fridge compartment warmer while the freezer is working over time. Stretching but trying to help.

Click to expand...

Yes - The fridge will shut off but the temp controller will indicate that the cool mode is still on, so it's definitely something in the fridge that is telling it to shut off.

The thermostat is fridge compartment but I'm not 100% where that white wire runs to, it looks like the wire may run into the freezer, so the temp sensor may be in the freezer. I also have the freezer set to the coldest possible.

Would bypassing the thermostat have any ill effects on the compressor?

Theoretically no as long as you are confident in which wires connect. Ill effects would come from a temp controller kicking the compressor on and off every 60 seconds. The pilsner in my belly tells me I should bow out of an official "do it" and suggestions of which wires to connect though. I'll pass that torch.

Spintab said:

Theoretically no as long as you are confident in which wires connect. Ill effects would come from a temp controller kicking the compressor on and off every 60 seconds. The pilsner in my belly tells me I should bow out of an official "do it" and suggestions of which wires to connect though. I'll pass that torch.

Click to expand...

The temp controller has a 10 minute delay built into it to prevent sending the compressor to an early grave.

I'm about 80% sure just connecting the two of them won't do any harm to the fridge but would rather wait to have the confirmation from a grizzled veteran!

Spintab - Thank you kindly for your time, it is much appreciated!