Guide to set internal chest freezer thermostat to >32F; Eliminate external control

JSGT09 said:

I'm wanting to try this on my Holiday 5.0 freezer but am nervous about freezing my kegs that I currently have inside it. I'm controlling the temp right now with an ebay temp controller, but I need to steal it for my new fermentation fridge. What is my risk is freezing my kegged beer while messing with the screw adjustments?

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Hi

Monitor the temperature with a small water bottle or something similar. It will react faster than your beer. Plan to spend some quality time watching what is going on and you likely won't freeze the beer. It takes a long time (hours) to freeze a keg.

That said, I'd pull the beer out of the lines while you are messing around. They can freeze pretty fast.

Bob

BetterSense said:

Sweet; thanks for the info. Right now my system runs for 4 minutes then stays off for about a half-hour. I think I will add some hysteresis by putting the temp sensor in a glass of water and see how that goes.

Anyone else have another data point?

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Hi

Off time is what you want to "worry about". If the compressor fires up again within about 20 minutes that's not a real good thing at all. If you watch a "real" small freezer the compressor does indeed come on once an hour under some conditions. The big freezers don't seem to fire up quite as often.

The flip side to this is that the longer between re-starts, the bigger the temperature swing in the freezer. Since the keg moves very slowly, the freezer can move quite a bit and the beer won't notice much at all. If you are out in the "cycle per hour" range that's probably ok.

I would not rip the the controller out of it's original location just to so something with a jug of water. One big advantage to modifying the original controller is that it's rugged and reliable.

Bob

I'm not modifying the original controller, I'm using an external controller. So I can just dangle the temp probe in there, or tape it to a keg, or put it water or whatever. My temp controller also has an adjustable deadband in itself.

I was asking in this thread because I think it's good to know how often these small freezers kick on when people modify the original thermostat. I think it's good to target that same cycle frequency when setting up an external temp controller. I think it's good info for people using Johnson etc. temp controllers--it seems to me like you should try to mimic the cycle frequency of the stock thermostat, and until people started turning the stock thermostats up, we didn't really know what that cycle frequency would be at say, 40F.

I will try to get my thermostat to stay off for a bit longer, like at least 45 minutes. If anyone else is adjusting the thermostats on these and is bored enough to sit there and time the cycle frequency, I think it would be good to get as much data on this as possible.

HBrew71 said:

That is not the screw. It is on the other side -- on the bottom -- underneath the tape.

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dang i am so happy i came back to this "that one" was the same one i was adjusting and not working ,just went an looked under the tape -
woo hoo we're cookin with gas now i will post back in a day when i get'er adjusted.
Thanks all

BetterSense said:

I'm not modifying the original controller, I'm using an external controller. So I can just dangle the temp probe in there, or tape it to a keg, or put it water or whatever. My temp controller also has an adjustable deadband in itself.

I was asking in this thread because I think it's good to know how often these small freezers kick on when people modify the original thermostat. I think it's good to target that same cycle frequency when setting up an external temp controller. I think it's good info for people using Johnson etc. temp controllers--it seems to me like you should try to mimic the cycle frequency of the stock thermostat, and until people started turning the stock thermostats up, we didn't really know what that cycle frequency would be at say, 40F.

I will try to get my thermostat to stay off for a bit longer, like at least 45 minutes. If anyone else is adjusting the thermostats on these and is bored enough to sit there and time the cycle frequency, I think it would be good to get as much data on this as possible.

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Hi

There is a reasonable amount of variation between freezers with stock controllers running at normal target temperature (0F or below). Great big freezers with a full load of "stuff" in a cold room - not much cycling. Little low cost units in a warm room - you'll see them cycle amazingly often (like every 30 to 45 minutes).

Obviously the original thermostat is trying to run at 0F and not at 40. Because of they way the mechanics work, their cut in / cut out points get closer as you raise the temperature. They will cycle a bit more than you might expect at 40F.

Bob

See one on C-list...cheap so wondering
Can it be done on a "wine cooler" bottle fridge.?
Want it to get colder. Manuel says 45-49 for sparkling wine.
Can you Un-screw the coarse screw to get it colder.?
Avanti Wine Cooler, Model WC601CL
http://www.abt.com/product/10930/Avanti-WC601CL.html

Double-R said:

See one on C-list...cheap so wondering
Can it be done on a "wine cooler" bottle fridge.?
Want it to get colder. Manuel says 45-49 for sparkling wine.
Can you Un-screw the coarse screw to get it colder.?
Avanti Wine Cooler, Model WC601CL
http://www.abt.com/product/10930/Avanti-WC601CL.html

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Hi

You probably can get the controller to go quite a bit colder. The compressor / cooler in the fridge likely will croak pretty quick trying to get to 36F and stay there. My stock wine fridges cycle a lot just holding 45 or so.

Bob

Hey, I just wanted to give AssistantBrewer a great big ol' Thank You!

This weekend I decided to try this out on my Frigidaire 5cuft chest freezer, and it so far has worked like a charm! The hardest thing I came across was finding a screw driver small enough to rotate the course adjustment screw. You, Sir, rock! :rockin:

Here are a couple of pictures of my small chest freezer. Just in case you were wondering model information, here it is:




Freezer moved out to where I can work on it easily:



All of the controls were on the side of the freezer, the temperature dial is on the lower left in this picture:



Here is the dial removed, I recognized what this looked like from what other people did, and that made me happy that I was on the right track!:



All that was left to do was pull the dial off of the unit so I could easily work on it. I just removed the tape, and then spent about 20 minutes trying to find a screw driver that was small enough to get in there and rotate the course adjustment screw.



The freezer has been running for two days now, and I have a pitcher of water in there that is cold to the touch, but the water isn't frozen. When I get home tonight I'll get a temperature reading for y'all and post my results! (I had a thermometer in there for two days, but it says it's 28 degrees, however the water isn't frozen, so I don't really believe that.)

I just did this on a brand new 7cu ft Holiday (Lowes). I turned my adjustment screw all the way in (clockwise) - roughly 12 turns - until it stopped. I now have a temp probe monitoring the temp of a 5 gallon bucket of water inside it. It's otherwise empty. Hoping for ~40-45F stabilization. Thanks for the great info!

So, I started fiddling with this last evening. I put a 5 gallon bucket of water in the freezer with a thermometer in the water and another one just sitting on the compressor hump. I checked the temps this morning, the water gave a 40F reading and the other one on the compressor hump gave a ~20F reading.

I wouldn't expect them to be the same, but does that seem like a "normal" delta between temps? To get the "beer" to 40F, does the keezer actually need to be 20-30F? Maybe one of my thermometers is off?

A little disappointing. With my coarse and fine adjustments both all the way on warm, I'm at 35F after ~14 hours with 5 gallons of water in there. Judging from the curve, I'm guessing it will bottom out around 32-33F. Well below serving temp, but I suppose I could still force carb and condition in it this way. Will I have freezing issues with my gas supply or secondary regulators at these temps?

cscade said:

A little disappointing. With my coarse and fine adjustments both all the way on warm, I'm at 35F after ~14 hours with 5 gallons of water in there. Judging from the curve, I'm guessing it will bottom out around 32-33F. Well below serving temp, but I suppose I could still force carb and condition in it this way. Will I have freezing issues with my gas supply or secondary regulators at these temps?

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Hi

Looks like it will finish out a bit to cold. 36 to 38 is the lowest target temp you should be going for. Below that odd things go bump here or there and indeed stuff freezes up.

Bob

This should definitely be a sticky either here in the DIY or Kegging section. Going to try it tonight on two different fridges. Full size with a freezer and a dorm fridge as well.

Yep, mine was a failure. Temps settled right at freezing (in the water). Close, but not close enough. Looks like I'll be going the controller route after all.

Mine seems to be settling right at 40...according to my grocery store thermometer. I have a controller as a backup, so I'll stick a keg in and see what happens. Great info here. Thanks!

cscade said:

Yep, mine was a failure. Temps settled right at freezing (in the water). Close, but not close enough. Looks like I'll be going the controller route after all.

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Yep, same here. It was holding good for about a day or two, but a glass of water inside started to freeze over very slowly. With the coarse screw all the way in, I started adjusting the top screw to bring it back to warmer conditions, but just a small turn of that screw (either in or out) would send the temp wild. It was either freezing the water rapidly, or the internal temp was around 60ish. I broke down and got a temp controller.

Did you readjust your screw before you plugged in your controller or did you just leave it all the way in?

Need some help. I just got a whirlpool eh100fx 10 cubic foot freezer. I have two possible screws. One is near the large temp control outside the unit and the second is behind a plastic cover. I screwed both in all the way last night and this morning 4 gallons of water was solid ice. I took the one near the main temp control and screwed it way out and I'm trying that. Do you think that is the right screw? I had to buy an eyeglasses repair kit to get at it. Pictures attached. First is the little screw near the main temp, then the plastic cover and other screw.

I tried this with my new haier freezer from Costco. Ended up turning the screw right out of the spring. My attempt to rectify that problem resulted in breaking the controller further. Ended up buying a Love controller on Amazon.

I have a new 5cf Holiday and screwed the coarse screw clockwise all the way. Adjustment knob is at 1 but the temp stays just below freezing. Am I out of luck or is there anything else I can tweak? Would love to keg my current batch in there next weekend. Thanks in advance for any info.

sub'd

hurtbirdbath said:

I have a new 5cf Holiday and screwed the coarse screw clockwise all the way. Adjustment knob is at 1 but the temp stays just below freezing. Am I out of luck or is there anything else I can tweak? Would love to keg my current batch in there next weekend. Thanks in advance for any info.

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Hi

You really want to be able to get up to about 40 F with the control. If you are below freezing, that puts you about 8 degrees shy of the goal.

Some math:

Beer wants to store at 36 to 38F according to most of the commercial brewers. You need some room on the controller - they drift with time. Two degrees is about the minimum to start out with.

Bob

So I was able to find this thing and I unscrewed it a bit to the left - plugged it in and screwed to the right - eventually the compressor turned on - what did I just find? Does right make colder?

As always, this forum ROCKS! I was just getting ready to order two Johnson controls - one for the freezer and one for a FermWrap when I came across this thread. I just bought a Hiaer 7.1 freezer yesterday so I was chomping at the bit to get it set up. Now I can save $60 to use on the rest of the setup.

AssistantBrewer, if you're ever in San Diego, drop me a PM and I'll take you out for a pint or two!

Oh, and a thank you tohlumbard as well. After pulling my switch out I wasn't sure where the adjustment screw was but as I plowed through the thread, I see your pictures and that is the exact same switch that I have - SCORE!!!

Has anyone done a post adjustment temp check? I'd be interested in seeing what kind of temp swings the chamber is seeing VS the dedicated temp controller.

william_shakes_beer said:

Has anyone done a post adjustment temp check? I'd be interested in seeing what kind of temp swings the chamber is seeing VS the dedicated temp controller.

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Hi

There's a post earlier in this thread addressing that. Bottom line as reported - the compressor cycles more often / the temperature swings less at the sensor compared to the pre-modification controller.

Bob

Anybody know if this method would work on the temp controller for an A/C unit? Mine won't cool to less than 60 degrees.

Sulli said:

Anybody know if this method would work on the temp controller for an A/C unit? Mine won't cool to less than 60 degrees.

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Hi

The same approach works. The real question is weather your A/C compressor and "stuff" will last very long running really cold.

Bob

I posted a couple days ago about trying this on the new Hiaer freezer I bought at Costco. Unfortunately, with the screw cranked all the way down (about 8 turns) and the lowest fine temp control setting, I am still below freezing. So I was thinking, why not put the coarse control back where it was and swap this freezer for the 5 year old Frigidaire I have with FOOD in it. Figured I'd try the same thing and see what happens.

However, when I was moving my new Hiaer around to readjust the switch I noticed a kind of metallic thunk when the freezer moved (power cord is unplugged). I pulled the cover plate off so I could get the thermostat back out and while I was in there I gently shook the compressor. That appears to be where the clunk came from. It sounds fine running, it just seems like there is something in the compressor that hits the outer case when moved very much.

So here's my question - should I risk putting food in the new freezer? I can stand for some beer to warm up but loosing beef & fish isn't going to go over well. Is this sort of sound normal? Maybe I'll pull the Frigidaire out from the wall and shake its' compressor.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

After I ruined my Hair by drilling through the side, I took the compressor out thinking I would maybe make a vacuum pump out of it or something. If you shake it, it makes clunky noises. I think it's normal. It think it has a heavy piston in there and a diaphram and it kind of just oscillates in operation.

It's normal. I have two new Holidays and they both clunk like crazy when you move them. It does sound broken, so I can see why you'd be concerned!

LarryC said:

I posted a couple days ago about trying this on the new Hiaer freezer I bought at Costco. Unfortunately, with the screw cranked all the way down (about 8 turns) and the lowest fine temp control setting, I am still below freezing.

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I just bought this freezer as well and following the directions, I was able to set it to above freezing. The problem for me is that I cannot accurately measure the temp in it. Water does not freeze, but I get measurements all over from 20 to 49 degrees using infrared sensor (depending on where you aim). My floating thermometer must suck because it registers < 0C when floating in pitcher of water. I am guessing my temp is actually around 40.

Thanks to the OP! Ah how I love HBT.

I just bought a new fridge (Black & Decker BFEQ50 that also had a very easy to access screw) that I traded (actually sold it!) for a bigger, older and free Polaris. Found a small screw on the thermostat that I screwed all the way to the right... Seems like a success. The small puddles of water actually froze with the air being 30F but my mason jar filled with water hovers around 50F after preliminary testing (everything at the warmest setting).

I'll give it a shot with a keg eventually.

dunnry said:

I just bought this freezer as well and following the directions, I was able to set it to above freezing.

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I'm jealous but I'll post back once I move the food into the Hiaer and adjust the Frigidaire. Wish me luck!

So far So good for me. Adjusted the other day now have kegs with water and holding at 38'.

Thanks Saved me $$

Time to finish my coffin Kezzer.

I just took my first stab at this last night, and have my keezer reading at 28 (according to this aquarium thermometer in a 2L at the bottom of the keezer) but the water is not frozen. It's not even frozen in a smaller water that barely has anything in it. Is my thermometer broken or is there something else at play here? The 2L on the hump didn't seem as cold, and I don't have air circulating in there, yet.

Humm, makes sense that they would build something that could be "calibrated”.

I wonder how they zero them in at the factory?

Thanks,

DPB

DPBISME said:

Humm, makes sense that they would build something that could be "calibrated”.

I wonder how they zero them in at the factory?

Thanks,

DPB

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Hi

They zero them with the same little screw that everybody is using to switch them to higher temperature. Toss it in a cold bath and tweak the screw.

Bob

Well, I put the food into my Hiaer and cleaned out the Frigidaire yesterday. I screwed the coarse adjustment screw all the way down and I can now hold the temp around 42°. However, that is with the fine adjustment cranked almost all the way down. And, with this setting, the compressor seems to be short cycling. It will run for maybe a minute or less and then shut off for 3 or 4 minutes - repeat over & over. I'll see how it acts once I have some kegs in there but I think I may end up buying a temp control to because I would imagine that the short cycling would be hard on the compressor over time.

Oh well, it was worth a shot...

Another satisfied customer of this thread, just bought a Kenmore 7.2sf freezer, found the COARSE SET SCREW. And am slowly bringing up the temp.

ColeR-