Mini Fridge Conversion Temperature Issue

Hello,

I recently built a kegerator and I am now having some temperature and possibly condensation issues.

The mini fridge I used was a GE wmr04bapbbb. I bent the freezer compartment down and it seemed to go fine. No kinks. I also drilled three holes in it. Two for two CO2 lines that come in the side, both of which completely fill up the holes that I have attached. The third was a 2" hole on the top for the beer lines and air cooling tube. I have a three foot line going from that hole to the back of a wooden cabinet which I have two taps coming out of. The line is made of 1/2" pipe insulation made into approximately a 2" ID. I made a 8.5"x8"x3" box out of 2 inch thick styrofoam in the cabinet. This holds the lines as they go to the two taps and a squirrel fan that I have blowing air from the box into the fridge so I can keep my lines cool.

All this to say that I am not able to cool my fridge low enough. I have a corny full of beer in there and I cannot cool my fridge below 60 degrees. I am extremely confused at this point as well because the freezer compartment that I bent down is completely covered in ice. It is 3/4" thick at this point and it has been on less than a week. I even have tthis dehumidifier in there to help drive off moisture.

I do not understand how I can have an huge layer of ice in the fridge and also a temperature of 50-60 degrees. I have the fridge set to its coldest temperature. I also have an a419 JC temp controller I can hook up but with the internal thermostat not even letting the temps get low enough I am at a loss of how it would or what I can do.

I know this may be convoluted but I am at my wits end. Help HBT. You are my only hope.

The ice is a major part of the problem. You need to get the ice off of the cold plate, and then maybe get another fan blowing on it to keep the ice from building up again.

Get the ice off, another fan wouldn't hurt, and install that temp controller. I have a mini fridge i did the same thing with and it has some condensation issues and the temp is very inconsistent, granted i don't have any fans in mine, but im not really worried about it because my keezer is nearing completion.

I am currently defrosting the fridge. I am still worried that I will have issues as I couldn't get the temperature down even before there was ice. Is there a way I can override the thermostat with the temp controller? Most things that I have found have said that I should just put the thermostat at its coldest and install the temp controller to the power of the fridge. If the coldest temperature doesn't cool down the fridge, where do I install the temp control?

Im not calling you a liar or anything, but i'm quite certain the fridge is perfectly capable of sustaining the temps you are looking for after it is defrosted. I would install the temp controller as intended and let us know what happens. Also be sure that everything is sealed up, that could be a contributing factor to your condensation issues. Did you caulk the holes you drilled? Good luck.

I have duct tape around the holes that I drilled and I am starting to suspect this is where my problem lies. I'll take a picture of it tonight and see if that doesn't help the diagnosis.

Also i got to thinking about this earlier today, where is your kegerator located? Basement? Garage? Elsewhere?

After you make sure the holes are not leaking, an approach you could take would be to isolate the cause of the problem. After the cold plate is defrosted, remove the corny and plug the 2" hole. Run the fridge to make sure it operates normally without the corny and cooling the lines. Then add back the corny and then cool the lines and foam box.

A potential problem might be the pipe insulation you are using. Since the 2" tube is 3 ft long, you have an area of 1 1/2 sq. ft with only 1/2" of foam insulation.