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mcwarhammer

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I picked up a used Kenmore chest freezer off craigslist.. not sure of the model number but its about 2ft x 4ft and I can fit 9 kegs with the collar on. I painted it black with appliance spray pain, added a 1x10 collar added aluminum bubble insulation to the collar. I have the temp controller set to 42f with a 3f diff.

The temperature doesn't seem to get below 50f though. Is there anything I should be looking for? I have the freezer thermostat set to the lowest setting, and it definitely gets cold, theres some frost on the front freezer wall... but it doesn't seem to be getting cold enough.

Any ideas? I'd hate to have to start over from scratch after painting it and all.

Thanks!
 
I picked up a used Kenmore chest freezer off craigslist.. not sure of the model number but its about 2ft x 4ft and I can fit 9 kegs with the collar on. I painted it black with appliance spray pain, added a 1x10 collar added aluminum bubble insulation to the collar. I have the temp controller set to 42f with a 3f diff.

The temperature doesn't seem to get below 50f though. Is there anything I should be looking for? I have the freezer thermostat set to the lowest setting, and it definitely gets cold, theres some frost on the front freezer wall... but it doesn't seem to be getting cold enough.

Any ideas? I'd hate to have to start over from scratch after painting it and all.

Thanks!

It's probably broken. Sorry dude. I got a kenmore off craigslist a week ago that is prob the same model you're describing (a 15 cu one). Even on the highest temp setting, it still gets under freezing.
 
Check the weather stripping around the collar....it seems to me like cold air is escaping from the lid. I am in the middle of building mine so let me know if you fix it. I believe you can probably check this simply by standing in front of it with the lid closed...if you feel cold than reseal the lid with weatherstripping and I bet you get it down more.
 
Check the weather stripping around the collar....it seems to me like cold air is escaping from the lid. I am in the middle of building mine so let me know if you fix it. I believe you can probably check this simply by standing in front of it with the lid closed...if you feel cold than reseal the lid with weatherstripping and I bet you get it down more.

I've done that and I didn't notice any coldness coming out... I'll check again and have a second opinion from a friend tonight
 
is it running constantly?

if it is, it's probably a coolant leak. that'd cost more to fix than it's worth. if it can even be repaired.
 
is it running constantly?

if it is, it's probably a coolant leak. that'd cost more to fix than it's worth. if it can even be repaired.

I would imagine that it does, every time I'm in the basement with it, it's running. I guess I'll have a professional look at it before I call it quits on it?
 
if it's on 100% I personally wouldn't bother calling. Get a quote first at least. There isn't much anyone can do if the leak is buried in the walls of the freezer. if its only on a short time then it might be the compressor.

on the bright side, you now have a perfect fermentation chamber.
 
well not once it got the beer down to whatever temp you're fermenting at. you said it can get down to 50F right?

it's on all the time because it can't get to your setpoint. if your setpoint is 50 or 60 or 65, it'll shut off once it gets there.
 
yea... but I just went and checked it and now its down to 43... I don't understand. i'm going to keep an eye on it and see what happens... and look for air leaks or something
 
it had a lot of frost and a puddle, so i turned it off yesterday and then wiped it clean and turned it back on... assuming this would fix my issue... so its been on about 24 hours...

they all feel cold, but only the front has frost... its now at 42 as well

i remember kicking the drain plug earlier today, i dont think it was loose, but maybe it was and was losing air? would that make a big difference? I also took the cover off the compressor department... could it be breathing better and therefor working better without it on?
 
Alright, I think I realized why its getting colder... the temp probe was taped to the keg, and fell off, so I guess further up the keg its 50, but closer to the floor its getting down to almost 40 (which the temp controller turns off)... so maybe I just need to get a fan in there and I should be ok?
 
even if you have a small air leak it should get down pretty cold. it'll just cycle more often.

getting a fan in there would help with cold/hot spots. 10F top to bottom seems extreme to me. maybe you do have collar insulation issues.
 
http://www.lowes.com/pd_13357-56291...ix 2' x 25' Double Reflective Foil Insulation

this is the insulation that I'm using (or something really similar) should I use something different? I liked this because it seemed easy to just staple in and also be able to attach screw through it to the wood for secondary regulators when i put them in soon

thanks for all your replies.

That kind of insulation is ok - but really it's used for radiant heating applications to reflect the infrared back in a certain direction. I don't think it deals with cold as well. I used this stuff in my keezer and it works great - plus it's a higher R-Value which is always good!
 
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