Goddamned Chest Freezer!

I hate being the guy who posts only when he has a problem, but I've been busy working three jobs etc etc. My apologies.

I bought a large chest freezer for my kegs less than a month ago. I went to check on my American Wheat keg this morning and found that the freezer was 75 degrees inside. The compressor is super hot and every minute or so makes a sound like it wants to turn on, then gives up again. I've been using an external temp control, so I disconnected that and tried the freezer directly. Same problem. Anyone ever have this problem? Could my compressor be shot? And by extension, the whole freezer? It took myself and two friend 45 minutes to lug this guy up three flights of stairs. They are gonna be pissed when I tell them we need to bring it down again, and eventually bring a new one up...

I'd appreciate any advice...

-Ben

you're gonna lose some brew over this. sounds like it is the compressor. don't bother carrying it down stairs just toss it out the window

Did you buy a used one? If not, it should be covered under warranty, just make sure you disconnect the controller and put it away before the service guy comes.

If you bought it used, you are SOL on the compressor and it will cost more than you probably paid for it it get a guy up there to fix it.

Could be the start components..... There should be a current relay and a di-metal thermal overload under the plastic cover of the compressor, and a start capacitor clamped above it. The overload is what is turning it on and off, it breaks contact when the compressor gets too warm. Unplug it and take a look under the plastic cover....the relay could be burnt, or the start cap could be bad, but the only way I know how to check it is with a cap tester.... If those are good, then more than likely the compressor is junk.

Allan

howlinowl said:

start cap could be bad, but the only way I know how to check it is with a cap tester...

Click to expand...

Start caps die often when a compressor is run on low supply voltage. i.e. extension cords, multiple items on single circuit, etc. To help understand; Compressors need more juice to get going than line current can supply. The start cap stores juice and dumps it when the compressor tries to start. With a dead start cap, a compressor will try to start and just humm while drawing high current.

If you suspect the start cap, just replace it. It's much cheaper to replace 'em than troubleshoot them.

Where can I get start caps? Can I just bring in the old ones?
-Ben

Do you happen to have it plugged into a long extension chord?

It's probably too late anyhow, but freeze some bottles of water and put them in there to bring the temps down for your brew.

SkaBoneBenny said:

Where can I get start caps? Can I just bring in the old ones?
-Ben

Click to expand...

Generally you can find them at appliance repair stores and air compressor repair shops. Take the old one, but remember that a large capacitor like a starter cap can hold a nasty charge. Treat the terminals/leads like an electrified wire even when disconnected. Don't touch them, don't let a tool short them, etc.

BierMuncher said:

Do you happen to have it plugged into a long extension chord?

Click to expand...

This is an important note for any compressor (air, freezer, A/C, etc). Long cords or cords that are undersized drop supply voltage and make starter caps work too hard. That causes them to die prematurely. That's how I met my compressor repair man. On my second trip in he explained what I just said, told me that extension cords were great for his business, and added that for an air compressor you should always use more hose and no extension cord.

pldoolittle said:

Start caps die often when a compressor is run on low supply voltage. i.e. extension cords, multiple items on single circuit, etc. To help understand; Compressors need more juice to get going than line current can supply. The start cap stores juice and dumps it when the compressor tries to start. With a dead start cap, a compressor will try to start and just humm while drawing high current.

If you suspect the start cap, just replace it. It's much cheaper to replace 'em than troubleshoot them.

Click to expand...

Actually to put it simply the capacitor in a capacitor start motor provides a phase shift between the voltage and current on the start winding, this difference between the start and run windings allows the motor to rotate.

This freezer sounds like thee poster child for Start Cap death. I had it plugged into a cheap, crappy extension chord, which was then plugged into a lousy circuit breaker. Huh... well I guess it's time to start looking for appliance repair stores. What exactly do the start caps look like? Do they come in reasonably uniform sizes?
-Ben

SkaBoneBenny said:

This freezer sounds like thee poster child for Start Cap death. I had it plugged into a cheap, crappy extension chord, which was then plugged into a lousy circuit breaker. Huh... well I guess it's time to start looking for appliance repair stores. What exactly do the start caps look like? Do they come in reasonably uniform sizes?
-Ben

Click to expand...

They vary widely. Typically: 2-4" long, aluminum can, 2-4 leads on one end. Can be cylindrical or oval like a race track

They are not universal. Locate yours and take it with you.

Quick question. Could the starter capacitor going bad cause the breaker to trip? I have a commercial fridge that uses a 1/2hp compressor that has died on me. I had it connected to a digital temp control and I think the extension cord on the temp control could had led to the demise of the starter capacitor. It will run up until it is time for the compressor to kick in, then the breaker trips. I'm hoping that replacing the capacitor will do the trick as the compressor will cost $700. I'll dump the thing if that's the case.

It most definitely can... If it is shorted it will trip the breaker immediately(you can check this with an OHM meter). If it is open then the motor will not start causing excessive in rush current which will also cause the breaker to trip but you might notice that the compressor hums and you have a delay before the breaker trips.

Wihophead is dead on.

An AC motor generates resistance when it's running and acts like a near short circuit when it not. Because of this an AC motor NOT running is draws many, many more amps than when it is running. That's why items like vacuum cleaners will burn up when overloaded, even though they have no mechanical connection between the brush and the windings.

If you start capacitor is bad, the armature never spins...