CraigsList question

[phatuna]

Hi all,
Do any of you have experience with a leak in your kegerator. I've been looking to buy one for a long time. I check craigslist and here is an ad for one which will likely be cheap, but the fridge has a "leak"..

Would you recommend that I steer clear or is this an easy fix?

Here is the ad:

I am selling a two year old, hardly used, garage stored (plugged in), fantastic kegerator which three days ago some gnarly substance leaked out of the bottom of it. I have no idea, but I think its officially broken. It has a full CO2 tank with it. It has a standard tap that will work with all domestic kegs. I paid about $700 for it new but I don’t really want to see it go to the dump now, so I will take best offer I get from someone who wants to fix it and use it. Beer good. Cash only. Will not delivery. Don’t even try. Keg available for pickup for the buyer on Friday, October 2nd.

This is the keg, and this is where I got it from: http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/beer/sanyo.shtml

 

[dantodd]

I have no idea what may have leaked out. If it was a coolant leak it should've just been a release of gas and no "substance" to it. I'd ask if it is staying cold and if so in what way is it "broken."

 

[phatuna]

Here is some info I found searching around. seems like when the gas is cooled to -26C, it in fact turns into a liquid. So I guess the question is, is this fridge ruined or can it be fixed. And if it can be fixed, is it expensive? Or maybe it's just such a PITA that it's not worth it...

Refrigerators will typically contain a gas called tetrofluoroethane. This chemical is similar to the chloro-fluoro-carbon which could be found in older models of refrigerator. The tetrofluoroethane, also known as HFC, is a compound which will turn into a liquid when it is chilled to negative 26.6 degrees Celsius.

 

[samc]

Depends on how much you pay for it. You might be able to find a refrigeration tech who could fix it for a reasonable price. Offer the guy $50 and keep in mind that you can salvage the tank, tap, tower and regulator, all in all worth more than $50.

 

[phatuna]

Depends on how much you pay for it. You might be able to find a refrigeration tech who could fix it for a reasonable price. Offer the guy $50 and keep in mind that you can salvage the tank, tap, tower and regulator, all in all worth more than $50.

That's a good way to look at it Sam, I'll do just that.

 

[dontman]

+1 to going for salvageable materials at the least.

 

[dantodd]

The tetrofluoroethane, also known as HFC, is a compound which will turn into a liquid when it is chilled to negative 26.6 degrees Celsius.

as others have said you can just offer an amount you are willing to pay ofr the non-refrigerator portion.

I'm fairly sure it wasn't below -26 C so in the atmosphere the coolant will be a gas.

 

[JoMarky]

-26C = -78F Most coolants when released from pressure instantly vaporize and turn into gas, I doubt it was the coolant, but don't know what else it could be. Maybe the tap has a leak somewhere and beer dripped through the body of the kegerator onto the ground, but this shouldn't have stopped the fridge from working, although he never said it didn't work, perhaps he just unplugged it when he saw the funky stuff. Like someone else said, the tank and regulator and faucets are all worth something, offer whatever you think is reasonable for "parts" and if you can actually get it to work as a kegerator you win.

 

[DoubleXL]

Or maybe the drip pan overflowed do to condensation ? The ad didn't say it wasn't keeping cold that i saw.

 

[marzsit]

refrigeration systems circulate compressor lubricating oil through the tubing along with the refrigerant gas. if the unit sprung a leak, the refrigerant would flash to vapor but the released oil won't evaporate.... i'm guessing the oil is the 'gnarly substance' that the 'dude' in the ad is talking about....

is it fixable? depends on the quality of the unit.. cheapo units aren't designed to be repaired really, but if this unit cost $700 new it might be repairable. if it has exposed condenser coils on the rear, it's likely that the leak is in that area and should be easy to patch.

 

[marzsit]

fwiw, i clicked on the link in the original post and i see that the unit is a sanyo. i have an old woodgrain-finish sanyo cube refrigerator out in my garage that i've owned for 15+ years, that is still going strong, so i'd say that they do make good stuff.