Dead Magic Chef 7.2?

[nostalgia]

I've had my Magic Chef hooked up to a Love controller for the last year. Today I set it to 45 to crash cool my two IPAs. The freezer came on and I walked away.

I came back later and the Love read 59 and the freezer was off. Hunh? I plugged the freezer directly into the wall and it made a sad hum, a little pop and stopped.

I pulled the side cover off and the compressor is hot enough to burn me. Which may be normal, I don't know. Is there anything I can check before putting this thing out to pasture? I'm pretty annoyed that it didn't even last two years

-Joe

 

[ClaudiusB]

I pulled the side cover off and the compressor is hot enough to burn me. Which may be normal, I don't know. Is there anything I can check before putting this thing out to pasture? I'm pretty annoyed that it didn't even last two years

Let it cool off, the compressor over temp protection could have tripped.
Could you have a cooling leak?
Take a few pictures showing the area around the compressor.


Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

[gunner65]

It could overtemp if the coils have excessive dust build up.

 

[BrewBeemer]

It could overtemp if the coils have excessive dust build up.

This is a big forgotten item, even adding a small muffin fan for any air movement across the condenser will be a great help in removing large amounts of BTU energy transfered to the condenser unit. Especially if starting out at room temp with fermenters a large mass to cool down at one time. I would even place another muffin fan blowing over the compressor itself, any cooling advantage might save the day preventing you going into the compressors over temp condition. Don't give up yet. You do have enough clearance between the condenser and the walls for good air movement or air heat transfer?
My 5 year old Maytag fridge has the condenser way in the back near the floor to collect dust, a twice a year pull away from the wall and use a airhose and blast the coils clean. It runs 80%+ time called "energy saving smaller compressor", I call it BS, the 1947 Philco from grandma sits outside in the summer sun 3 hours a day, cycles 45 seconds every two hours. Who wastes more energy? I see smoke blowing up our rearends by the EPA and our PG&E.

 

[nostalgia]

Thanks for the suggestions. It does appear to be overtemp - I plugged it in this morning and it ran just fine.

There is a little dust on the coils, but they're not what I'd call dusty. I'll blow them off just in case.

It's also over a foot from the wall.

-Joe

 

[bad coffee]

My 5 year old Maytag fridge has the condenser way in the back near the floor to collect dust, a twice a year pull away from the wall and use a airhose and blast the coils clean. It runs 80%+ time called "energy saving smaller compressor", I call it BS, the 1947 Philco from grandma sits outside in the summer sun 3 hours a day, cycles 45 seconds every two hours. Who wastes more energy? I see smoke blowing up our rearends by the EPA and our PG&E.

buy a kill-a-watt and find out. I bet your new fridge uses much less juice than the one on the porch.

B

 

[BrewBeemer]

buy a kill-a-watt and find out. I bet your new fridge uses much less juice than the one on the porch.

B

Nope! I used a couple of my spare electric meters I was a IBEW wireman so have meters with cords and cord grips plus male & female plugs hooked each meter up for a month to each unit at the same time. Then changed meters to fridges to see if the meters were off, nope. Even ran the meters in series, read the same. The Maytag I had the service tech come out a couple times, the newer unit is properly charged as well operating within Maytags specs. I showed him my POS 47 Philco he laughed and told me to keep it no matter what vs the Maytag. New isn't necessarily better except the Philco will not hold ice cream solid in it's small upper compartment. Freezes gallon milk containers in the main area with ease, bless these older R-12 units. Buy by brand name is a thing of the past is my opinion.

 

[bad coffee]

Hm. Who would have thought. Good to know.

 

[BrewBeemer]

Hm. Who would have thought. Good to know.

I must mention Mr. Philco is smaller in cu/ft volume than the Maytag, draws more current but runs a hell of a lot less in minutes over a 24 hour period. Philco wins over the Maytag in overall evergy used. When the Maytag was only a day old outside next to the Philco, both starting out with app 67 degrees inside temps a morning test both fridges each with 16 one gallon milk containers filled with tap water of 63 degrees. Cranked up to the lowest temps on both fridges. That evening the Philco had 16 solid gallon blocks of ice, the Maytag had 2 1/2" thick outside layer of ice with water in the core of each plastic milk container. I'm still a firm believer of R12 vs R134a as a refrigerant gas being more efficient. I mark up this energy applicances thing the same as these so called "Smart Meters" they are jamming up our rears.