Is keezer cycling too much?

[Dgonza9]

I searchedthe forums, but got confused by the responses. Simply put, who out there has measured how often and for how long their keezer cycles?

I timed mine tonight now that my air cooled lines are done. off 16 minutes, then on for about 8.

Is this too often? Seems like it's on a lot, and more since I added my air cooled lines, though I never timed it before. I set temp to 40 and differential to 3.

 

[beerman1957]

I searchedthe forums, but got confused by the responses. Simply put, who out there has measured how often and for how long their keezer cycles?

I timed mine tonight now that my air cooled lines are done. off 16 minutes, then on for about 8.

Is this too often? Seems like it's on a lot, and more since I added my air cooled lines, though I never timed it before. I set temp to 40 and differential to 3.

Well, it sure depend on a lot of factors. For example a freezer will cycle MORE when it is empty. Try putting extra kegs with water in them, if they would fit.

Second, does the freezer have enough ventilation to exchange the heat from the cooling coils? Does the motor have good clearance to allow air to pass through it ? Check the coils for lint, dirt, dust, hair, etc.

Third, check and DOUBLE check your seals. Stick a bright flashlight in and then turn out the lights where the freezer is. Any obvious air leaks could be seen. Keep an eye on areas that have access holes or lead-wires going in.

Fourth: Is your thermostat working correctly? Maybe the sensor is not positioned well. Test the thermostat by placing the sensor in a glass of slush water, which is 32F or 0C. This would tell you if it is malfunctioning.

I burned up a freezer motor because of the hot ambient temps we had this year. I am going to condition the garage to get it to at most 80F or I will just burn up freezers. I think most of the problem was lack of heat exchange in my case.

Good luck.

It seems that it is cycling too much.

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

did you insulate the collar? I found mine cycled like crazy when i first built it. I added to layers of 3/4 inch insulation to the collar and that really calmed it down.

I will try to time it when i next cycles.

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

Okay, here are my times...

It cycles on for 10.5 minutes exactly (timed it twice) about every 45 minutes.

I have a newer Frigidaire 15 cubic foot Energy Star model. I currently have one case of bottles and two 1/6 kegs in it (a lot of dead space). It is in my basement - about 70 degrees F. and set to chill to 35 degrees F. with a 3 degree diff. I also have a small fan inside to stir the air.

The fan prevents the colder air from collecting on the bottom while the top warms. This keeps the temps more stable (my temp prob hangs down about 6 inches below the lid) and helps keep the lines from warming up.

If yours is cycling to much, I would suggest the following in order:

Make sure your temp probe is not touching anything
Insulate the collar
Check for air leaks
Add a fan
Add more stuff to the inside - a full unit is far more efficient than an empty one.

Also, i have a regular refrigerator (a newer whirlpool 18 cubic foot) sitting across from my keezer. It cycles at about the same rate so i am comfortable with my cycle rate.

 

[Dgonza9]

I'm going to look into insulating the collar, as mine is just 2x4 lumbar.

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

that should address your issue... lumber is a very poor insulator. that is why you can see the where the frost melt off of the exterior walls where the studs are of a vinyl sided house in the winter. Some poly insulation should take care of it.

 

[mmcshmi11]

I just bought a Frigidaire 12.9 cu ft chest freezer. I have a Johnson temp probe keeping it at 55F with 1F differential. It doesn't blow any air, the walls just chill inside so it only turns on for about 5 minutes every 2.5 hours when the freezer is full... probably closer to 2 hrs when empty.

 

[beerman1957]

I just bought a Frigidaire 12.9 cu ft chest freezer. I have a Johnson temp probe keeping it at 55F with 1F differential. It doesn't blow any air, the walls just chill inside so it only turns on for about 5 minutes every 2.5 hours when the freezer is full... probably closer to 2 hrs when empty.

A full Freezer or Fridge will always stay colder longer because the contents act as storage for cold. This is especially true with liquids. Once a liquid gets cold, it will stay cold for quite a long time.

I think you should set a larger differential on your Thermostat. Set it to 3 because you want that freezer to run for a long time. If it cycles a lot, then you are going to ruin the condenser. Also, most condensers have a overheat shut off. If you don't have enough heat exchange, the condenser can shut down, cool, then start up.

One of the reasons NOT to put the Keezer in the garage is the amount of heat inside a garage. There is very little heat exchange at temps over 90F/32C.

I am not sure what is going on, but my guess is that you don't have enough heat exchange and/or the differential is WAY too tight.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]I am not sure what is going on, but my guess is that you don't have enough heat exchange and/or the differential is WAY too tight.

What?

Not sure how you got to that conclusion, as the OP claims the compressor is only turning on for five minutes every couple of hours. That's a remarkably LOW duty cycle for any cooling unit...

Cheers!

 

[Justintoxicated]

A full Freezer or Fridge will always stay colder longer because the contents act as storage for cold. This is especially true with liquids. Once a liquid gets cold, it will stay cold for quite a long time.

I think you should set a larger differential on your Thermostat. Set it to 3 because you want that freezer to run for a long time. If it cycles a lot, then you are going to ruin the condenser. Also, most condensers have a overheat shut off. If you don't have enough heat exchange, the condenser can shut down, cool, then start up.

One of the reasons NOT to put the Keezer in the garage is the amount of heat inside a garage. There is very little heat exchange at temps over 90F/32C.

I am not sure what is going on, but my guess is that you don't have enough heat exchange and/or the differential is WAY too tight.

Oh great I just got a freezer and put it in the garage. It gets hot here 100+ in the summer and the house is very hot inside as well durring the day when no one is home (closed windows and no AC).

Guess I should just plan on replacing freezers every couple years?

Running an AC all the time would probably cost more than replacing the freezer though....

 

[audger]

One of the reasons NOT to put the Keezer in the garage is the amount of heat inside a garage. There is very little heat exchange at temps over 90F/32C.

thats not really true, and now your just scaring people...

Oh great I just got a freezer and put it in the garage. It gets hot here 100+ in the summer and the house is very hot inside as well durring the day when no one is home (closed windows and no AC).

Guess I should just plan on replacing freezers every couple years?

if that were true, air conditioners wouldnt work on 110 degree days; your car air conditioner would never work (the hot-side coil is cooled with 230 degree radiator coolant), etc... sure its more efficient to have the hot-side coil in 60 degree air, and that would put less stress on the compressor, but to say it barely works if the temperature goes above 90 degrees is completely false.

if it gets 100+ degrees in your garage and your fridge had a particularly small compressor, or only a passively cooled hot-side coil (no fan), then you can help it out by pointing a fan at it. thermal cutoff on most compressors is 150*C / 302* F

 

[BetterSense]

I have adjustable dead-band on my temp controller and I set it up so it runs about 10 minutes then is off for an hour. I have no idea if this is good or not, but that's where I'm at.