Kegerator is dying...

[max384]

I knew this was coming. My temp controller is set for 38 F. The actual temp sat around 45 F a few months ago, and had slowly been creeping up. Yesterday I went to pull a point and noticed it was extra foamy... And warm. Temp inside the fridge was 58 F in a 65 F room. Damn.

Any way to fix this? Or do I have to just buy a new fridge? It's just a cheap craigslist buy... But I've got hundreds of great beer stickers all over it...

 

[BrunDog]

Has the compressor vent been open or sealed off?

 

[max384]

To be honest, I have no idea. I never messed with it. All I did was put it on a temp controller and drill some holes in the door for the shanks.

 

[Gameface]

To be honest, I have no idea. I never messed with it. All I did was put it on a temp controller and drill some holes in the door for the shanks.

There should be a ventilated grate somewhere that is covering the compressor. The compressor will be directly under the hump. The compressor gets hot and needs airflow to keep cool. If that side of the chest freezer is pushed right up against a wall it will shorten the life of your compressor.

Also, chest freezers dissipate heat from the exterior walls of the chest freezer, so it's a good idea to have space all around the chest freezer for better more efficient performance.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

There should be a ventilated grate somewhere that is covering the compressor. The compressor will be directly under the hump. The compressor gets hot and needs airflow to keep cool. If that side of the chest freezer is pushed right up against a wall it will shorten the life of your compressor.

Also, chest freezers dissipate heat from the exterior walls of the chest freezer, so it's a good idea to have space all around the chest freezer for better more efficient performance.

He said he drilled holes in the door for the taps, so he's not using a chest freezer. It's either a full size fridge, a mini fridge, or a stand up freezer.

With that said, your kegerator is probably dying OP. Remove the temp controller, put a thermometer inside, and see if the fridge cools with the original equipment. It could just be the aftermarket temp controller has gone bad. If not, time to start scouring CL...

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I have an ancient commercial undercounter fridge (1986) Still kickin ass but it gets a lot of ice buildup and starts making funky noises.I unplug it like twice a year to let it thaw out.Most likely not your issue but just a thought

 

[Gameface]

If it's a stand-up fridge and it has the heat exchange coil on the back make sure it's clean. If it has a bunch of dust build-up it can reduce performance. And pretty much the same thing goes as far as having enough space to get good airflow to that area.

 

[ZmannR2]

Is the temp controller only to manually cut off the power? has the factory thermostat been bypassed? might need to adjust the factory thermostat

 

[max384]

Thanks for all the responses. It is a full-size freezer-on-top refrigerator. The thermostat has not been bypassed. I just set it on the coldest setting. It had been working fine like that for quite awhile.

I'm working today, but when I get home, I'll make sure the coil is clean. Then I'll try just plugging in the fridge directly to the wall. Thanks for the help so far.