Shoot me now (killed the keezer)

[KCBrewer]

As I patiently awaited an order of oetiker clamps to arrive tomorrow, the final part needed to complete my setup and start enjoying the fruits of my labor, I decided to put some finishing touches on things. The keezer sets directly under my bar. I had put a digital temp control on it mounted to the side so it wouldn't get bumped into. It had been bugging me that I couldn't see the temp without rolling it out, so I fabbed a little L bracket from some thin steel to face it forward. I mounted the temp control to it, then mounted it to the side with some 1/2" self tappers. First screw in, second screw in, it's mounted. Perfect. Then some idiot that hides deep down inside me says "maybe you should add one more screw", so I do, and hissssss, I hit a damn refrigerant line! SWMBO must have seen the rage beginning to build because she chose to leave at that point, and not just the room, the house.

So, that's my bonehead move of the day. Being hvac certified I should be able to fix it, once I figure out how to braze steel line that is. I've only dealt with copper and brass and 5% silvalloy didn't work.

 

[JefeTheVol]

Dude that sucks. Good luck on the fix-it project. Take photos and make a tutorial on how to fix it, when you figure out how... it just might help out another member in the future.
-Jefe-

 

[Sigafoos]

I feel for you, but that's nothing like the tragedy that was Project Monsterator. It was as if millions of HBTers cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

 

[KCBrewer]

Jeez, I can definitely say I feel his pain. I only have a 6 keg setup and it has been quite a bit of work. I didn't have to sand and paint the freezer either. I might have just found a tall bridge if I had that much time into it. Luckily my taps aren't mounted to the keezer, so I won't have to redo those, but it does have 2" pvc lines running through the lid up to the coffin I built which circulates air around the lines.
On a better note, I found another freezer nearly identical to the first for $145, so I've just got some work to do now. It was going to require 45% silver brazing rod to fix the steel coolant line, which isn't cheap, and I don't have any R-12 or hotshot around to refill it, so I just decided not to throw money at it.
The most irritating part that I keep kicking myself for is the fact that it was the VERY LAST screw. All other screwing & drilling was complete. Not only was it the last screw, but I didn't even need that third screw. I had 2 in safely and it was mounted solidly. Oh well, lesson learned.

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

I'm pretty sure it would have been the last screw regardless of how many you put in before it once you hit the coolant line.........

 

[KCBrewer]

I'm pretty sure it would have been the last screw regardless of how many you put in before it once you hit the coolant line.........

lol, ya, i'm sure it would have.

As an update, this has now turned into a total nightmare. The second freezer I purchased from a used appliance store advertising on CL (Brien's Appliances in Grandview, MO). I got it home and was about to start the conversion and decided I better let it run overnight to make sure it works as it only has a 30 day guarantee. Well, it doesn't work. After 12 hours of running the temperature actually rose 5*. I called them and was told someone would call me back in a few minutes. 2 hours later no call, so I load it up and take it back. They tell me it is sold as is. What???? I can understand if I got it home and it worked for 2 weeks then quit, but they sold me a bad freezer. There is no way I'm keeping this thing. The woman there refused to refund my money and I am now awating a call from a manager, who just happened to be out of town for the weekend. I do hvac work and am universally certified and it is obvious this thing is low on refrigerant, therefore it has a leak as it is a sealed system. The compressor was so hot after 12 hours I was surprised the overload hadn't kicked it off.
So, after bringing the dead freezer back home, I find another on CL from an individual. Drive 30 minutes only to find that the inside measures about 1/2" short of fitting all 6 kegs. Crap. Find another on CL, drive another 30 minutes. This one is close on measurements, so I buy it. Get it home and try to sqeeze the 6 kegs in. Not happening. Grrrrrrr. So now I've got $500 out of my pocket and I have 3 freezers, 2 of which don't work and 1 that won't hold all 6 kegs.
At this point my irritation level was maxed out, so I start looking at brand new freezers. All of the local big name stores have 8.8cf freezers, which are just barely too small to hold 6 corneys and the next size up is a 13cf which is too large for the area that the freezer is going.
I finally just gave up and decided to worry about getting my $145 back from the rip off called Brien's Appliances and sell the third freezer to get that money back before I go any further. I may end up having to repair the first one at this point if I can't find something suitable.
What a freaking mess this has turned into. I planned to brew 3 batches this weekend and have yet to do 1.
A kick to the head would probably feel good right now.

 

[lady_brewer]

Wow... that does suck...

Hopefully you will find a solution...

 

[KCBrewer]

Well, after a few heated discussions with the used appliance store and their tech coming out to see that it was in fact dead, they have agreed to refund my money. I've not received a check yet, but they were somewhat apologetic so I'm hoping they realized their mistake and that ordeal is about over.

I went ahead and picked up some 45% silver brazing rod to fix the first freezer. It worked perfect for brazing a copper splice to the steel line. I've done plenty of copper and brass brazing and sweating, but this was the first time I've had to braze steel. It was no different than brazing copper/brass, I just didn't know the right type of brazing rod to use. Thank God for google!

On the bright side, the original freezer is nearly fixed. The line is repaired, I've vacuumed it and filled with nitrogen to pressure test, and so far it is holding steady at 101 psi. I've got one dead fridge at work I can pull 6oz of R12 from, but I need 7oz, so I'm not quite done. But I can see the light. I've taken some pics along the way, so I'll try to add them and hopefully it will help save others from going through the same nightmare. (I think my wife's gonna kill me if she hears the word "freezer" one more time.)

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the third freezer. I planned to sell it, but it's pretty nice & nearly new. It may have to become the meat & ice cream freezer.

 

[Prime]

Or you could make the third freezer a nice fermentation chamber...

 

[chemman14]

Or you could make the third freezer a nice fermentation chamber...

you beat me to it

 

[smmcdermott]

You should definitely do a how-to fix a broken coolant line if you can figure it out. There are a lot of threads on here about people hitting a line when drilling. A lot of ppl would appreciate it.

 

[Monty420th]

I feel for you, but that's nothing like the tragedy that was Project Monsterator. It was as if millions of HBTers cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

I cried, seriously that is just sad

 

[KCBrewer]

It's ALIVE! The nitrogen charge held steady @ 101psi for 24 hours, so I considered that a good enough pressure test and called the brazing job good. I vacuumed it back down and after finding 2 old r12 fridges at work, I pulled what they had in them into a recovery tank, brought it home and weighed the tank as I charged. Turns out I only recovered about 4.3 usable ounces (factory spec calls for 7 oz), so the old fridges were obviously not full (probably why they were in our old appliance storage room) but I went ahead and put my digital temp control in it and let it run for a bit to see how it was doing. After only 15 minutes the temp dropped from 67 to 55 degrees, (sweeeet!) but the compressor was getting a bit hot since it's undercharged so I unplugged it for now.

I still need to find a few more ounces of r-12, but it's nice to know it's going to be fine. Plus I don't need to worry about drilling another freezer and possibly doing the same thing since I've already got everything drilled on this one. The repair isn't totally complete either, I still need to spray foam the area I cut out, and I made a plate out of some sheet metal to cover it, but it's close!

I'll post some pics for others to see and some instructions on what I did once it's complete, but keep in mind that it does require some rather expensive specialty tools for working with refrigerant (refrigerant gauges, vacuum pump, recovery equipment, torch, nitrogen), and knowledge of how to work with refrigerant. But I will add the pics/info as soon as I get time. It's time to HAHB right now though!

 

[DirtyMcCurdy]

I've got one dead fridge at work I can pull 6oz of R12 from, but I need 7oz, so I'm not quite done

Why don't you just go with R134A? That should work, right?

 

[GunnerMan]

Why don't you just go with R134A? That should work, right?

Been a while since I dabbled in HVAC but IIRC R-12 and R-134a are not interchangeable unless you drain out all of the oil. Refrigerants are only compatible with specific oils:some ester, some mineral etc etc.


However R 290 (AKA Propane) works with any oil and has good temperature properties that are close to r-12/r22 also IIRC. It s also obviously much more friendly to earth should a vent occur. So if you can't get a handle on r-12 entertain the idea of r-290. Might make some minor tuning issues though who knows it is cheap to try

 

[KCBrewer]

GunnerMan, you're right on. The difference in oil's for different refrigerant types can be devastating to a compressor and other seals in a system if it is not completely drained, flushed, and recharged with the right stuff. Even some of the "drop in" replacements are hard on the system, which is why I didn't just pick up some freeze 12 or hot shot. This freezer is already 20 years old, and because I have access to R12 (via dead refrigerator's), I decided to use the real thing rather than the hassle of flushing the system and take a chance at shortening what life it has left with a substitute refrigerant.

 

[Irrenarzt]

After reading this and the tartan boy's epic failpost, I will not be drilling into my Keezer.