Better freezer brand?

[user 237891]

I bought a brand new Frigidaire 7.2 freezer in April of 2017 and converted it to a keezer by adding a 9 inch collar. I "mounted" the freezer on a pallet with casters so that I could move it around since there is a cabinet on the wall above it. I also cladded it with 1/4" reclaimed barn wood finish. It turned out beautiful and it fit into our decor perfectly. It also worked perfectly plugged into a Johnson Controls A419 controller.

Unfortunately, after less than 3 years, the compressor died and I need to replace the freezer. It would be nice to buy the exact same model but I'm reluctant to give them another try. I'm considering a Danby seeing how they now offer a 5 year warranty, not that they would necessarily honour it seeing how I'm not using it as intended, but you would think that if they offer a 5 year warranty, it might be built a little better than the Frigidaire was.

Thoughts? Are these freezers from various companies pretty much all the same crap made in the same factory in China and it's just a "crap shoot" to get a good one or are there some brands that are definitely better than others?

 

[89Hen]

My used keezer I bought just a few months ago died this past week. And thanks to all the hoarders for the virus out there, you can't find a chest freezer to save your life. Mine was a GE. I think they're all cheaply built.

 

[user 237891]

I was able to get my hands on a Danby Premiere 7.2 Freezer at Home Depot. They now come with a 5 year warranty, so I'm hoping they're built a bit better and will last a little longer. Bought it with a credit card which I think adds an additional 3 year warranty to it. So, I should be good for 8 years with this one. Unfortunately, it's not exactly the same size, so I need to rebuild the collar and the cladding will have to be adjusted. I'm also going to go with only 4 taps since having 6 kegs in there is really tight and a real PITA to pull just one keg out.

 

[89Hen]

I was able to get my hands on a Danby Premiere 7.2 Freezer at Home Depot. They now come with a 5 year warranty, so I'm hoping they're built a bit better and will last a little longer. Bought it with a credit card which I think adds an additional 3 year warranty to it. So, I should be good for 8 years with this one. Unfortunately, it's not exactly the same size, so I need to rebuild the collar and the cladding will have to be adjusted. I'm also going to go with only 4 taps since having 6 kegs in there is really tight and a real PITA to pull just one keg out.

That's great that you found one. Looks like you're in my neck of the woods and I've had zero luck.

And not to be Dennis Downer but you do realize you void the warranty by converting to a keezer?

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

I have an insignia I got on sale cheap at Best Buy it's been running mint for years. Looking at your set up I am wondering how much room you left for that compressor to breath your looking tight, and are you sure it's not just the relay on the compressor that went bad (very common $15 fix). What symptoms did the fridge give you that you determined the compressor to be the failure?

 

[89Hen]

I have an insignia I got on sale cheap at Best Buy it's been running mint for years.

Glad to hear that because I found one at a Best Buy about an hour away. Bought online, hopefully they actually have it when I show up.

 

[eric19312]

That's a beautiful build but do you think it is possible that all that wood cladding is what killed your compressor?

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Glad to hear that because I found one at a Best Buy about an hour away. Bought online, hopefully they actually have it when I show up.

When I picked mine up they kept me waiting forever they had to pull it from the back, I ordered online as well

That's a beautiful build but do you think it is possible that all that wood cladding is what killed your compressor?

That's what I was thinking he has 6 taps and that looks smaller than my 4 keg unit

 

[mirthfuldragon]

That's a beautiful build but do you think it is possible that all that wood cladding is what killed your compressor?

Or checking the controller cycle time. Since the warmest thermostat setting on a freezer is well below beer temperature, if the controller compressor delay isn't long enough, it would trigger the cooling element on and off almost constantly. Not to denigrate the OP in anyway, but checking why a keezer died in 3 years is first step.

Great looking keezer, btw. Hope you luck is better the second time around.

 

[89Hen]

Or checking the controller cycle time. Since the warmest thermostat setting on a freezer is well below beer temperature, if the controller compressor delay isn't long enough, it would trigger the cooling element on and off almost constantly. Not to denigrate the OP in anyway, but checking why a keezer died in 3 years is first step.

Great looking keezer, btw. Hope you luck is better the second time around.

Got me thinking. At what setting should I have the freezer? I have my control set for 3 degree +/- around 39 degrees and I had the freezer set on max cooling. Should I be using a lower setting on the freezer?

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I set the thermostat to the warmest setting, set the +/- to 2, and then set it to 39, with a 5 minute compressor delay. That way if it fails in the on position, it may not actually destroy my kegs. The warmest setting should still be well below freezing, and the coldest setting probably at or below 0° F. I have a USB case fan that circulates air in it.

 

[Jayjay1976]

it would be wise to heed the manufacturer's specifications about minimum distance between the unit and walls on the back and sides. Since they don't specify a frontal clearance I would use the same distance as on the sides.

It's nice to dress it up like a piece of furniture, but if it dies whats the point?

 

[user 237891]

Just going to answer a few questions/concerns from various posters:

The cladding is 1/4" thick at most and is installed so that it's away from the wall of the freezer. On this new build, I'm going to put it even further from the wall of the freezer; leaving a good 1/2" to 3/4" air space. The back was never cladded nor was the vent on the side (of course.) I was using a Johnson Controls A419 that has a delay between cycles to reduce the compressor going on and off too often. I was going to up it to 12 mins (maximum) if it's not there already. The temp sensor was also taped to a full can of pop located at the bottom of the unit to reduce sensor temperature swings and I had a fan inside to circulate air.

6 kegs "just" fit with a 10" collar since two of them are either on the hump or straddling it. It was a bit of a pain to move just one keg in or out though. I measure the inside dimensions of this new freezer and it would be just as tight as the previous one to get 6 kegs in, so with the new build I'm dropping it down to 4 taps, and I'll keep 5 kegs inside; one to back up the first tap that blows.

I've seen tons of "dressed up" keezers online and never heard of it causing a premature failure of the unit. Although I will admit that it's possible that it was the cause, I'm willing to risk it again since the keezer is in full display and my wife appreciates that I make it look nice.

I was wondering if adding a fan to help cool off the compressor area would make a difference?

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

1. Yes adding a fan and a vent would be a help for sure
2. leaving a good 1/2" to 3/4" air space. - That's no good at all my friend look at the manufacturer recommendations you will see your going to need quite a bit more than that probably 6-8 inches possibly even more is the recommendation, your insulating your compressor and they run hot as is and need air flow and that may have caused your failure, I still say it is worth checking the relay on the compressor asthey are dirt cheap and die all the time.


If I recall I think I have 8 inches of clearance on the sides of mine and 5 in the front and it's 6 off the wall

 

[user 237891]

There's already a vent off to the side. I was thinking of removing the grate and adding a fan. Leaving 8 inches all around is not doable, so I'll have to take my chances. If it can last for 8 years, I'll probably be too old by then to be lifting kegs in and out of the thing anyway.

Keep in mind, I don't have this thing 3/4" from the wall; it's just the cladding and it's only about 1/4" thick, so not very insulating at that. I'd be VERY surprised if that is enough to overheat the whole thing. Especially since it's only running at above zero temps.

I checked all the components on the old one and the start capacitor was shot. So I tried a 3 N' 1 hard start and the compressor would start but not run longer than 3 to 4 seconds. After speaking with two different refrigeration guys, they both told me they were 95% to 99% sure the compressor was done. One even said, if it's not running with a 3 N' 1, then the compressor is the problem.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Yea that compressor is cooked if that’s the case that sucks. You need plenty of circulation if you cannot do the space install vent on your case to line up with your compressor and run a small fan to exhaust to hot air and you should be fine. Good luck with the next one

 

[day_trippr]

The manufacturer's cabinet clearance recommendation is in "free air".

There've been numerous fan-driven cooling schemes that typically have a 3/4" spacing to sheathing just because 3/4" is the typical board thickness. Could be tracked down in the "Show Us Your Kegerator" [and Keezer] thread. If one engineers it well it should work fine...

Cheers!

 

[Jayjay1976]

Ventilating the compressor area is only one part of the solution. That will cool the compressor motor but because the actual thermal exchange happens through the outer skin of the freezer, the compressor will still be working hard to overcome the insulating effect of the sheathing. I understand a gap is helpful, but air is an excellent insulator and if it isn't exchanging freely it is trapping heat. On some level, the low thermal conductivity of wood would even be slightly more efficient than trapping a layer of air. I'd say at LEAST a 3/4" gap and sort of blower or fan to force air through the gap and out the top of the unit. Or just keep buying freezers.

 

[89Hen]

I have an insignia I got on sale cheap at Best Buy it's been running mint for years.

Glad to hear that because I found one at a Best Buy about an hour away. Bought online, hopefully they actually have it when I show up.

Success yesterday in securing one. The only unfortunate thing is that it's not the normal 37" wide for a 7 CU FT freezer. It's more narrow and taller. Will still accommodate three kegs, but much tighter.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Success yesterday in securing one. The only unfortunate thing is that it's not the normal 37" wide for a 7 CU FT freezer. It's more narrow and taller. Will still accommodate three kegs, but much tighter.

I think that is the same one I have, I keep 3 kegs on the floor and 1 on the hump with the co2 tank. Yea it's tight but it works

 

[89Hen]

Here is the new build almost complete.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Here is the new build almost complete.
View attachment 671649

That looks really good and serviceable! I especially love how you didn't try to disguise it as a baby grand...

 

[user 237891]

Almost done, just the lid to finish.

 

[user 237891]

All done. It looks great and I'm pretty confident that the air space I've left all around will be sufficient. It's also pretty far from the back wall too.

 

[user 237891]

Although, I still have one label to straighten out.