Holiday Brand Freezer

[steven_b]

Looked around and didn't find much info. All of you who own Holiday brand chest freezers, how is the reliability? Thinking of picking up one of the 5.0 tomorrow. Cheers!

Steven B~

 

[Bottenbrew]

Is that the one that is on sale at Lowes this weekend? I have been looking at that as well if it is.

 

[blizzard]

I have the 5 cf and love it. It holds 3 cornies plus the 5 lbs CO2. I haven't modified it with a collar yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

 

[steven_b]

Yep thats the one. Just brought it home

Unfortunately the new style has the hump that runs the full depth of the freezer, not just a 1/4 like the old.

Now, anyone want to build me a collar? I don't own any wood working tools.


steven b~

 

[PT Ray]

They're a disposable appliance. When something goes wrong with them they are not a serviceable unit. I actually have two of them and have had them for over 6 years. One sounds like the compressor is about to go out but the other is still seems to be fine. You have to understand they are not designed to be used at temperatures above freezing. So I'm happy it made it this long. When it dies I'll look for another freezer.

 

[scottland]

I'm planning on picking one up tonight. $129 is too hard to pass up.

 

[TonyR]

Just bought one of these today. $139 with tax and free delivery tomorrow. All I need now is a temp controller.

 

[IffyG]

They're a disposable appliance. When something goes wrong with them they are not a serviceable unit. I actually have two of them and have had them for over 6 years. One sounds like the compressor is about to go out but the other is still seems to be fine. You have to understand they are not designed to be used at temperatures above freezing. So I'm happy it made it this long. When it dies I'll look for another freezer.

At the price point of these Holiday freezers, would you really want to spend money on a repair?

 

[TonyR]

To anyone that has one of these, what kind of temperatures do you see using only the built-in controls? Can I get away with not using a controller for a bit?

 

[scottland]

So I bought it last night. $140 after tax which i think was a freaking steal for a brand new freezer.

It comfortably holds 2 kegs on the floor with plenty of room to spare. a 5# CO2 tank will fit on the floor next to the kegs, or on the hump. My tank barely clears the lid when on the hump if I tilt the regulator at a 45* angle.

With an 8" collar or so, you can easily fit a 3rd keg on the hump. The freezer isn't quite wide enough to squeeze 4 kegs in. It's super close, but I couldn't manage to jam 4 ball-locks in.

I have mine hooked up to a controller, but i'll test it tonight and see what kind of temps I can get with the freezer at the 1 setting. I doubt it'll get that warm, but we'll see.

 

[TonyR]

Thanks for the info, no need to disconnect your controller. I'll have mine this week and post up with what I find.

 

[steven_b]

This just popped up in my email. Good or bad controller? Opinions?

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12193

 

[TonyR]

Looks interesting, all the one's I've looked at around $50-60 have been manual. I need to purchase a controller in the next couple days and am unsure what I should be looking for. Right now I am leaning towards http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=246_250&products_id=2117

 

[scottland]

I built my own controller just like this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

As for the Freezer, I set my controller down to -10C (14F), and the freezer's internal thermostat kept going even when set to the '1' setting, so you absolutely need a controller as the 1 setting is 14F or most likely even colder.

FYI, this freezer comfortably fits a fermenting bucket if anyone plans to cold crash with it.

 

[ddlr25]

I just received this freezer from Lowe's today. I plugged it in, and when it kicks on I hear this gurgling type sound in the back of the freezer. All the reviews said it was super quite so I'm a little concerned. Anyone else experience this?

 

[steven_b]

I just received this freezer from Lowe's today. I plugged it in, and when it kicks on I hear this gurgling type sound in the back of the freezer. All the reviews said it was super quite so I'm a little concerned. Anyone else experience this?

I am pretty sure this is normal. Because the freezer has been sitting so long, the compressor needs to charge the unit. The sound you hear is the coolant being circulated.

 

[Beef_Supreme]

So is the consensus that a temp controller is absolutely needed for this unit?

 

[TonyR]

Yes,you absolutely need a controller. Otherwise you will have frozen beer.

 

[IffyG]

So is the consensus that a temp controller is absolutely needed for this unit?

The general rule is you need a controller for ANY chest freezer. Attempting to go without is foolish IMO.