I think my fermentation fridge is breaking

[Brewddah]

I have an upright refrigerator I use as a fermentation chamber. Lately it's been not turning on to a cooling cycle, even though the temperature controller is telling it to do so. It doesn't happen all the time, and eventually it does turn on, probably after about 30 minutes. I have a johnson controls A419 temperature controller. When this happens, the green LED turns on, but the fridge doesn't. It isn't flashing ASD. The fridge doesn't feel hot, or like it has been continuously running. I don't think it's the compressor. I had a chest freezer with a bad compressor, and it would just never cool down to the set temperature. Once my fridge turns on, it gets to the set temperature without any issues. Like I said, it doesn't happen all the time, but it is beginning to worry me.

 

[ABQScott]

Did you bypass the temp controller and plug the fridge directly into the outlet?

I had a similar issue recently. Seemed like it was a temporary malfunction of the same temp controller. Maybe the green light is on but power is not being sent to the freezer.

 

[ABQScott]

Derp.

Double post.

 

[toolboxales]

Have you turned the temp control to the coldest setting? It's possible that the temp is where the fridge wants it to be so even though the temp controller says go, the fridge says no.

 

[Brewddah]

I haven't tried adjusting the fridge's settings. Yes, it still has a delay when plugged into the wall.

 

[Brewddah]

I've adjusted the fridge to its coldest setting. Hopefully this works.

 

[raouliii]

Have you validated that the controller is actually providing voltage? Maybe the relay in the controller is intermittent.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Have you validated that the controller is actually providing voltage? Maybe the relay in the controller is intermittent.

This ^^^

Try plugging something else, say a lamp, into the controller's outlet to verify that it is relaying voltage.

 

[Brewddah]

I did plug the controller into my keezer, which I know works well, and the delay doesn't happen there. It's definitely something to do with the refrigerator itself. The delay hasn't happened since I adjusted the fridge settings, but I'm not overly optimistic.