Insignia Kegerator Temperature Too Warm

[bodenschatz87]

I recently purchased an Insignia 5.6 Cu. Ft 1 tap kegerator from best buy (model #: NS-BK1TSS6). I have noticed that with a digital thermometer sitting on top of the keg that the internal temperature is only reading around 40-43 degrees with the thermostat set to the highest 6. I was hoping to get the temperature lower, however I'm guessing the only way to truly accomplish this is to get a temperature controller. I believe this would require me too some how bypass the internal thermostat which I am not sure how to do. I don't have much experience with electrical work which doesn't help in my favor either.

The main reason I started tinkering with the temp to begin with is that when I poured a beer it was over a half of glass of foam. I have a tower cooler on the way, which I believe should help keep the beer colder within the first pour but I would like to drop the temperature still.

Does anybody have any experience with doing this? I haven't been able to find any instructions yet on how to bypass the built in temperature controls.

 

[pearljam1984]

I recently purchased an Insignia 5.6 Cu. Ft 1 tap kegerator from best buy (model #: NS-BK1TSS6). I have noticed that with a digital thermometer sitting on top of the keg that the internal temperature is only reading around 40-43 degrees with the thermostat set to the highest 6. I was hoping to get the temperature lower, however I'm guessing the only way to truly accomplish this is to get a temperature controller. I believe this would require me too some how bypass the internal thermostat which I am not sure how to do. I don't have much experience with electrical work which doesn't help in my favor either.

The main reason I started tinkering with the temp to begin with is that when I poured a beer it was over a half of glass of foam. I have a tower cooler on the way, which I believe should help keep the beer colder within the first pour but I would like to drop the temperature still.

Does anybody have any experience with doing this? I haven't been able to find any instructions yet on how to bypass the built in temperature controls.

I have this one, except mine is the double tap model. I see on the coldest setting it fluctuates between 35-40. I have also found that at the top of the kegerator it’s usually to 40/41. At the bottom it’s closer to 33/34. So your reading does have to do with where you are taking the temp inside the kegerator.

I generally do ipa and pale ales. So I find it to be a great temp. However if you are doing lagers or pilsners, I could see you wanting it at 32/33 constantly.

 

[bodenschatz87]

I thought about maybe getting a fan to circulate the air if that would help. Kinda crazy how temp could vary between bottom/top of a small insulated box but I guess that could be the case. The beer I have on tap right now is Blue Moon but I do enjoy a nice cold beer.

 

[day_trippr]

If you place your thermometer at the bottom of the kegerator it will tell you whether a fan will help.
My bet is it will help a lot...

Cheers!

 

[kiler]

I have this one as well. Not only does it not get cold, it randomly pops (terrifying miniature explosions) and scares the cat and any company I may have. I can't wait for it to die so I can replace with something better. I keep my dark beers in it

 

[bodenschatz87]

I have this one as well. Not only does it not get cold, it randomly pops (terrifying miniature explosions) and scares the cat and any company I may have. I can't wait for it to die so I can replace with something better. I keep my dark beers in it

I actually am within the return window on this, but not sure if best buy would take it back with the co2 tank filled. It stinks to see people hate that model when I am just getting it.

 

[bodenschatz87]

I did notice with the tower fan it was circulating air enough that it really dropped the temperature. However it still seems as though I have mostly all foam on my pours. I had the PSI set to around 10, just turned it down to see if that would help. It is getting frustrating a this point that I haven't been able to pour one single glass that wasn't a half or more of foam.

I did change the faucet to a perlick also. I'm thinking about increasing the line to 8-10 feet as my next move.

 

[day_trippr]

Go with at least 1 foot of 3/16" ID tubing per CO2 psi to start.
Or, see the only beer line calculator worth using for a more refined approach...

Cheers!

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

10 psi should not be problem. Is a homebrew clone or a pre carbed store bought keg. What size and line length did it come with? Is it ALL pours or just the fist one?
I would purge all co2 from keg and rehook up at 10 and see what happens. Adding long lines is not always the answer and could just be adjusting the problem instead of fixing it.

 

[pokeacow]

I have this same one with the dual tap, I get foam around the 9-10 psi mark but below that the first pour is fine. In terms of temp i have mine always set on the control to the lowest setting and Ive found a few times that my beer lines have frozen and I had to adjust their position forwards away from the chiller. Likewise when I have 3 kegs in there, the one in the back right that sits right in front of the cooler can freeze. Just finished off a keg that was sitting in that back right position and when I went to open the keg and clean out the little gunky bits at the bottoom there was actually like a 4" thick ice cake that had formed just above the bottom of the keg. The ice cake was a complete circle / cylinder lol. If you want more uniform cooling toss a little fan in there, if you have one keg you want a bit colder just put it closer to the chiller in the back

 

[seanjwalker1]

I recently purchased an Insignia 5.6 Cu. Ft 1 tap kegerator from best buy (model #: NS-BK1TSS6). I have noticed that with a digital thermometer sitting on top of the keg that the internal temperature is only reading around 40-43 degrees with the thermostat set to the highest 6. I was hoping to get the temperature lower, however I'm guessing the only way to truly accomplish this is to get a temperature controller. I believe this would require me too some how bypass the internal thermostat which I am not sure how to do. I don't have much experience with electrical work which doesn't help in my favor either.

The main reason I started tinkering with the temp to begin with is that when I poured a beer it was over a half of glass of foam. I have a tower cooler on the way, which I believe should help keep the beer colder within the first pour but I would like to drop the temperature still.

Does anybody have any experience with doing this? I haven't been able to find any instructions yet on how to bypass the built in temperature controls.

Did you ever find out if you could use a Johnson or Inkbird temperature controller on your Factory Kegerator? I would assume that since most Kegerator are basically mini refrigerator with holes drilled in them, it would be ok? I'm interested to know too if hooking up a Johnson Controller or inkbird will work with a factory Kegerator for better temperature control for lagering. Otherwise I'm just gonna get a Keg King mark 4 that's made for wide temperature swings for fermentation. Thanks

 

[Kevin Neill]

I recently purchased an Insignia 5.6 Cu. Ft 1 tap kegerator from best buy (model #: NS-BK1TSS6). I have noticed that with a digital thermometer sitting on top of the keg that the internal temperature is only reading around 40-43 degrees with the thermostat set to the highest 6. I was hoping to get the temperature lower, however I'm guessing the only way to truly accomplish this is to get a temperature controller. I believe this would require me too some how bypass the internal thermostat which I am not sure how to do. I don't have much experience with electrical work which doesn't help in my favor either.

The main reason I started tinkering with the temp to begin with is that when I poured a beer it was over a half of glass of foam. I have a tower cooler on the way, which I believe should help keep the beer colder within the first pour but I would like to drop the temperature still.

Does anybody have any experience with doing this? I haven't been able to find any instructions yet on how to bypass the built in temperature controls.

Are you sure 6 is the coldest. I have the same kegerator and I'm trying to confirm with experimentation and although it makes sense that 6 would be the coldest... I'm finding my fridge gets colder as I lower the dial.

I just got my kegerator a few days ago and I'm still trying to dial in a foamless pour, so I'm very interested in this thread.

 

[chevyboy069]

I have been trying to figure out the thermostat setting for the past week, Insignia customer (which as everyone knows, blows), said 6 is the coldest.....The bottom is always 10 degrees, colder then the top ( I have 2 thermometers). I had it to thermostat setting 5 and it would fluctuate between 30-40 and idk why or how but its so hard to tell with this fridge. I have a thermometer on bottom and then I would hang another either on top of the keg, or on one of the slits on the sidewall (in the middle) where the racks would slide into....

I just got a $63 super tower fan cooler today, and although the 1/2 hose that goes up the tower bearly fit due to the tightness of tube, I made it fit without compromising the beer line going up it also. The faucet is much colder now so cold beers on the first pour....

I just have to experiment all over again, because I have the tower fan cooler on the lip in middle next to the co2 tank, and I believe its circulating air in the fridge better, but my thermometers were both at 30 degrees, and I don't want my beer freezing, so I moved thermostat to 4 and going to let it go for a couple hours and see what the temps are in the fridge.

I only will have coors light in my kegerator, because that's all I drink, and supposed PSI is suppose to be 14-16psi....I also cannot nail a persistent 38-40 degrees inside the fridge, well see how this tower fan cooler does.