Keezer Not Cooling - Repair or Replace?

[chumpsteak]

Buy a new one. Get another 6 years out of it and plus you get another chance to build a collar or make the improvements you've always wanted. They're cheap on CL or even brand new.

 

[Nagorg]

I'm going to keep this thing going for a while. I'll probably build a new one to my liking eventually but at least now I don't have to feel rushed.

It's funny how this one started having problems about the time I needed to keg my latest batch. Luckily I was able to keg and store them in a spare fridge while I sorted out the low freon..

 

[GreenTerror]

Thank you for the detailed posts! I'm going through the exact same thing with the exact symptoms as you have. I did the video, installed the piercing valve and tried to add refrigerant. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't taking in more, I thought maybe it was just full. But now I realize I need that adapter you describe and I wasn't actually adding anything today to the coolant system! I'll pick up one of those adapters tomorrow and try again. hope it works.

 

[odie]

be interesting to hear from OP how the recharge is holding up...modern freezers and refrigerators are pretty much disposable...

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Yeah it's called engineered obsolescence. So many things now are made over in China for as cheaply as possible that it costs more to get it fixed by someone here than buy a new cheap one from China that will also fail sooner than later. I find it very sad to be honest, but this is a homebrew board and not a place for me to go full on tree hugger and complain how badly I think we're sh!tting on the planet so I'll bite my tongue...

 

[odie]

Planned obsolescence is everywhere

 

[Nagorg]

be interesting to hear from OP how the recharge is holding up...modern freezers and refrigerators are pretty much disposable...

Still rocking since last post. For me, this "fix" is holding and is well worth the minimal investment and effort!

 

[Nagorg]

Yeah it's called engineered obsolescence. So many things now are made over in China for as cheaply as possible that it costs more to get it fixed by someone here than buy a new cheap one from China that will also fail sooner than later.

PM me with any dull knives you might be about to throw away...

-DIY'er

 

[odie]

How did you determine the correct fill? Pretty easy with a large system in a car. Not so easy with a small capacity system.

 

[GreenTerror]

I weighed the can and watched how much went in, by reweighing the can. On the back of the freezer it said capacity was 3.5 ounces. I went for adding in 2 ounces as my target. That's a total guestimate for how much was needed though. The proper way would be to rent the ac vacuum from an auto parts store, remove everything and then add back in 3.5 ounces.

 

[odie]

I have ac gauges and a vacuum but with a car you have low and high side connections and are using around 3 cans so being off an ounce or two is not really an issue. With such a small system it just seems really difficult to get it right as there is not much wiggle room. Weighing the can with a hose attached is quite challenging

 

[GreenTerror]

All very true and I agree 100%. This was my thought process. either I'm going to throw this one away and buy a new chest freezer or I'm going to spend $40 in parts and attempt to fix it and worst case I have to throw the chest freezer away and buy a new one anyway. also I wouldn't attempt this if I had $500 of USDA prime beef frozen in the freezer. With beer the worst thing would be that it would end up at room temperature. Your mileage may vary

 

[Greytop]

Still rocking since last post. For me, this "fix" is holding and is well worth the minimal investment and effort!

I'm experiencing the same problem and glad I found your update. I'm wondering if you bought the R134 with sealant or without. Thanks.

 

[GreenTerror]

I'm experiencing the same problem and glad I found your update. I'm wondering if you bought the R134 with sealant or without. Thanks.

I did figuring if I got a leak it might help. No idea if that was the right thing to do.

 

[odie]

I did figuring if I got a leak it might help. No idea if that was the right thing to do.

If you had to add freon then yes you have a leak to deal with in some manner

 

[Nagorg]

I'm experiencing the same problem and glad I found your update. I'm wondering if you bought the R134 with sealant or without. Thanks.

I got it without the sealant. Knock on wood but its still holding.

 

[GreenTerror]

Update on my fix. I must have more of a leak than I thought. It keeps drifting warmer. I used the uv dye freon and can't see anything so I assume that the leak is internal. If I put another ounce in it buys me some time but long run my keezer is toast. Oh well it was worth a shot.

 

[Nagorg]

Update on my fix. I must have more of a leak than I thought. It keeps drifting warmer. I used the uv dye freon and can't see anything so I assume that the leak is internal. If I put another ounce in it buys me some time but long run my keezer is toast. Oh well it was worth a shot.

Are you using the right kind of light when looking for signs of the "UV Dye"?

https://www.knowyourparts.com/techn...-dye-leak-detection-benefit-heavy-duty-fleet/

 

[Carolina_Matt]

I got it without the sealant. Knock on wood but its still holding.

Can I safely assume that your keezer is still working? I just ordered the parts from Amazon (although I need to take a drive to get the R134). My keezer is set between 38-40 degrees. After it turns off at 38 degrees, it stays off for over 5 hours and the temperature creeps up to 40. That tells me that it maintains temperature pretty well. But when it kicks on, it takes close to 20 hours to get it back down to 38. Hopefully this thread is able to solve my problem!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Can I safely assume that your keezer is still working? I just ordered the parts from Amazon (although I need to take a drive to get the R134). My keezer is set between 38-40 degrees. After it turns off at 38 degrees, it stays off for over 5 hours and the temperature creeps up to 40. That tells me that it maintains temperature pretty well. But when it kicks on, it takes close to 20 hours to get it back down to 38. Hopefully this thread is able to solve my problem!

Sounds like an a/c problem that's low on feron or other cooling liquid. No way should it take 20 hours!

 

[day_trippr]

Agreed, something's amiss with the cooling system. Even in the dead of summer (ie: now) my 13cf keezer will drop two degrees with all six kegs filled in under 1-1/2 hours.

This case is different from most. Typically they tend to get stuck in the mid/upper 40s°F when they're really low on refrigerant, and may develop frost that increasingly isolates near the top of one corner before it disappears completely.

But perhaps a refill will bring it back to life. Worth a shot...

Cheers!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Unless it's not a true freezer, but one of those chiller type things that doesn't get colder than room temp.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

It's an actual freezer. Frigidaire 9cf with 6 kegs in there right now. It does develop some frost on the front wall (just under the taps), but then it's been melting during the hours that the compressor is turned off. That causes some puddling on the bottom of the keezer. I do have two EvaDry units in there, and they had kept it dry for months. But I noticed the puddles starting just around the same time it has been taking forever to get to temperature.

And yeah, I thought it was a little weird that it's still able to get to 38 degrees (rather than high 40's or low 50's. That tells me that there's a decent amount of refrigerant in there - but clearly not enough to get it to 38 degrees quickly. The parts should be here today and I'll stop by the store to buy the can of refrigerant, so hopefully this is resolved by tomorrow.

I had actually considered downsizing to a 4-keg keezer because I'd rather not have the temptation of 5-6 kegs on tap all the time, but I want to do it on my watch and not the keezer's watch.

 

[fasteddie64]

It's an actual freezer. Frigidaire 9cf with 6 kegs in there right now. It does develop some frost on the front wall (just under the taps), but then it's been melting during the hours that the compressor is turned off. That causes some puddling on the bottom of the keezer. I do have two EvaDry units in there, and they had kept it dry for months. But I noticed the puddles starting just around the same time it has been taking forever to get to temperature.

And yeah, I thought it was a little weird that it's still able to get to 38 degrees (rather than high 40's or low 50's. That tells me that there's a decent amount of refrigerant in there - but clearly not enough to get it to 38 degrees quickly. The parts should be here today and I'll stop by the store to buy the can of refrigerant, so hopefully this is resolved by tomorrow.

I had actually considered downsizing to a 4-keg keezer because I'd rather not have the temptation of 5-6 kegs on tap all the time, but I want to do it on my watch and not the keezer's watch.

If it a old, 10 years or more it could very well be a mechanical issue. Worn rings and valves cause excessive heat build up. That will lead to shut down on thermal overload. Bad motor windings will also shut it down on thermal overload. To OHM it out with a meter disconnect power and discharge capacitor (common to run) will be the lowest reading. Next (common to start) is middle reading and last (start to run) will be the sum of the first two readings. Any open windings or the numbers don't add up means the compressor is shot.

 

[kartracer2]

Hi all,
I am just going to add an tidbit or two here. (a little long winded)
I had an old "beer" fridge and I mean old. It had a mechanical latch on the door and it broke (the latch) after many years of use. I thought of doing a "McGyver" on the latch but decided that i wanted a little bigger box. I found one I liked and knocked the old one in the head. (sadly i might add, just the thought of how many hangovers that box had a part in,,, ) The new box wasn't much bigger on the outside but more cu. in. on the inside.

WOW, what a difference it made on my electric bill, paid for it's self in a year or so. Better insulation/gaskets and a more efficient cooling system. Just saying, something to think about when doing the repair/replace computations. Yes I know that my example was an extreme one but it still applies to any thing 10+ years old. (This includes your home HVAC system also)

Now on the frost line issue. Yes that does indicate a probable "flash off" point as pointed out above but also look at the sealing / gaskets in that area, it very well could mean an air leak in that area also. Slide a dollar bill around the gasket areas, between the gasket and sealing surface, it should drag heavily when pulled.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread,,,,

Joel B.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

Well, following the video didn't go quite as I thought it would. I initially hooked everything up, and the gauge went to -10 PSI. Then when I turned the valve to let freon in, it barely seemed to go in. In the video, it shot up to around 60 psi right away, then came lower once he closed the valve. In my case, it only spiked up to about 10 psi and then it started coming lower even the valve open. I tried it a few more times and the same thing happened. I tried disconnecting and reconnecting, and now it seems like nothing is working. The gauge reads 0 psi all the time, and I don't hear any freon going in now matter how much I open the valve. My instinct is that it's just not a secure connection, as the blue self-sealing adapter is very cheap.

I'll head to the store and see if I can find any of the old-style cans that don't self-seal. Maybe that will help.

 

[Nagorg]

@Carolina_Matt to answer your question, knock-on-wood but yes mine is still holding.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

Glad to see yours still works well! Unfortunately, mine isn't back to normal. I was able to get some Freon in there after stopping by Home Depot and buying an old-style (non self-sealing) can. That worked so much better, and I added until it read about 2 psi. But ever since my first attempt (with the self-sealing can), I hear a whooshing noise above the compressor. Almost like I'm outside in a blizzard. That side of the freezer gets very hot, although it's been getting hot since before my attempt to fix.

On the bright side, it's still able to maintain 38 degrees. It just takes longer than it should. Before adding Freon, it took about 20 hours to drop 2 degrees (it's about a 13 CF freezer - I mistakenly listed it at 9 CF last time - and there are 6 kegs in there). Now I have it at a 1 degree differential and it takes about 6 hours to get from 39 to 38 degrees, and then it shuts off and maintains the temperature for several hours. To be fair, maybe it had been on for 6 hours when I first bought it (used) off of craigslist and I hadn't paid attention.

At this point I'll just leave it as-is since it's still keeping the beer cold and I haven't noticed any increase in my electric bill. I'll also keep an eye out for other keezers or kegerators, as I ultimately want to get a 4-tap instead.

 

[Nagorg]

UPDATE:
3 Years, 7 months and 3 days have passed since I "fixed" my Keezer using the awesome tip from @OG-wan Kenobi .

Well, I found my Keezer to not be cooling very well again and also found the ice buildup inside just like before. So, I grabbed the same can of Freon that still had the charging hose and gauge attached and repeated the steps as before. It was once again low but it did take a Freon charge. This time I put just that "tad more" in.
And I'm happy to say that its only been ~<30 minutes and the temp is already dropping. AWESOME!

Not sure how many times I can keep doing this but as long as I can, I can!

 

[day_trippr]

Been there/done that, though with substantially less success. Your freezer must have a really small leak compared to mine, which needed monthly transfusions to remain a keezer. I kept it alive for a few months, long enough to build its successor before sending the old one off to Keezer Valhalla

Cheers!