Kegland kegerator repair

[MoyaoneBrew]

My fairly new (but no warranty) Kegland refuses to cool below 47F, no matter how low I set the thermostat. I have been unable to find any refrigerator/appliance repair company willing to service it, and my googling leads me mostly to AU locations. Does anyone know who might service a Kegland in the Washington, DC metro area? Thanks.

 

[IslandLizard]

That really sucks!
Especially being out of warranty, are you sure it is? It makes ALL the difference.

Is the compressor running continuously, but it won't cool much anymore?
If so, there's probably a (tiny) leak in the refrigeration system, losing coolant over time, or the compressor is not compressing enough. This problem usually starts out slowly, but the lowest achievable temp will keep creeping up over time.

Most fridge/freezer repairs are so prohitbitly expensive they exceed the value of pretty much any unit.

Are you handy to fix anything like that, or know someone who could?

 

[MoyaoneBrew]

Thanks. I'll need to monitor it more closely, but I believe I have heard it kick on and off, so the compressor is not running continuously. I'm generally pretty handy, once I know what I'm supposed to be doing, but I can't find any YouTube or other guidance on this particular unit. It occurs to me that if it is not the compressor, it may be a faulty thermostat, but I have not even been able to find anyone selling parts.

 

[IslandLizard]

The compressor may shut off due to tripping a built-in thermal (over-temperature) switch, or due to a "max-on-cycle" timer in the thermostat. Otherwise, if it never reaches the set temp, it keeps plowing on to get there.

Most refrigeration systems are very similarly built, what applies to one likely applies to most. So YouTube vids can still be a great resource for ideas where to look or how to fix.
Sometimes there's a schematic pasted or packaged somewhere in or near the compressor cavity, which may help in troubleshooting.

My bet at this point is loss of refrigerant somewhere.

In that light, here's a very recent thread on doing a refrigerant recharge:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/how-to-recharge-a-freezer-or-fridge.682877/It looks very doable, and affordable.

There are a few other refrigeration troubleshooting and fixing threads.

Moderator's Note:
I've moved this thread to the Kegerators & Keezers Forum, for better exposure on finding solutions to fix.
You can always repost the request for a local DC area service in this forum at some point, as long as discussion of your kegerator problem can be (mostly) kept to this thread.

 

[Ice69ca]

Thanks. I'll need to monitor it more closely, but I believe I have heard it kick on and off, so the compressor is not running continuously. I'm generally pretty handy, once I know what I'm supposed to be doing, but I can't find any YouTube or other guidance on this particular unit. It occurs to me that if it is not the compressor, it may be a faulty thermostat, but I have not even been able to find anyone selling parts.

Hi, just wondering if you ever got to the bottom of this. I as well have a Kegland kegerator. I got it in May it worked fine at first but now will not chill colder then 47-48.

 

[Joe Brew]

Hi, just wondering if you ever got to the bottom of this. I as well have a Kegland kegerator. I got it in May it worked fine at first but now will not chill colder then 47-48.

Dude, my series X just started doing the same thing. If you purchased in May then you should be covered by the 1yr warranty. There is some blue residue in my internal and external drip tray. I think the chill plate gets frost build up and eventually the ice gets to a point to where it expands and either breaks a line or a joint.

 

[Monkeykler]

Anyone found a fix to this, I ma having the same!

 

[Broken Crow]

Since the original post, we now have @KegLand on the forum..maybe this tag will get an answer, or at least call it to their attention.

 

[Monkeykler]

Since the original post, we now have @KegLand on the forum..maybe this tag will get an answer, or at least call it to their attention.

Broken Crow, thanks mate, I have managed to get mine temporary working a few times but the compressor is on FIRE! it's actually always been like that and the radiators at the side give off massive heat, it could be a compressor and a relay issue with mine

 

[Broken Crow]

Before I bought mine, I did as much reading up on it as I could and though it may be unrelated what I learned was that setting the unit to °F made it cycle far more often and some folks with issues had it solved my setting it to °C...The some other issues seemed to be solved by leaving the recirc fan turned on all the time instead of off. Since I've had mine I've only kept the setting calibrated to Celcius and left the recirc fan on constant, made sure there is free space all around the unit for air-ciculation, and I've had no issues at all.... That could just be luck-of-the-draw draw though or maybe I just haven't had issues yet. Dunno if any of this is helpful or not, but since searching online for this is a time consuming PITA, I hope it's of some use to someone to mention it here.

 

[KegLand]

Before I bought mine, I did as much reading up on it as I could and though it may be unrelated what I learned was that setting the unit to °F made it cycle far more often and some folks with issues had it solved my setting it to °C...The some other issues seemed to be solved by leaving the recirc fan turned on all the time instead of off. Since I've had mine I've only kept the setting calibrated to Celcius and left the recirc fan on constant, made sure there is free space all around the unit for air-ciculation, and I've had no issues at all.... That could just be luck-of-the-draw draw though or maybe I just haven't had issues yet. Dunno if any of this is helpful or not, but since searching online for this is a time consuming PITA, I hope it's of some use to someone to mention it here.

Hey guys. Most of our distributors will order spare parts if you can identify what the issue is.

Generally speaking it's very rare to see a failure of the kegerators within the first 3 years. If a problem occurs in the first three years the most common issue is a gas leak but this is normally determine with the fridge being dead on arrival as even a small leak will leak out all the gas within less than a few months. Sometimes if the fridge was transported refrigeration oil could get into the filter or capillary and this can cause a blockage in the refrigeration system but it often rectifies itself. If the fridge has been moved then it's also possible that something has damaged one of the refrigeration lines at the back. If you see fine machine oil then this is another obvious indication that it's got a gas leak.

We sometimes get customers chip ice off the back chill plate with a knife. This is a bad idea and if you have recently done this you may have also punctured the refrigeration lines so please avoid doing this.

If it's an electrical issue this can be a really easy fix. If the compressor turns on then turns off quickly it could be a cheap start relay. If you have no power to the display at all it could be the main circuit board. If the thermal cut out is turning off before the compressor heats up then this could be the issue.

If the compressor runs continuously and the fridge doesnt get cold it's more likely gas leak.

If you have the fridge warm but a small amount of ice where the gas enters the chill plate at the back of the fridge this could also indicate a gas leak.

With a bit of investigation it's generally not difficult to determine the issue and sometimes customers can fix the problem without spending too much time or money but gas leaks can be complicated to fix if you dont know where the leak is coming from.

 

[user 342101]

Any suggestions regarding my Kegland. It was completely dead. Changed The Main circuit board and the display came alive, however with a EE alert in the display. Changed the display board with same result.
The compressor and fan do not start at all.

 

[day_trippr]

You might have knocked something loose?
Google "kegland series x ee error" and the results point to a loose connection to the temperature sensor. I imagine a defective sensor could throw the same error. Either way I could understand the controller not turning on the compressor if there's a nonsensical sensor reading...

Cheers! (And welcome to Homebrew Talk! )

 

[KegLand]

Any suggestions regarding my Kegland. It was completely dead. Changed The Main circuit board and the display came alive, however with a EE alert in the display. Changed the display board with same result.
The compressor and fan do not start at all.

If you get a main board go then this is mainly due to the power supply getting damaged during some type of power surge. If there is some way you can protect yourself from power surges this will help the situation. It seems to be more of an issue in regional areas where lightening strikes or trees falling over powerlines happens more regularly.

Are you sure you have not mixed up these connections here:

If you have mixed up these plugs your fan also will not work. Does your fan come on?

Generally the EE error is because the temp probe wire is damaged somehow or you have it plugged into the wrong spot. When you did the board change over did the wire get pinched at all? I would start by checking this.