Komos Kegerator Bites The Dust at 14 months

[Brownyard]

I don't see any negative reviews matching your experience on the Komos kegerator listings that I can find - which one was it?

I couldn't edit my original review, so I posted a question about what to do in the questions section.

 

[Brownyard]

I'm not suggesting you do this, but if my KOMOS was misbehaving this is what I would do.
Unplug from the wall. Remove the cover of the circuit board and disconnect any wire harness connectors from the board and put them back on to rule out an intermittent connection problem at the terminals. If that fails....

Then I would start bypassing components that are not critical to the operation of the compressor. In the picture below, the first relatively easy test is to jump a connection between the incoming brown 120v "hot" and the "C" contact on the compressor as shown by the red drawn-in line. I'm not sure if the wire is still red between the overload switch and the compressor but you should be able to trace the wires. This would bypass both the controller and the overload switch. If the thing runs normally, you can isolate the overload protector by move the connection back to before the overload. If it stops working, you know it's the overload switch. If neither works, I would test the PTC starter by momentarily jumping across the two remaining terminals on the compressor. This essentially engages the startup winding of the motor (which is what the PTC Starter's function is). Keep in mind that I haven't gotten my hands into my own Komos so I'm not sure if the PTC starter is a separate module or if it's plugged ON to the three terminals of the compressor body. If you can figure it out, you can also remove the PTC module and test the resistance between the two terminals. If it's several hundred ohms or more, that's a likely problem.

View attachment 750277

I appreciate this Bobby, but it's a bit beyond my comfort level.

 

[Brownyard]

As a consumer of goods, I can completely understand how your situation is infuriating. No one buys a consumer grade appliance thinking it's going to need repairs or replacement right after the warranty runs out. As a vendor though, I do have an appreciation for the concept and practicality of warranty limitations. The warranty is a window of time and when it closes, it closes. If a vendor is expected to honor it two months past, why not 3 or 10?
Aside from lemon laws and related class action suits, would anyone expect an auto manufacturer to honor a warranty after that window closes?

The wrinkle in this particular product is that Morebeer likely contract manufactures the kegerators from a factory that builds OEM refrigerators for a bunch of brands and they just didn't set up a robust repair and replacement parts ecosystem due to the low volume, niche nature of this product. Contrast that with Whirlpool who have thousands of units out in the wild in any given city. I'm not defending that position at all. I think it would behoove Morebeer to source replacement parts and offer them up for when customers do find appliance repair techs that would be willing to install them.

I understand this, but it's dealing with MoreBeer that's the biggest issue of all. If I could call and talk to a tech, or at least have one of them call me, I'd have felt better about this. The only people I could get on the phone were order takers. The last one I spoke to, about the wrong temp probe being sent, said she'd contact someone who knows about these things, and get back with me that day. Still waiting. At this point, I've removed the kegerator, and stripped the tapping equipment to use in the new unit. I'm done dealing with it.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

This is why I took an entire year off of brewing while I waited for a kegerator deal. I might be too cheap for some people but I managed to get maybe $1,250 worth of gear for $125 because the guy was moving. He was only 30 minutes away too. To me buying a kegerator is automatically a sunk cost, which I try to avoid as much as possible. Actually my brewing gear is some of the only stuff I've ever purchased that I can't sell easily for close to what I paid.

Appliances break often and need to be updated relatively often compared to a lot of things, and with stores like this, it makes it worse.

 

[Brewdog80]

appliances shouldn't break "often" You should get a decade or more out of a fridge. I've a tech fridge ( no freezer section) that is my bottled, canned and yeast fridge that was purchased in 2007, and pretty much has run its whole life except during moves. My kegerator fridge is an 01 model. It did sit for about 3 years. Large appliances that I've owned pretty much have always made it 10 to 15 years. $50 or 60 a year or less is pretty cheap. And to get a year plus a month out of a fridge is really crap.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

appliances shouldn't break "often" You should get a decade or more out of a fridge. I've a tech fridge ( no freezer section) that is my bottled, canned and yeast fridge that was purchased in 2007, and pretty much has run its whole life except during moves. My kegerator fridge is an 01 model. It did sit for about 3 years. Large appliances that I've owned pretty much have always made it 10 to 15 years. $50 or 60 a year or less is pretty cheap. And to get a year plus a month out of a fridge is really crap.

planned obsolescence is on the rise. coupled with general garbage quality in electronics and mechanicals.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

It's a gamble every time you shell out your money for anything these days. Not having customer support is even worse. At least when I bring my vehicle in and it's an out of warranty repair they try to fix it. MoreBeer should have at least tried to help. How many folks here are going to rush out and by a Kegerator from them after reading this string of postings? It's changed my mind.

 

[matt_m]

You should get a decade or more out of a fridge.

Sadly that's no longer the case for most major appliances.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Sadly that's no longer the case for most major appliances.

The "major" appliances I use are Ankarsrum and Vitamix. The vast majority of things are 100% a gamble. The Ankarsrum stand mixer hasn't changed in design since the 1940s and is made in house in Sweden with a 7 year standard warranty... Vitamix, US made, 10 year warranty...

Technology updates so quickly compared to, say, the 1940s to 2000s, where a fridge was always just a fridge. Now every few months they find a new place to put a TV screen on it. This is why planned obsolescence is so lucrative even if it can never be proven. It always could just be really poor quality electronics. Or, maybe not.

If my 3 year old used kegerator bites the dust, I'll be upset, but I only paid like $50 for the fridge if you count everything else it came with... Replacing it without another "deal of the century" is going to be the real bummer, since now, I can't live without her.

 

[Brownyard]

Well, after leaving a scathing review on FaceBook, I f finally got a little action from MoreBeer. Surprising how it took only a day for a response, whereas contacting their website for support took a week. Oh well. Anyway, after sending me the wrong temp probe TWICE, I told them to just refund my money, and that I was through. I had doubts about it being the probe anyway. Got my new kegerator - an Ivation from Lowes. It's a little smaller, but it's a lot quieter. Also, I tacked on a 3-year warranty, which I couldn't do at MoreBeer, so I've got that going for me. The Komos is sitting in my shed... useless.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Morebeer probably felt they'd better do something since Facebook exposure is more widespread. Too bad they couldn't be of more help when you contacted them directly. I wouldn't give up hope on your dead Komos. When my converted chest freezer died, I cut two four inch holes in the side and strapped an upright mini freezer to it. One hole at the top pulled cold air with a fan from the freezer into the "insulated box" to keep my kegged beer cold. The upright freezer & fan were controlled with a temp controller. It looked like a Frankenstein experiment, but it worked. The junk Komos might be of some value to someone out there. Your new kegerator looks to have some good reviews. Congratulations!

 

[marc1]

Well, after leaving a scathing review on FaceBook, I f finally got a little action from MoreBeer. Surprising how it took only a day for a response, whereas contacting their website for support took a week. Oh well. Anyway, after sending me the wrong temp probe TWICE, I told them to just refund my money, and that I was through. I had doubts about it being the probe anyway. Got my new kegerator - an Ivation from Lowes. It's a little smaller, but it's a lot quieter. Also, I tacked on a 3-year warranty, which I couldn't do at MoreBeer, so I've got that going for me. The Komos is sitting in my shed... useless.

If you have a scrap yard nearby they may take it. Call first to make sure that they take refrigerators. Lately the general steel/shredder scrap near me has been 10-11 cents a pound, so you might get a few dollars rather than paying to dispose of it.

 

[kh54s10]

I feel your pain. It is terrible when a product dies shortly after the warranty expires. Sadly that is becoming very common these days. Things are not built to last like they used to be. I just looked up dishwashers and their life expectancy, they are supposed to last 10 years. But that is not to say it won't have to be repaired. I have one in my house now that was manufactured in the 80's. I don't know it's repair history but it works like a charm. I had a washer and dryer set that lasted 20+ years. I don't expect anything that I buy these days to last nearly as long. Not to defend Morebeer, I have never dealt with them. But; I don't know what MoreBeer's connection with the Komos manufacturer is but I would expect that you would have gotten about the same initial response for an out of warranty product from almost any retailer. I would imagine these are made in China, distributed by MoreBeer at very little margin, they probably have very little knowledge about the product other than ordering it from the manufacturer. I would expect that the initial response would have been the same from just about any retailer. They could probably have been a little more helpful but in the end the results would probably have been the same through any retailer. I am a little surprised that they could not provide some contact information, even making the contact themselves on your behest.

 

[rallenhall]

This is all depressing. I have an 8-cornie chest freezer kegerator (purchased new and serviced by a local appliance dealer), but I've been considering front loaders (in my mid-70's ... still have no problems schlepping a full keg over the side, but those days may be numbered). I really wanted to make one, last purchase with a commercial grade like a True or Beverage-Aire, but the warranties are voided for residential use. Had hoped that the Komos was a solution, but it looks like I'll keep working on my upper-body strength for awhile.

 

[bwible]

This is all depressing. I have an 8-cornie chest freezer kegerator (purchased new and serviced by a local appliance dealer), but I've been considering front loaders (in my mid-70's ... still have no problems schlepping a full keg over the side, but those days may be numbered). I really wanted to make one, last purchase with a commercial grade like a True or Beverage-Aire, but the warranties are voided for residential use. Had hoped that the Komos was a solution, but it looks like I'll keep working on my upper-body strength for awhile.

I bought a Beverage Air after my True fridge died. I use it for bottles and cans though. Yeah that warranty thing is ridiculous - probably less use and less wear and tear in a residential home. But I bought it anyway. Had a glass front for the last 17 years so I wanted another one.

[edit] sorry, thats Avantco. For some reason I thought I bought a Beverage Air. But the warranty thing is still the same.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

One word…Perlick.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

This is all depressing. I have an 8-cornie chest freezer kegerator (purchased new and serviced by a local appliance dealer), but I've been considering front loaders (in my mid-70's ... still have no problems schlepping a full keg over the side, but those days may be numbered). I really wanted to make one, last purchase with a commercial grade like a True or Beverage-Aire, but the warranties are voided for residential use. Had hoped that the Komos was a solution, but it looks like I'll keep working on my upper-body strength for awhile.

It's a gamble no matter what you use these days and as you have read some of us have been stung with early death of our beer coolers. I've read a few HBT folks using a lifting winch for putting full kegs into a converted chest freezer. Keg plus beer is less than 50 pounds, 48 on the one I just weighed a moment ago so you would need a winch for lifting a car. Someone suggested just transferring the beer into an empty keg inside of the cooler. Exercise is always good but safety is more important.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Wouldn't need a winch to lift a car . . that's what I meant to type. Bad grammar makes a big difference!