Oster Fridge Nightmare

[Jif]

I was floored, rewiring the fridge to stock wiring fixed everything, it's running 37F with no issues! I just ran fan power out to plug in separately. Thanks to all who helped! I'll throw pics on the kegerator thread soon.

 

[dontman]

The issue I am having with my oster is similar but different. Last night when I got the fridge home I plugged it in and put a 6 of already chilled beer in it. I also put a probe in it to track the temps. It started out in the 50s and moved down at maybe a degree an hour to 38. Today I put another 6 pack in and it took about 8 hours to get back to 38. For a six pack!

The thing is the compressor almost never ran during that time and when it did come on it only ran for a minute or two. I feel like the fridge is perfectly but it has a lazy thermostat.

I really like the idea of bypassing the thermostat but is a $59 item my only option here?

Seems like there should be a middle ground option that I just simply replace the other thermo with.

 

[dontman]

I thought one of the main features of an external controller was that it was based on IT'S temp probe, not the freezer/fridge... If your statement is true, I can still see them working on keezers, but what about all of them I've seen used for lagering? I am probably just not well versed, and you are correct; especially since I've never looked into them... My misconception?

The misconception here is that the external setting is just what the fridge does. Not true. YOu can insert an external thermostat in the circuit and then set the fridges thermostat to 0 degrees. Then, if you set the external at 38 it will then cut off power to the fridge.

But if your fridge thermo is set for 60 and you set the external to 38 then the external thermostat is never called into play.

I think the biggest problem here is that Oster has installed terrible cheap aas thermostats that have huge dead zones. And the best bet is to just excise them and replace with a better working thermostat. I wants one that kicks my compressor more often and tries to keep closer to a ser temp. I don't want my one cold keg to warm up everytime I replace the kicked keg.

 

[dontman]

If your compressor is 120V then you should be able to pull the internal thermostat out of the loop and put in one of these with little or no problems.


Ant

I see how this will work and it will stand as my backpocket solution if I can't find a cheap but better alternative thermostat to install directly inline where the old used to be.

 

[Jif]

If you end up installing an external thermostat, let me know how it works. Mine's not as slow as yours, but slow enough that I wouldn't mind the extra level of control (supposing it works)

 

[MikeG]

I was floored, rewiring the fridge to stock wiring fixed everything, it's running 37F with no issues! I just ran fan power out to plug in separately. Thanks to all who helped! I'll throw pics on the kegerator thread soon.

That's awesome. You still running the large diam tube up the tower?

 

[Jif]

Yup! Seemed like the 120V fan I had wired to it was eating up too much of the circuit, because now I'm powering it externally and it's working perfectly!

 

[antsp1]

Jif, that is very interesting. I do not think it had to do with current draw though. More than likely there may have been some line noise injected by the fan that was messing stuff up, but I would have to see the schems on where you pulled power for the fan.

Ant

 

[Jif]

If you're familiar with the fridge, all I did is pull the door switch out of circuit and yank the black line that went in to it for 110v unswitched, connecting back in circuit with the white wire that's usually attached to the lightbulb. After the problems with it, I just hooked the light and all of the regular wiring back up, then ran power for the fan to a separate plug down the drain next to where I have my CO2 line running. I'll try and snap some pics in the next few days.

 

[InfernoBrews]

Oster say no more if you look around i have seen very few good things mentioned about that brand.... Lota of problem with them all the way down to just kickin the bucket after a month or 2 of use to being extremly noisy. ect..

 

[antsp1]

Jif it seems to me that you are saying that you used the light bulb circuit to power the fan. I am wondering if the fridge has a safety circuit that looks to see if that circuit is closed and "thinks" that the door is open.

 

[Jif]

Maybe, but that seems overly sophisticated for a $200 minifridge. I've seen $1500 high end side by sides have that, but never in anything less. I think you're overestimating the amount of engineering Oster put in to this product.

@ Inferno: Yeah I've heard some less than stellar things myself, but now that it's up and running again things seem to be going well with it. We'll just see if it lasts, I suppose. There's a number of guys on this forum who've had good luck with them, so only time will tell.

 

[InfernoBrews]

Maybe, but that seems overly sophisticated for a $200 minifridge. I've seen $1500 high end side by sides have that, but never in anything less. I think you're overestimating the amount of engineering Oster put in to this product.

@ Inferno: Yeah I've heard some less than stellar things myself, but now that it's up and running again things seem to be going well with it. We'll just see if it lasts, I suppose. There's a number of guys on this forum who've had good luck with them, so only time will tell.

I Hope everything Does Work out for ya!!!!!!!!!! It's Sickening just to hear when someone's Frothiness Dispensers Go Down!

 

[Jif]

Got pics up in the kegerator thread!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/show-us-your-kegerator-29053/index74.html#post1122171

Let me know what you all think!