possible future kegerator

[bagpiperjosh]

someone gave this old broken kegerator to a co-worker of mine a few years ago. Its apparently from the 70's. i was told that the compressor was shot, but who knows for sure, i do know that when i plug it in, it blows the gfi breaker on my outlet... so if anyone can help me diag it, i'd appreciate it. i bent the tower when taking it off of my truck. no big deal though, it looked kind of rough and i plan to make it a 4 tap system as the inside will hold 4 cornies.

i am of course going to change all the lines and etc. im not sure if the old tap is any good yet..

any suggestions are appreciated.

inside

it looks pretty gross in the back of it, no wonder it broke

 

[static]

When they pop the GFI like that it usually indicated that you have a locked/shorted rotor inside the compressor. So yes it needs a new one. That unit with its age will also need a drop in replacement refrigerant for the R12 that is currently in it. Talk to a local appliance guy and see what a compressor job will cost. It has to be done by a certified tech as the refrigerant is EPA regulated.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

When they pop the GFI like that it usually indicated that you have a locked/shorted rotor inside the compressor. So yes it needs a new one. That unit with its age will also need a drop in replacement refrigerant for the R12 that is currently in it. Talk to a local appliance guy and see what a compressor job will cost. It has to be done by a certified tech as the refrigerant is EPA regulated.

so aside from getting rid of the refrigerant, i couldnt just find another compressor out of another old fridge and somehow put that in?

 

[static]

The compressor needs to match the system and you never put a used one in. Its a sealed system that needs to have a vacuum and zero moisture along with the correct amount of refrigerant. All of that requires some specialized(expensive) equipment. Not trying to be a downer but sealed system work isn't like changing the oil in your car. Its a lot more than just refrigerant. If you really wanna fix this unit find a tech that will do the job for you.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

i called a repair guy and he guesstimated a few hundred bucks. which im not gonna do. bummer... it would have been cool to bring that back to life

 

[bagpiperjosh]

I at least plan to take the tap outta there and the co2 tank to keep. Anyone know of anything else i should keep from it?

 

[static]

I kind of figured that would be the case. Ya the tap and the tank and regulator. Look at it this way. You're halfway to a converted bar fridge.

 

[vinper]

Its really not that hard if you can silver solder and borrow a vacumm pump, just finishing installing all the guts from a sacrificial fridge to my ice box ,I transfered everything condeser coil , evaperator coil , compressor and wiring harness... see my thread icebox

 

[static]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of refrigerant is in your "sacrificial" refrigerator that you vented into the atmosphere?

 

[vinper]

OK mister greenie ,you mean what type I recovered.. I have an refrigerant & Tx electrician license... that kegerator holds about 4 oz. you can get a replacement refrigerant for # 12 at the auto zone.

 

[static]

Not Mr. greenie, more like mister lets not give advice to people that could potentially get them into trouble.

You can't "recover" anything when you slice the lines with a saw while hacking apart the machine. Further you can't mix refrigerants so if that was an R12 machine, the cost of R12 (if you can even get it) far out weighs the value of the machine. Also without a 608 or 609 certificate you cannot purchase R12 anywhere.

The bottom line is this, i would rather give accurate advice, that wont waste the OP's time or potentially get him into trouble.