Teamwork keezer

[Safa]

Hi all - I have a keezer that is struggling to stay cold in the garage - any time the outside temps get above about 80 it gets away from the preset temp on my controller.

I had a chat with a refrigeration expert, he thinks fixing the issue will be much more trouble than it’s worth.

I do have a mini fridge with a collar that I use as a fermentation chamber (and sometimes beer fridge) that sites right next to the keezer and works just fine no matter the weather. I was thinking - could I rig up some ducting to get the two units to share air? I already have a fan in the keezer, and could just move it so that it would recirculate between the fridge and the keezer.

Obviously the fridge isn’t designed to cool the same volume as the keezer, but since the keezer is only struggling a “little”, maybe the piggyback will be enough?

tl;dr: I’m cheap and don’t want to buy a new freezer, and I’m lazy because that would almost certainly require me to build a new collar.

 

[Joeywhat]

I don't think it will be worth your time or money.

 

[Sammy86]

I agree with @Joeywhat you’re better off spending the cash and getting a new freezer. Like the guys at Spike say buy once, cry once….or my wife as I continue to buy different sized car seats for three children.

 

[Golddiggie]

Cheap AND lazy is not a good combo for a homebrewer. If you're cheap, it usually means you make more things than you buy outright. If you're lazy, it usually means you buy more turnkey items so you don't need to do work.

IMO, if you know the size of your current keezer/freezer you SHOULD be able to get one that's either a match, or close enough to not need to modify your collar. OR, you can partially disassemble your current collar and modify it to work with the new freezer (easier if you're reducing dimensions). Otherwise, just get the materials and make a new one. It should be easier the second time since you did it already once before.

No idea how old the freezer is for your keezer, but these things do degrade with age. Sure, some of the old ones are still running well (don't make them like they used to). It could be that there's a refrigerant leak in your current freezer, or the compressor (or motor) is on it's way out. With how cheap these are to purchase these days, as you've already been informed, it's more cost effective to get a replacement than attempt to figure out where yours is failing.

Another option would be to move it to where it won't get above 80F for extended times. IF that's even an option (don't know if you have a space it could go into). I'm fortunate in that I was able to put my keezer in the dining area where I live currently. I plan to place it close to the dinner table at my next place as well. Mostly for convenience for when people are over. Since it's also very close to the door to get to my side deck where I have "brew-n-Q" gatherings.

 

[Mr. Vern]

just my 2 cents on refrigeration units... I've been troubleshooting machines over the phone for 20+ years.

Could be a very small leak, some machines lose less than 1 oz per year.

If the warmer ambient is causing loss of BTU the first thing to check is your condenser coil (warm heat exchanger). Blow it out, vacuum it out, make sure the fan is operating. Also if you have your mini fridge next to the keezer make sure your fan from the mini fridge is not blowing warm air towards the keezer. You may have already done this.

Most R-134A units have a 9% loss just from 90F up to 100F ambient. A small fan to help move air over the condenser will help offset the warmer ambient.

I just pulled enough hair and fuzz out of my beer fridge / fermentation chamber to make a small dog. Runs much better without the debris.

 

[Safa]

just my 2 cents on refrigeration units... I've been troubleshooting machines over the phone for 20+ years.

Could be a very small leak, some machines lose less than 1 oz per year.

If the warmer ambient is causing loss of BTU the first thing to check is your condenser coil (warm heat exchanger). Blow it out, vacuum it out, make sure the fan is operating. Also if you have your mini fridge next to the keezer make sure your fan from the mini fridge is not blowing warm air towards the keezer. You may have already done this.

Most R-134A units have a 9% loss just from 90F up to 100F ambient. A small fan to help move air over the condenser will help offset the warmer ambient.

I just pulled enough hair and fuzz out of my beer fridge / fermentation chamber to make a small dog. Runs much better without the debris.

Thanks Vern -unfortunately it’s a totally closed unit with no access to condenser.I spoke with someone in the business and they said the R-134a is notorious for creating waxy deposits that clog up the lines - he said this after discovering only one side of the fridge would get warm in operation and deduced the other three sides weren’t getting any flow.

The reason I’m “lazy” is because I went overboard on my collar, it’s dovetailed on all four corners and looks beautiful. Plus, I don’t really have ~$500 lying around for a new freezer!

Thanks for all the replies all!