Temp. control for coke fridge

[bushmanj]

i just picked up a 3.5 foot coka cola fridge from a friend of mine who ones a gas station for $50. i need to do something to be able to adjust the temp and havent the slightest clue abot electrical anything. i ahve been reading on here about love controllers and what not and came across this

http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/johnson-refrigerator-thermostat.html

is this the easiest way to control temp without rewiring and tearing this fridge apart?

 

[Lonnie Mac]

i just picked up a 3.5 foot coka cola fridge from a friend of mine who ones a gas station for $50. i need to do something to be able to adjust the temp and havent the slightest clue abot electrical anything. i ahve been reading on here about love controllers and what not and came across this

http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/johnson-refrigerator-thermostat.html

is this the easiest way to control temp without rewiring and tearing this fridge apart?

What kinda fridge is this? A glass front? Who makes it?

 

[bushmanj]

yess glass front with the coke bottle on the door. not sure about the manufacturer but this thing is heavy duty

 

[Lonnie Mac]

yess glass front with the coke bottle on the door. not sure about the manufacturer but this thing is heavy duty

Check on the dataplate if it has one. It's probably a True. (THE BEST!!)

Let me know...

 

[bushmanj]

couldnt find a manufacturer but the inside is metal and i dont want to mess with that so i think the best option is the external controller. do you have one of these, how is it set up?

 

[Gregscsu]

The johnson controller just plugs into a wall outlet, the fridge plugs into the controller, and you place the temperature sensor attached to the controller inside the fridge. Now set the fride to the coldest setting it has, and set the controller to you desired temp. It is really simple to figure out once you get the controller.

Another issue I found with my 10 cubic ft True mfg cooler; it was a Pepsi branded cooler I got from a previous job. Either way, the internal fan on the top of the fridge was wired to run all the time, as was the internal light. I actually ended up adding a switch to control the light, so it is only on when I turn it on. I also rewired the fan so it only runs when the compressor is running.
I also use the Johnson controller by the way.

Other then that it is awesome, great for controlling fermentation temps and cold crashing etc.

 

[bushmanj]

thats exactly what i was looking for. there is a switch for the light on mine but im not sure about the fan. did you drill a hole for the controller prob or what? how do you have it oriented inside just as is?

 

[Gregscsu]

thats exactly what i was looking for. there is a switch for the light on mine but im not sure about the fan. did you drill a hole for the controller prob or what? how do you have it oriented inside just as is?

I just ran the probe in through the door and usually tape it to the carboys I have inside. Drilling a hole in a fridge is risky because you don't know where the coolant lines are running, and if you hit one your cooler is dead, although on mine it is pretty obvious where they are.

As for the fan, I took off the front base plate of the fridge where there is a junction box for the wiring. Then all I had to do was move one wire, from the fan onto the compressor circuit. This action consited of removing and replacing two wire nuts, it was really simple and took about 30 minutes with tracing the wires, and testing to ensure everthing was connected and working properly.

 

[bendavanza]

The digital versions of these external thermostats (Ranco, Johnson, etc) are a lot more accurate than the kind with a dial, but either way, yes, plug and play.
I have a Ranco and it works great, although you usually have to wire them yourselves and it's pretty simple, like splicing and extension cord.