Thermostat on kegerator died

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RyPA

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The temperature probe wire snapped off of my thermostat so it needs to be replaced. I like the idea of having a digital readout/control since the current control has a dial that goes from 1 to 6, but you have no idea what the corresponds to from a temperature perspective. The stock thermostat has a black, blue, and green wire going to it.

I found the below, which supports hot & cold control, and thought this would be great if I can figure out how to wire it up.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OXPE8U6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&psc=1

Can anyone weigh in on how to wire this based on the 3 wires going to the stock thermostat?

Also, I have a full keg in my kegerator. If I join blue & black and then plug the kegerator into an inkbird ITC-308, will that work as a makeshift thermostat until I get my long term solution in place?

Thanks!
 
The green wire to your thermostat is a safety ground. Leave it attached where it is as the ITC-1000 has no place for a ground wire.
The black wire to your thermostat is the 120VAC "in", the blue wire is the AC switched by the thermostat.
The black wire should be removed from the thermostat and connected to pins 1 and 7 in the diagram below.
The blue wire should be removed from the thermostat and connected to pin 8.
You then just need to connect pin 2 to a neutral wire - generally White - coming from the line cord.

Cheers!

1737304676554.png
 
"You then just need to connect pin 2 to a neutral wire - generally White - coming from the line cord."

Does this mean I need to find a new/neutral wire? I do not want to have to snake in wires through the refrigerator. If I cannot make this work with only the available wires then I may just find a comparable mechanical thermostat and call it a day.
 
It is possible you'd have to find a neutral elsewhere, but it isn't unusual for the thermostat to be co-located with the interior light, which often use a 120AC bulb, which in turn needs a neutral connection. As long as that neutral isn't the switched side of the light circuit you can use that to power the ITC-1000 as it's only used for the logic functions with a trivial loading factor.

As for doing a straight replacement with another thermostat, if it uses a bulb and capillary you might want to find where the bulb is located to see how hard it will be to replace.

Finally...if this is a simple old-school fridge and not one that's digital-controlled you could bypass the existing thermostat and control the fridge via the line cord...

Cheers!
 
There's no interior light in this unit. The temp sensor/capillary goes behind a metal plate at the inside/back of the unit. Is it critical where this is placed for the thermostat to function properly?

Or, maybe fishing in a neutral will not be that hard. I can find where the 120V comes into the unit and tap off of that and run it through the same inlet that the CO2 hose goes through.
 
@day_trippr regarding my potential short-term fix, would connecting black & blue make the compressor run 100% of the time? If yes, I plan to do this and use my ITC-308 on the power source until I get the new thermostat wired in.
 
I don't really know if/how position sensitive a typical bulb and capillary thermostat might be. That said I suspect it's non-critical aside from not putting it in harms way...

And yes, that's all you need to do to control the unit from its line cord - as long as it's not a digitally controlled model.

Cheers!
 
Half of the work is already done, just going to snip that clamp on the white wires and add a white jumper and run it into the unit.IMG_1697.jpg
 
The wiring is done and the new thermostat arrives tomorrow. I have the ITC-308 taking care of business to hold me over until tomorrow.

Thanks day_trippr for the quick & helpful responses.
 

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What is different between the ITC-1000 and ITC1000-F? All I could find was that the F shows both C and F, but this doesnt make sense because there's only one set of digits displayed on the device, and the ITC-1000 says it can switch between both C and F.
 
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What is different between the ITC-1000 and ITC1000-F? All I could find was that the F shows both C and F, but this doesnt make sense because there's only one set of digits displayed on the device, and the ITC-1000 says it can switch between both C and F.
Hey @RyPA ,ITC-1000 and ITC-1000F are actually the same in function. As day_trippr said, they are used as a version reference and there is no difference in function.
Have a great weekend.
Charles
 
Hey @RyPA ,ITC-1000 and ITC-1000F are actually the same in function. As day_trippr said, they are used as a version reference and there is no difference in function.
Have a great weekend.
Charles
I ordered the non-F variant and was sent the F version by Amazon. Thanks for confirming.
 
@inkbird @day_trippr what is the recommended location to put the temp probe these days?

I am currently using the ITC-308 to keep my fridge cold until I get the ITC-1000 installed. I have a glass of water in the fridge with the probe resting in it. I have the ITC-308 set to 33F. A thermometor I have in the refrigerator is reading 48F...if I adjust the ITC-308 any colder, that glass of water will freeze. I would like the the refrigerator temp to match what I set on the ITC-1000.

Can I leave the probe commando within the fridge, or does it need to be in something?
 
@inkbird @day_trippr what is the recommended location to put the temp probe these days?

I am currently using the ITC-308 to keep my fridge cold until I get the ITC-1000 installed. I have a glass of water in the fridge with the probe resting in it. I have the ITC-308 set to 33F. A thermometor I have in the refrigerator is reading 48F...if I adjust the ITC-308 any colder, that glass of water will freeze. I would like the the refrigerator temp to match what I set on the ITC-1000.

Can I leave the probe commando within the fridge, or does it need to be in something?
If you want to match the ITC-1000 readings to the refrigerator temperature, you can place the temperature probe in the middle of the refrigerator or near the back wall of the refrigerator compartment. Because the readings are taken by the probe sensor, you can compare the temperature readings after placement and consider adjusting the position if there is a large difference.
 
some of those inkbirds are 12v, some are 120v....make sure you are wiring up the right kind...ask me how I know...
 
some of those inkbirds are 12v, some are 120v....make sure you are wiring up the right kind...ask me how I know...
Lol, thanks for the heads up. Yes I am good and going to wire it up this weekend. My brother is 3d printing me a case for it. Going to mount it outside instead of in.
 
I got this wired up and running. It's currently resting on the top of my fridge, awaiitng the 3d printed case. Thinking about sticking it to the back of the fridge with double sided tape, or that EZPass heavy duty velcro.

IMG_1718.jpgIMG_1722.jpg
 
The thermostat is wiring but i need to figure out placement for the temperature sensor.

It’s currently secured towards the floor, on the side. The sensor reads it being around 10F cooler than my refrigerator thermometer. It also gets warm very quickly, especially if i open the fridge door. I was able to apply a 10 degree offset to make the thermostat match the actual, but this seems like too large of a difference.

Does anyone have experience with replacing a kegerator’s thermostat?
 
The thermostat is wiring but i need to figure out placement for the temperature sensor.

It’s currently secured towards the floor, on the side. The sensor reads it being around 10F cooler than my refrigerator thermometer. It also gets warm very quickly, especially if i open the fridge door. I was able to apply a 10 degree offset to make the thermostat match the actual, but this seems like too large of a difference.

Does anyone have experience with replacing a kegerator’s thermostat?
with those digital controllers...I suggest putting the probe in a plastic water bottle with a little anti freeze. drill a hole in the cap and seal it with plumbers putty or some glue/epoxy.

why? what is important is the liquid temperature, not the air temperature. Plus you will not get wild temp swings when you open the door.
 
with those digital controllers...I suggest putting the probe in a plastic water bottle with a little anti freeze. drill a hole in the cap and seal it with plumbers putty or some glue/epoxy.

why? what is important is the liquid temperature, not the air temperature. Plus you will not get wild temp swings when you open the door.
Thank you.
 
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