Any refrigerator repair people on here?

BigRedBuster

BigRedBuster

Well-known member
OK, here's my problem.

I want to convert an upright freezer to a fridge.  It will be mainly be used as a beer fridge.  So, I found on line a conversion kit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZXTC7QP?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Over the weekend, I switched out the thermostat with this.  It was easy.  Almost just a plug and play.  It worked fantastic.  I was able to keep it right at 40 degrees like I wanted.  But, last night I came home and it's not running and the inside temp is at 60 degrees.  There's electricity to it because the light is on.  I turned up the dial and never could get the compressor or fan to turn on.

What's the problem?  I had someone tell me I might have burned up the fan or compressor.  But, that doesn't make sense.  Those parts would be working less, not more.

Thoughts?

 
Just a random guess, but that conversion looks pretty cheaply made, so I'd put my money on that thing failing.

But the way your compressor could fail is by short-cycling. A compressor draws the most current during startup, which is what puts the most wear on the system. If you use a different temp range that causes it to short-cycle a lot, it can wear out the components more quickly.

 
I’m no expert but it could be like RD says. It could be cycling on and off more at the higher temp. A couple other possibilities are that it was just rotten timing and compressor was going anyway, or possibly the compressor is freezing up or the temp sensor on the compressor is faulty.

I had a compressor on a water cooler start acting up at work and the problem was the sensor had become slightly lose. Stuck it back down on the compressor, waited awhile and it started working again. It’s been fine for over two years now.

Or I don’t know s#!t…. :lol:

Let is know what you figure out. I’ve been thinking about converting an old fridge so that I can ferment lager beers. I’ll need to keep it a hair warmer than normal fridge temps. That might require something like you are doing. I haven’t checked yet to see if I can just turn the dial up a bit…..still using it as a spare beer fridge.

 
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@RedDenver @JJ Husker  Thanks for the input.  I finally had some time yesterday to dig into it.  Turns out, it seems like it was a loose wire going to the new thermostat.  When I was taking the cabinet apart to get to it, all of a sudden it kicked on.  I looked for anything that looked loose and couldn't find it.  Put it back together and it's working.

I'm no expert in this, but I guess I would be surprised if the compressor would be short cycling enough to cause problems.  I'm keeping it at around 40 degrees.  When it runs, it seems like it runs for a decent amount of time then shuts back off for a while.  I would think it would short cycle more if I was trying to keep it at say 50 degrees or higher.

 
Is 40 degrees cold enough to activate the mountains on your Coors Lights? ;)  

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BigRedBuster said:
@RedDenver @JJ Husker  Thanks for the input.  I finally had some time yesterday to dig into it.  Turns out, it seems like it was a loose wire going to the new thermostat.  When I was taking the cabinet apart to get to it, all of a sudden it kicked on.  I looked for anything that looked loose and couldn't find it.  Put it back together and it's working.

I'm no expert in this, but I guess I would be surprised if the compressor would be short cycling enough to cause problems.  I'm keeping it at around 40 degrees.  When it runs, it seems like it runs for a decent amount of time then shuts back off for a while.  I would think it would short cycle more if I was trying to keep it at say 50 degrees or higher.
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A loose wire makes sense. Might be worth unplugging it and checking all the connections and wiring harnesses are tight.

I can't find anything definitive on the internet, but I seem to remember 10-12 minutes as the min time for a compressor to run. If it's running longer than that (and my memory is not failing me), it should be fine.

 
RedDenver said:
A loose wire makes sense. Might be worth unplugging it and checking all the connections and wiring harnesses are tight.

I can't find anything definitive on the internet, but I seem to remember 10-12 minutes as the min time for a compressor to run. If it's running longer than that (and my memory is not failing me), it should be fine.
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So...went home last night and it wasn't working again.  So, I opened it up and touched the same wire and it started immediately.  I noticed that there was a piece of styrofoam insulation sticking out where the thermostat would need to be when I close it.  I'm thinking that might have been against the wire and vibrating it loose when it ran.

Hopefully that's the case.

 
Well, this project was an epic fail. I tried three different thermostats and none of them worked to make it a fridge. 
 

So, looks like I’ll be spending more money on a beer fridge. 

 
BigRedBuster said:
Well, this project was an epic fail. I tried three different thermostats and none of them worked to make it a fridge. 
 

So, looks like I’ll be spending more money on a beer fridge. 
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I got a beer fridge years ago. It was a wine fridge but with flat shelves. It broke after 4 years and I ended up replacing it with a regular fridge (on the smaller size) that ended up being about the same price. Got it at Lowe's. It's still working 10 years later.

 
RedDenver said:
I got a beer fridge years ago. It was a wine fridge but with flat shelves. It broke after 4 years and I ended up replacing it with a regular fridge (on the smaller size) that ended up being about the same price. Got it at Lowe's. It's still working 10 years later.
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It’s just nuts that if I want just a fridge, it’s $2,000-3,000. But, I can get a normal fridge with a freezer that I don’t want for $700-800. 
 

Bit, that’s what I’ll do.  

 
BigRedBuster said:
It’s just nuts that if I want just a fridge, it’s $2,000-3,000. But, I can get a normal fridge with a freezer that I don’t want for $700-800. 
 

Bit, that’s what I’ll do.  
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I keep a few bottles of alcohol, vodka etc., in the freezer portion of my main beer fridge. (Yes I technically have 2 beer fridges  <_< ). The trick is to keep your wife from thinking she can put food in there  :lol:

BTW- IDK why I have 2 beer fridges. I have max maybe 2-3 beers a week. It’s handy for parties and events tho. And I guess we do regularly put food in the garage beer fridge.

 
BigRedBuster said:
It’s just nuts that if I want just a fridge, it’s $2,000-3,000. But, I can get a normal fridge with a freezer that I don’t want for $700-800. 
 

Bit, that’s what I’ll do.  
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Have you looked at getting a merchandiser - like a glass door fridge from gas station? Some of those are under 1k 

Although depending on where you put it, might not want a glass door :dunno  

 
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