I know there are some resident experts on all things mechanical in here and figured I'd give it a shot.

I have a freezer converted into a kegerator. The last keg got floated maybe 3 weeks ago, at which point I unplugged the freezer. Flash to today, I plug it back in this morning, hoping to have it super frosty this afternoon when I drop my keg into it. The internal temp is in the 80s.

I think maybe unplugging it and adjusting the thermostat will help, so I stick the keg in and let her rip again. After 3-4 hours it is now in the 50 degree range, but I suspect most of this temperature reduction is from the cold keg itself.
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As far as troubleshooting:

The compressor(I assume this is the big black thing that all the electrical wires and gas lines hook into) is warm and humming. There is a copper line coming out of the compressor that connects to a larger pill-shape thing(my guess is that the refrigerant is here, but I know nothing about refrigeration units), which then connects to the coils on the back of the chest freezer. The top of the pill shaped thing is cool but not cold. Most everything else is warm.

Any ideas TWW? I am fearing that whatever the problem is might cost as much as buying a new freezer. I appreciate you taking the time to try to help me. Thanks!

9/3/2012 7:30:17 PM

If the coil on the back is warm to the touch, then to me that indicates that the freezer is cooling. That heat you feel is heat that was has drawn out of the inside of the fridge.

9/3/2012 8:29:53 PM

If that pill shaped component is coming from the discharge line of the compressor, then that is probably a muffler in the line to reduce noise due to gas pulsations.

Could be an oil separator, but i think those are usually a bit more complicated than "pill shaped" and would have a line leading back to the compressor.

zxappeal will probably have some good info.

9/3/2012 9:34:06 PM

you gotta give it ~24 hours for a freezer to cool down to the correct temp. if it's already dropped into the 50 degree range i would think it's working fine. a keg dropped into it wouldn't cool it that much.

9/3/2012 9:39:38 PM

Looking at the diagram, it appears the pill shaped thing is called a 'dryer filter'

Found a model number and diagram.

Model: mccf5wbx Magic Chef

http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?model_id=5560062

The compressor got really hot though the temp did not get lower than 50 inside. I unplugged the freezer until the compressor cooled off, then cut it back on. Worth a try I guess. The coil on the back was not really cool, kind of room temp.

Appreciate the help so far. Thanks!

^ It had run for around 10 hours this morning with nothing inside and was at 83 degrees. Usually it is super cold by then. I am going to give it another go overnight and see what happens



[Edited on September 3, 2012 at 9:48 PM. Reason : e32]

9/3/2012 9:46:23 PM

Assuming your compressor isn't making any funny noise and it's running smoothly without cooling:

1) You need to get someone to test the freon.

2) If there is no freon, it means you have a leak. Do not attempt to add freon to your unit without fixing the leak first or else you will find yourself right back where you started.

3) ...


4) Profit

9/4/2012 4:12:36 AM

Dont do what GB is suggesting. He is a fucking idiot. Unplugging it is not going to cause some magical leak in a closed system that would cause the freezer to stop cooling that quickly.

9/4/2012 8:12:22 AM

Ran all night and is still at 50 degrees. I have an old refrigerator that works pretty well. Ordered a shank to allow the tap to run through the door of the fridge. I loved having a flat top kegerator and chrome tower but draft beer is draft beer I guess.

Thanks for the help guys. I haven't quite given up on her yet but I am starting to move on.



RIP Kegerator. 2009-2012

9/4/2012 9:03:35 AM