Fridge keeps freezing up

[Transamguy77]

So a few weeks ago I used a dorm fridge that I attached to a old trunk to use as my ferm chamber.

I brewed my beer and put it in it and the next day I noticed a puddle underneath and when I opened it up the "freezer" part was iced up, I checked it about an hour later and the fridge was not running and the ice was melting.

At the moment I don't have the specs on the fridge and since I was only trying to keep it around 60-65 I thought the fridge would keep up but it seems like it's not.

The box is about 3.5 ft by 2 ft and and 2 ft high. I used 2" foam board and a 4" PC fan to circulate the air.

Any help is appreciated thanks in advance.

 

[Scriv]

Are you using a temp controller? Or relying on the thermostat in the fridge?

 

[Transamguy77]

I built an STC 1000 controller and it did hold at 65 it just kept freezing up and defrosting.

 

[Transamguy77]

No one else had this problem? If it wasn't for the puddle of water inside it would work great.

 

[day_trippr]

Basically any fridge or freezer evaporator is a dehumidifier.
And air can hold a prodigious amount of water vapor.

Condensate will happen - at least until the air within the compartment has dried out.
Fridges and freezers close up pretty darned tight so eventually the humidity level inside drops.

So, the question then is how tight is your chamber?

Cheers!

 

[Transamguy77]

Thanks day tripper I think that is what I'm going to have to look at. I'm going to go back over all my joints with that aluminum tape and cut a piece of foam board to sit on the top and try it again.

I'll post back when I try it again