Kegerator Build Issues (freezer works, fridge not so much)

[htc]

Anybody have this issue before?

Last summer I bought a used fridge from a neighbor who had it sitting outside for a month or so, said it was in a house fire... Other than being a little dirty, we plugged it in and I felt the freezer get cold, it worked and was cheap to boot! I took it home and proceeded to wash it out and remove the door shelves. All kinds of bugs and their eggs and junk came out of the vents and every crevice. I spent several hours flooding that thing until the water ran clean. I left it in the driveway to dry, took it inside and started using it... Until one day I noticed the temp controller showing that the fridge was actually warmer inside than the room it was in. I shut it down and removed my kegs.

Fast forward to today... I'm about to remove all of the interior panels I can and see if maybe there's a blockage somewhere. Having never worked on a fridge before I don't know what to expect really.

If nothing else, I've considered either a 3 inch hole-saw and a temp-controlled computer fan to pump cold air into the fridge. Or maybe a plate chiller in the freezer, but that's expensive. Any advice?

 

[htc]

Okay, I've exposed the guts inside the freezer section and discovered a heating element. I placed a computer fan over the hole, through which cold air flows to the refrigerator, and began monitoring fridge temperatures on my stc-1000 temp controller. The element is glowing red hot and my fridge temp has risen 4 degrees in the last minute or so. I think I've found my problem. Should I disconnect the heating element? I'm not really interested in looking for a replacement thermostat.

 

[htc]

The defrost heater has shut off. Is it normal for a warm (read unplugged) freezer to defrost on start-up? As if the thermostat thinks the freezer isn't cold because of frost buildup?

 

[LovesIPA]

Repairing a refrigerator is tricky and may require some special tools and knowledge, depending on the problem. Have you though about simply buying another one? They are cheap on craigslist.

 

[raouliii]

This might help

http://www.appliance411.com/faq/howdefrostworks.shtml

 

[rxpx40]

Great link, raouliii. Sounds to me like his defrost sensor switch has failed.

 

[htc]

Thanks for the link! A few minutes ago, I went down to check on things to see what the fridge was up to. I had placed the thermometer in the freezer and it was ~20 degrees F in there, confirming the freezer worked. The fridge, however showed 50 degrees... not good. I heard the compressor running and frustrated that I hadn't seen the freezers fan move, I gave it a spin. It was stiff, but after a turn or two it took off, blowing cold air in my face. Eureka!! I replaced the duct to the fridge and bam! Cold air!

I just went down to check again and the fridge was hovering just above freezing. Sweet!