Reliability of Keezers

[Saboral]

So in my time time homebrewing ~6 years. I've been through 2 keezers. Both have just stopped cooling with the compressor running which I figure is a coolant leak down. Am I just unlucky or have others had reliability issues with DIY keezers? I'm debating between buying a new chest freezer to make the repair, or going ahead and buying a commercial front load unit.

 

[blubrewbbq]

I've been using upright freezers and they have worked well for me. I can fit two kegs without trying. You can go up to 6 with a little creativity. I also like the upright as I can put my brew that is in bottles and brewing ingredients in one place without pissing off SWMBO.

 

[passedpawn]

So in my time time homebrewing ~6 years. I've been through 2 keezers. Both have just stopped cooling with the compressor running which I figure is a coolant leak down. Am I just unlucky or have others had reliability issues with DIY keezers? I'm debating between buying a new chest freezer to make the repair, or going ahead and buying a commercial front load unit.

I've killed two of them, but both were craigslist buys of unknown age. The new one I built my keezer from has been going strong for about 5 years. That is outdoors in FL.

My recommendation is to always buy new if you're going to do much DIY changes to it. I've also got a large used one in the garage, but I'll keep buying used for that one because it's the fermentation fridge and gets zero mods.

 

[Grogg]

Feel your pain. My kegerator just died a few days ago. So it will have to wait for a new one to be bought or to remodel my basement and re purpose a large freezer that is in my garage.

 

[Saboral]

So I’m debating potentially getting a cool bot and just building a walk in room. This would be great not just for keg access and not having to lift kegs over the rim of the chest freezer, but I could build some bottle storage shelves. My only concern is that I’d have to listen to a window banger come on indoors when it’s in cooling.

 

[mj1angier]

I have 3 small chest freezers. 1 is 5 years old, 1 is 3, and 1 is 2.

They are going strong

 

[Bobby_M]

I killed one by running it in a garage that hits 45F in the wintertime. Some just aren't rated to run in cold ambient temps due to how viscous the oil gets and the compressor can't take it.

 

[user 30639]

I've gone through two refrigerators so I feel your pain. Both were used. One of them only cost me $50 and the other was free, and I was at least the 4th owner of it. Going to buy a new one this time.

There are some freezers/fridges that are rated for indoor/outdoor and some that aren't. I have a feeling the Texas summer killed my first two fridges.

 

[Nagorg]

Y'all are scaring me... lol I got a good deal on a used keezer about 3-4 years ago. It ran in my garage exposed to Texas heat for about 2 years and its been inside for that last 2. Still running strong so far knock on wood... I do have a fan inside keeping the air circulating, not sure if that has anything to do with longevity or not.

 

[day_trippr]

My first keezer was built on an 18 year old freezer I got for $100 off Craig's List.
It lasted 6 years before it bled out.
Went new with the replacement...

Cheers!

 

[Saboral]

Update: Got lucky on marketplace and scored this bad boy for a couple hundred! Problem solved!

 

[cloudybrewer]

Update: Got lucky on marketplace and scored this bad boy for a couple hundred! Problem solved!

I spent the better part of my college career standing beside a unit almost exactly like that in a friend's apartment.

Ahh, the memories.