Craigslist Chest Freezer Not Working

[laserghost]

Picked up a ~10 cu ft freezer on craigslist from another brewer, and it came with a digital temp controller. He had it plugged in and cold when I looked at it. I bought it, even though it needed a serious cleanup – the interior bottom was rusted through to the foam insulation in a few spots.

But, it was cold, and a fair deal with the controller. Plus it was 5 minutes from my house and he delivered since I don't have a truck.

In the garage, it sat, with the lid open for weeks while I sprayed rust converter, and applied truck bedliner, to stop the rust. Then, I painted and dropped in a new sheet of steel to reinforce the bottom and sprayed the whole interior white. Cleaned up the seals with bleach water to remove mold. Looks like new!

Last night I plugged it in for the first time at my house and it powers on, and I hear a quiet hum but it didn't get cold after a few hours. Turn the thermostat to zero and you hear the humming stop. Turn thermostat back to full blast and the hum comes back on, but left it overnight and it's not cooling down.

Any advice? I'm having really bad luck lately with this kind of thing. It's a Kenmore and maybe like 10 years old if I had to guess. I'll look at the model number tonight.

I've already sunk like $50 into the repair components alone, so I'd love to get it running. Wonder if something could have gotten jostled on the drive over? It was upright the whole time, and I didn't turn it on for several weeks after it was moved.

 

[jurgenph]

maybe it's low or out of refrigerant?


J.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Are the evap coils getting cold? Is the compressor getting warm? Is the fan(s) turning? Condenser coils clean? Cold control not turned to its coldest? Copper line visually in tact?

After that it's just a matter of exploring with an ohm meter. Bi-metal, relay, run/start windings, loose wires. A model number would help.

 

[Soulshine2]

Did you allow enough time for the refrigerant to settle down after you moved it then probably rolled it around doing the patch work...might just have an air bubble in the line. Hope you figure it out, I hate buying someone elses problem .

 

[beernutz]

I have replaced a faulty thermostat with an OEM replacement part on one freezer and replaced a broken starter relay with a Supco 3 'n 1 on another. Neither was a particularly difficult repair and both were cheap parts at $15 and $10 respectively.

If you don't hear the compressor come on at all then the thermostatic temperature control may be the problem. Luckily that was the issue with one of mine and after spending $15 for a new thermostat and about 15 minutes of work I was back in business.

If you hear the compressor cut on for a few seconds then cut off, in my experience that is likely a problem with the starter relay.
If your fridge is new enough you may be able to get an OEM replacement but I could not so I used the Supco 410 model from amazon. That 1996 freezer worked for a while after the repair but then I stupidly decided I wanted to swap freezer locations and after the move the compressor died completely.

Disclaimer: I am not trained in freezer repair and only know enough to be considered dangerous.

 

[laserghost]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll post more info about the freezer when I get home, as well as looking into the guts that I can access.

@soulshine2 – I didn't turn it on for weeks after setting it in the garage, so I'm not sure how I could have gotten an air bubble, but I know NOTHING about how these appliances work.

Hope this isn't a big piece of trash ...

 

[laserghost]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1490918832.482914.jpg

It's a Kenmore

 

[Soulshine2]

the good thing is its a Sears and runs with R134A . Sears usually has parts for their appliances for a long time and if all you need is to top off the refrigerant , shouldn't be too bad. Hope you get it going.

 

[passedpawn]

Do chest freezers have a fill port for refrigerant? I assumed they were sealed and unfillable.

I've been through a few craigslist freezers. Ugh. I'm never buying one again that appears aged in any way. I've tried to diagnose them and after WAY too much f'ing around, just tossed and replaced. Wish ^^ Beernutz was my neighbor, he sounds like he knows what he's doing.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Do chest freezers have a fill port for refrigerant? I assumed they were sealed and unfillable.

Generally, no.

But one can be added.

 

[laserghost]

A little update: my friend an I were looking at this last night, and came to the consensus that because this is a closed system, it was working (cold) when I bought it, and there was never a leak on the floor, that the refrigerant level is not the problem.

I plugged it in again last night, and the thermostat and compressor seem to be functioning normally. The copper tubing running off the compressor and into the freezer wall is cold to the touch.

On the inside, some of the spots on the wall are a little chilly – those are the spots that are original freezer wall (metal). To combat the rust that was present, I sprayed rust converter, and then painted on Truck Bedliner. The bedliner might be about 1/8" in some areas.

Our theory is that the bedliner is insulating rather than conducting the cold, and that's why the inner chamber isn't cooling down. Could it be that I totaled this thing by putting a few layers (2 coats) of bedliner all over? I wonder how hard it will be to scrape, sand it off ...

 

[wilserbrewer]

A little update: my friend an I were looking at this last night, and came to the consensus that because this is a closed system, it was working (cold) when I bought it, and there was never a leak on the floor, that the refrigerant level is not the problem.

I plugged it in again last night, and the thermostat and compressor seem to be functioning normally. The copper tubing running off the compressor and into the freezer wall is cold to the touch.

On the inside, some of the spots on the wall are a little chilly – those are the spots that are original freezer wall (metal). To combat the rust that was present, I sprayed rust converter, and then painted on Truck Bedliner. The bedliner might be about 1/8" in some areas.

Our theory is that the bedliner is insulating rather than conducting the cold, and that's why the inner chamber isn't cooling down. Could it be that I totaled this thing by putting a few layers (2 coats) of bedliner all over? I wonder how hard it will be to scrape, sand it off ...

When the freezer leaks refrigerant it is a gas so there would be no trace on the floor.

If your compressor is running and the freezer is not chilling, my guess is your low on refrigerant due to a leak. Cold spots inside a freezer that won't chill properly are yell take signs of a troubled freezer.

I don't think the truck bed liner would stop a working freezer from chilling.

Just a guess here with the information I have, I think unfortunately you have a dead unit, sorry rip keezer.

 

[wilserbrewer]

A little update: my friend an I were looking at this last night, and came to the consensus that because this is a closed system, it was working (cold) when I bought it, and there was never a leak on the floor, that the refrigerant level is not the problem.

I plugged it in again last night, and the thermostat and compressor seem to be functioning normally. The copper tubing running off the compressor and into the freezer wall is cold to the touch.

On the inside, some of the spots on the wall are a little chilly – those are the spots that are original freezer wall (metal). To combat the rust that was present, I sprayed rust converter, and then painted on Truck Bedliner. The bedliner might be about 1/8" in some areas.

Our theory is that the bedliner is insulating rather than conducting the cold, and that's why the inner chamber isn't cooling down. Could it be that I totaled this thing by putting a few layers (2 coats) of bedliner all over? I wonder how hard it will be to scrape, sand it off ...

When the freezer leaks refrigerant it is a gas so there would be no trace on the floor.

If your compressor is running and the freezer is not chilling, my guess is your low on refrigerant due to a leak. Cold spots inside a freezer that won't chill properly are yell take signs of a troubled freezer.

I don't think the truck bed liner would stop a working freezer from chilling.

Just a guess here with the information I have, I think unfortunately you have a dead unit, sorry rip keezer.

Moving an older unit is often the kiss of death.

 

[passedpawn]

A little update: my friend an I were looking at this last night, and came to the consensus that because this is a closed system, it was working (cold) when I bought it, and there was never a leak on the floor, that the refrigerant level is not the problem.

I plugged it in again last night, and the thermostat and compressor seem to be functioning normally. The copper tubing running off the compressor and into the freezer wall is cold to the touch.

On the inside, some of the spots on the wall are a little chilly – those are the spots that are original freezer wall (metal). To combat the rust that was present, I sprayed rust converter, and then painted on Truck Bedliner. The bedliner might be about 1/8" in some areas.

Our theory is that the bedliner is insulating rather than conducting the cold, and that's why the inner chamber isn't cooling down. Could it be that I totaled this thing by putting a few layers (2 coats) of bedliner all over? I wonder how hard it will be to scrape, sand it off ...

The last freezer I threw out (there have been several) got cold only along one strip, on the inside front of the freezer. I kept messing with it and hoping, but it was a waste of time. That sucker was finished.

 

[laserghost]

Okay, thanks guys. Don't wanna drag this out ... just curious.

The supply coil (from the compressor) is still getting cold – is that possible if it's out of coolant due to a leak?

 

[wilserbrewer]

It's likely low on coolant and only partially working. The line gets cold but nothing close to what's required for the freezer to operate. It's mortally wounded and limping imo.

It's not 100% dead, just 80% dead would be my guess.

 

[MrFoodScientist]

So this thing has a digital temp control, but what is that set at?
If you left it on overnight and the temp control wasn't set right, it might have kicked off without you noticing.
Also, you do want to give it enough time to cool properly. 10cf of empty space is a lot to bring down to temp.
Also, when you plug it in, does the compressor​ run constantly, or does it cycle on and off? If the compressor runs constantly and the cooling lines don't get very cold, then likely it has leaked refrigerant. If that's the case, installing a puncture valve and filling it up will get it working again, but no refrigeration tech will do that for you until you've repaired the leak first, which is likely the cost of a new freezer anyway assuming you can even find it.
If it's a slow leak, and there is still a small amount in there, then it will get cold in spots, but not all over. The cold spots will be close to the compressor.
Are there any dents inside? It's possible an evaporator line inside the walls got dented bad enough to crimp it and cause a pinhole leak, but that's just a shot in the dark.
A compressor has a piston just like a car engine. So it is remotely possible that it could be blown. Meaning it's still running, just not compressing. I don't know specifically how to diagnose it, though.

 

[augiedoggy]

you didnt have it tipped on end or anything shortly before powering on did you?
that can cause the compressor to burn up. every spring there are tons of window ac units in the trash thrown out by people who dont know this and store the ac units on thier side... you need to leave the compressor sit upright for 24 hrs prior to turning on.

 

[laserghost]

Hey guys, it was never tipped up on its side – always kept upright.

The freezer has an analog thermostat dial, that I turned all the way up to cold. Compressor runs continuously, and if I turn the thermostat to OFF, it shuts OFF. I have kept it all the way cold and had it running for two days straight.

The coils coming off the compressor were cold, and there were some cold patches inside the chamber walls, but just not enough to chill the space down.

No dents inside or outside either. This is a bummer, as it was working (cold AF) when I picked it up from the dude.