mini fridge conversion problem

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Good morning,

I am in the process of converting a Kenmore 4.2 cf mini fridge into a kegerator.

I've stripped the door off, I've removed the door tray, can holder, I've unhooked the temperature dial, and I've taken the plastic top off.

As I was bending the cooling implement downward, I cracked it. I know that I was supposed to be VERY CAREFUL while doing this, but, I screwed it up any way.

Is it now junk? Or can I save it? Can I caulk the crack? Can I replace the cooling implement?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[dyqik]

It's probably junk, as the coolant will have escaped. It'll cost more to fix than getting "new" minifridge off of craigslist.

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

The coolant did escape... I heard it flowing out.

Here is the crack.



How would I go about repairing it?

 

[Stealthcruiser]

The coolant did escape... I heard it flowing out.

Here is the crack.

View attachment 146115

How would I go about repairing it?

Cut your losses, and find another..................

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Cut my losses? Please don't say that's my only option. I don't want to be one of those guys.

Does anyone have repair suggestions?

Could i use JB weld then re-charge the coolant?

 

[fermentednonsense]

It\'s probably junk, as the coolant will have escaped. It\'ll cost more to fix than getting \"new\" minifridge off of craigslist.

I would have to agree with this unfortunately

 

[n240sxguy]

Cut my losses? Please don\'t say that\'s my only option. I don\'t want to be one of those guys.

Does anyone have repair suggestions?

Could i use JB weld then re-charge the coolant?

I doubt jb weld would hold the pressure. You would have to solder a piece of tubing over where the crack is, if its a tube, I can\'t see the picture, and find someone to refill it.

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Thanks for all the input. I will keep an open mind, thus, looking into both the 'junk-it' and 'repair it' options.

Happy brewing.

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

UPDATE

I sanded down the area with 60 and 120 grit sandpaper, blew compressed air to move dust, cleaned the area with rubbing alcohol then placed stainless steel mesh over the crack in the evaporator and slapped a good amount of JB weld on it. I let the JB weld cure for at least 72 hours before I took the unit to a friends plumbing shop where a service tech put a vacuum on it and filled it with 134a coolant.

The fridge works again.

Total cost of repair was $6. $5 for JB weld and $1 for stainless mesh.

All in all, I am very happy with the result.

But, if the fridge does fail in the near future, I was able to find the same model fridge on CL for $35. Right now it's serving as the bottled beer fridge in the basement. I will probably use it for a walk in fridge at some point if I do not have to convert that to a kegerator.

 

[Flomaster]

AWESOME.... I have a 7CuFt Magic Chef that has no coolant in it. I pulled a vacuum and it held for about a couple hours before I removed the gauge. I am in the process of putting R134a in it, but I didn't have this little brass adapter to get from the can to my gauges so I had to buy it on ebay.

What pissed me off is how these "Professionals" are so quick to tell you to junk your mini fridge or chest freezer because its not worth it. Bull**** you see those "TJ" repair shops repairing fridges, freezers all day long and re-selling them.

more people need to looks into keeping there freezer or fridge alive and out of the landfills. after researching I know have the confidence to replace the entire compressor, filter dryer, or capacitor if need be.

-=Jason=-

 

[FlatcapBrew]

Its the labor that cost money to repair it that is pricey. If you are able to do it yourself its great cuz the only expense is the few ounces of refrigerant.

But for the average guy he has to pay to find the leak, repair it, pull a vacuum and recharge it. Thats where someones labor adds up.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Yup, plumbers and electricians are not cheap. Just getting them to come out can be $100 not counting the labor they would have to do to fix your fridge...at that point your just better off buying a brand new one with a warranty.

 

[MrFoodScientist]

Its the labor that cost money to repair it that is pricey. If you are able to do it yourself its great cuz the only expense is the few ounces of refrigerant.

But for the average guy he has to pay to find the leak, repair it, pull a vacuum and recharge it. Thats where someones labor adds up.

Not to mention other materials. I'm trying to save a 1945-1949ish GE 10cf fridge I picked up from CL for $100. Even with a DIY option, the cost of materials to patch the hole in the condenser (luckily I found it with a blacklight), buy appropriate hoses and a vacuum pump or pay someone who's willing to do it for me (many appliance places are not on a fridge that age), then pay the premium for 13 oz of R12 to refill it, I'm almost better off to sell it as scrap metal or sell to someone who wants to turn it into a smoker and buy a brand new $300-400 fridge. Yeah, it's that pricey.

So Flomaster, don't be so quick to dump on people who say "better off replacing" especially on something like a mini-fridge that are cheap and easy to come by. And from what I've heard, a couple hours is not really a reliable measure of how well it will hold vacuum. Mine slowly lost freon over the course of a couple of weeks. Your freezer obviously lost freon somehow, so if it wasn't repaired at all, it's not likely to hold it again.

OP was fortunate enough to have free labor and freon, others are not as likely to have that luxury.

 

[Flomaster]

Not to mention other materials. I'm trying to save a 1945-1949ish GE 10cf fridge I picked up from CL for $100. Even with a DIY option, the cost of materials to patch the hole in the condenser (luckily I found it with a blacklight), buy appropriate hoses and a vacuum pump or pay someone who's willing to do it for me (many appliance places are not on a fridge that age), then pay the premium for 13 oz of R12 to refill it, I'm almost better off to sell it as scrap metal or sell to someone who wants to turn it into a smoker and buy a brand new $300-400 fridge. Yeah, it's that pricey.

So Flomaster, don't be so quick to dump on people who say "better off replacing" especially on something like a mini-fridge that are cheap and easy to come by. And from what I've heard, a couple hours is not really a reliable measure of how well it will hold vacuum. Mine slowly lost freon over the course of a couple of weeks. Your freezer obviously lost freon somehow, so if it wasn't repaired at all, it's not likely to hold it again.

OP was fortunate enough to have free labor and freon, others are not as likely to have that luxury.

true, but I hear nearly every post on the internet responded to "Dump it" im willing to spend a little time and pocket change to see if I can get mine working. if not I might keep it as a grains container or something

-=Jason=-

 

[MrFoodScientist]

true, but I hear nearly every post on the internet responded to "Dump it" im willing to spend a little time and pocket change to see if I can get mine working. if not I might keep it as a grains container or something

-=Jason=-

Hmmm.. yes, in general the internet is not helpful in that respect. I thought you meant here on HBT where you know everyone is going to exhaust every resource first in order to bring that sucker back to life before giving in and actually dumping it.

I like the idea of repurposing it rather than dumping it as you mentioned. If I can't get mine cooling again, I'll give it away to someone looking for a 10 cf smoker before I sell it to the scrap yard.