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Author Topic: Not a Leak but Frozen...  (Read 2060 times)

Offline blatz

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Not a Leak but Frozen...
« on: May 26, 2010, 07:54:07 am »
So in trying to diagnose a mysterious CO2 'leak' in my kegerator, I come to discover that I don't have a leak at all, my kegerator is in fact freezing the kegs in the rear of the unit 

Over the past several weeks I had noticed that my beer had turned slightly hazy and tasted 'thicker' than usual. Now it all makes sense

I've de-iced the cold plate, but am also thinking that I should just buy a digital temp controller and override the dial thermostat on the unit to prevent this from occurring.

I'm just hoping that my now 5 year old kegerator isn't working its way toward an early grave.

Any thoughts or advice out there?
The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

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Offline weithman5

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Re: Not a Leak but Frozen...
« Reply #1 on: May 26, 2010, 08:18:09 am »
I don't think you need to jump to the new controller right away (though it is always cool to get new stuff).  If it has been doing well until now, see how it performs now that you have de-iced.  also you can get a cheap thermometer, or even a digital thermometer/probe that you can put in the back and run the wire out and watch temp.  may just need to adjust the dial a little.  That said you may have created some new "eis-" varieties.
Don AHA member

Offline blatz

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Re: Not a Leak but Frozen...
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2010, 08:34:30 am »
thanks for the reply.  yeah - I adjusted the dial down further and will check later to see the progress.

I may just go ahead and get another ranco - I'm a precision guy, and just turning a knob somewhere between cold and coldest has always irked me.

its funny, I was drinking my vienna on sunday and was thinking "god this has picked up a much richer body" and proceeded to get a strong buzz on after only 2 pints. eis-vienna.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2010, 08:36:11 am by blatz »
The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

BJCP National: F0281

Offline bluesman

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Re: Not a Leak but Frozen...
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2010, 09:20:42 am »
I had a similiar problem when my thermocouple from my Johnson controller came loose from the keg and enabled the freezer to continure to run and freeze all three kegs solid.  :o

I'm all about the precision too. I would go with a Ranco or Johnson controller. I attach the thermocouple directly to the outside of the keg. My chest freezer runs at setpoint +/- 2 degrees.
Ron Price

Offline weithman5

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Re: Not a Leak but Frozen...
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2010, 10:10:34 am »
eis-vienna

crap, i just bottled my vienna, and to think i could have been a step ahead....
Don AHA member

Offline euge

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Re: Not a Leak but Frozen...
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2010, 10:55:56 am »
When it happened to me I just adjusted the dial and my beer is as cold as ever but no more frozen kegs...  ;)
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