Kegerator woes

[Dilettante Brewing]

My kegerator has broken down

Essentially it’s a modified Beko undercounter fridge. I bought it off eBay from the guy that built it. He built it based on a brand new fridge so I’m surprised it’s gone wrong so quickly. As part of the build the fridge thermostat has been replaced with an STC-1000 PID controller by an electrician but I think the problem is with either the compressor or the relay that starts it. You can hear it clicking but the compressor doesn’t come on.

So far I haven’t found anyone locally who repairs fridges and I’m not sure I can call Beko out given the mods! It’s got wooden sides and a concrete top added to it so replacing the whole fridge will be a PITA not to mention having to wire in the STC-1000 again and chop bits of the insides off to fit the kegs in.

Any ideas or relevant experience gratefully received! In particular it would be useful to know what settings people use on their STC-1000s? I have it in a corner of my kitchen (so generally anywhere from 18C-25C) and have it set to 5C with a temperature difference parameter of 0.5C. I’m wondering if these settings have caused the compressor to come on too frequently or for too long and damaged it.

 

[LeeH]

It certainly would have been working harder, that tight differential is just not needed in a kegerator but I doubt it would have reduced its life to a couple of years unless the compressor delay was off/very short.

I wouldn’t blame yourself, white goods can decades or days. Might just need a relay or a start capacitor, worth persevering looking for a local service engineer. I’m surprised you don’t have one.

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Thanks - I’ll keep looking for someone!

I was aware of the compressor delay function but is that configurable in any way? Or is it linked to the temperature difference parameter? I haven’t changed the temperature difference parameter since getting the kegerator about 6 months ago - just left it as set by the previous owner/builder.

 

[Paul7189]

I had a free fridge off facebook marketplace to build my own and that is a Beko one. The compressor was clicking in but the fridge wasnt cooling. I traced it back to the thermostat on the compressor. Took about 10 minutes to swap out and was a cheap replacement part. Worth trying first of all before paying to get someone out.

 

[Paul7189]

Sorry it was the relay not the thermostat!

I think it might have been this one but you would need to see if your fridge uses the same one.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Single-Refrigerator-Starter-QP2-15G/dp/B07V3MM6K8

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

I had a free fridge off facebook marketplace to build my own and that is a Beko one. The compressor was clicking in but the fridge wasnt cooling. I traced it back to the thermostat on the compressor. Took about 10 minutes to swap out and was a cheap replacement part. Worth trying first of all before paying to get someone out.

Thanks Paul - any chance you have a link to the part so I can see what the equivalent would be for my model? I didn't realise there was a thermostat on the compressor, I thought there was just one inside the fridge, which in my case has been bypassed by the STC-1000. I don't mind having a crack at things but always slightly nervous where mains electric is involved!

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Sorry it was the relay not the thermostat!

I think it might have been this one but you would need to see if your fridge uses the same one.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Single-Refrigerator-Starter-QP2-15G/dp/B07V3MM6K8

Thanks - we crossed posts!

 

[Paul7189]

Yeah we did haha. Im pretty sure the relay is just plug and play so no messing around with rewiring as such. Like I said its super cheap so if it works its great but if not it doesnt break the bank. That one has a 1-3 week delivery so might be worth looking elsewhere. Take the old one off first and see if you can get a part number off it

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Yeah we did haha. Im pretty sure the relay is just plug and play so no messing around with rewiring as such. Like I said its super cheap so if it works its great but if not it doesnt break the bank. That one has a 1-3 week delivery so might be worth looking elsewhere. Take the old one off first and see if you can get a part number off it

Thanks Paul - this is super useful. I'll have a closer look at mine today and see if I can find the corresponding part. Where is it in relation to the compressor on yours?

 

[Paul7189]

I can not remember exactly it was a fair few years ago when I did it, I just remember it being really simple. I didnt have to dismantle anything I dont think. Have a look on the side of the main body of the compressor.

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Thanks - will take a look later. Fingers crossed this may be the problem.

 

[AndyBarker]

Just found a beko on gumtree that I’m looking as a kegerator project. MIL has same model so able to measure the internal dimensions already. Do you have any photo of your tower mount so I can avoid drilling through anything important ?

 

[Paul7189]

Just found a beko on gumtree that I’m looking as a kegerator project. MIL has same model so able to measure the internal dimensions already. Do you have any photo of your tower mount so I can avoid drilling through anything important ?

I took the plastic top piece off and used a sharp knife to cut away the foam on the top. You can then see where the refrigeration lines are in the foam and avoid drilling into them.

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Does the above help? Can try and measure more precisely if helpful. Still not fixed but have found someone who is going to try replacing the relay. General view from people I’ve spoken to is that it’s the compressor that’s gone though, which is fairly terminal these days .

There may be a Beko fridge kegerator conversion kit available soon…

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Success! Visit from the repair man today and it’s now working! Turned out to be the relay so thank you for the advice above.

 

[MrJay83]

Does your inkbird have a delay for the compressor? If it does you should set it to something like 3 minutes to stop the compressor switching on too much.
Also... is your fridge enclosed in a wooden box or is the timber screwed into the sides?

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Does your inkbird have a delay for the compressor? If it does you should set it to something like 3 minutes to stop the compressor switching on too much.
Also... is your fridge enclosed in a wooden box or is the timber screwed into the sides?

Thanks - yes I’ve set the delay to 3 mins and increased the sensitivity to 1C to stop it coming on as much. Interestingly I also immersed the temperature probe in a jar of Starsan to try and stabilise it further but the probe went haywire within a few days suggesting it maybe wasn’t waterproof. Anyway, I’ve now replaced that.

The wooden bits are fastened directly to the fridge - it’s not a box around it. I think there are vertical pieces stuck to the fridge and then horizontal pieces screwed to those.

 

[MrJay83]

I was going to put the probe in some water as well. Don't think I'll try that now.
I like the look with the cladding on it. I was going to try to replace the top with timber but didn't even think about the sides. Cheers.