keezer problem with johnson a4219 temp controller please help

[beer bro]

I am having a bit of trouble with my temp control.mine is set at 35 deg. and the dif is set at 3. its on cooling mode cut out at set point. what that means is when its gets to 38 the compressor turns on and then turns off when it gets to 28 deg. then goes back to 38 and turns off and so on. do you know how the johnson temp control works? i want it to stay at 35 to 38 and not go down to 28

[KillianBoy]

beer bro,
I was waiting for someone more of an expert on JC controls to answer your post then I saw you PM'ed regarding the same thing.
OK, confirm model, if it a4219, not sure about that model, if it is the A419, try a search on forum, I answered a person who seemed pretty lost, waited several days before I felt kinda sorry for person and posted a link and some definitions of terms.
But from your post and PM, your dif (differential) is 3 which means it either goes on or off 3 degrees different from your set point (35 degrees), if you say you have Cut-Out (jumper on), then compressor will turn off at 35 degrees and turn on a 38 degrees. If the sensor is sitting in the open inside unit (and not in water) and unit is turned full on, it should work if everything you posted is correct, as I said though KISS.
KB

[beer bro]

sry yeah its a a419 and your saying to put it in the water? what does that do because i have seen people do it but don't know whats up with it? i put gatorade in the keezer and its pretty cold and working good. so i think its fine but i thought i could put some kind of setting on so it so it would stay at a constant 36 or 37 deg. your exactly right with my setup that you posted above. thats how i have it set. do you think thats fine ? or do you know a better setting that i should have it on?

[KillianBoy]

beer bro,
Honestly I can tell you I don't know if your settings are right or not, I don't have one, I don't use one, what I've gleaned about external temperature controllers is what I've read in the forum (please search), most have said a 10 dif is better but if you want compressor to go on and off a lot then fine.
The main thing is NOT to put it in ANY liquid, liquid has a limited range of temperature when cooling process is applied, you'll freeze the beer at 3 diff, I don't know if your saying you have sensor IN Gatorade or you have a bottle of Gatorade in the unit to drink, but sensor should be just reading air temperature.
If you need help, post what exact type of A419 you have (pictures would help, it should be a plug-in type), where the sensor of the ETC is EXACTLY located, what settings the ETC is set at (there are a couple more than dif and set point) and confirm that you have it at CUT-OUT (the jumper is installed, default it seems is CUT-IN, jumper removed). And confirm that the freezer thermostat is set at full coldest temperature.
KB

[beer bro]

i have the sensor taped to the top part of the keezer in the little bins that come with chest freezers. its not in the gatorade. The gatorade is in a bottle and not opened. i have the blue a419 that is the plug in type here is a link .[url]http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Controls-Digital-Thermostat-Control/dp/B00368D6JA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341449361&sr=8-1&keywords=johnson+a419[/url]. cut in is the default setting. i removed the jumper and set it to cut out. and the thermostat on my freezer is not at its coldest its only halfway. Should i set the freezer thermostat to full coldest temperature ???? i will try to post some pics

[KillianBoy]

beer bro,
I don't know if you found the link to the JC ETC or whatever I really didn't want to post the link again but here goes:
[url]http://cgproducts.johnsoncontrols.com/MET_PDF/2476642543.pdf#xml=http://cgproducts.johnsoncontrols.com/search_lit.aspx?cmd=pdfhits&DocId=1129&Index=C%3a\ inetpub\wwwroot\72.3.145.66\quicklit\excaliburCD&H itCount=2&hits=10+cf6+&hc=2&req=2476642543[/url]
OK, by what this link says when both jumpers are exposed then it's CUT-IN cooling (which is default as the link says) , if what you are saying is true then it's reverse of what the link says:
All right let's go by the numbers:
Set the thermostat controls on the freezer to maximum cold (this way by itself will never turn off, the ETC takes control of ALL temperature changes) if the thermostat control is set to anything else but maximum, the thermostat control of the freezer will on and off when it thinks ITS sensor tells it. So set at maximum.
Putting the sensor at top might work if you have a fan inside, without a fan you need to hang (without touching anything) around the middle of the unit, it should not be in any fluid.
If you post pictures, post a picture of the jumper pad to show what exactly you have it set at, and a picture of instructions that contradict the link I posted.
KB

[beer bro]

go down a couple pages i thnk page 4 and you will see the jumper instructions i have it for shure set on cooling mode cut out. if i turn the thermostat controls on the freezer all the way to maximum will my compressor be constantly running ??? i don't have a fan inside. i will try to tape it to the top bin and leave a little slack so its hanging in the middle of the freezer. but when i get my keg where should i hang it oh well we will get to that later. the instructions are the exact same what i have.

[KillianBoy]

beer bro,
I’m beginning to feel like Strother Martin, look if you see 2 exposed pins (out of 4, same as 4 exposed pins), my feeling is it is in Cooling Mode and Cut-in at Setpoint. If you say it’s Cut-out I can’t do anything about that. Just a failure to communicate.
It also seems you don’t understand what a ETC does, if freezer is plugged into ETC AND freezer set to maximum, the ETC with control the temperature according to your settings, IF FREEZER NOT plugged into ETC and freezer plugged into wall plug, yes the freezer will run constantly. You have to plug the freezer (set to maximum) into the ETC and ETC into wall plug for everything to work properly, if not set at maximum the two thermostats will be fighting each other. I remember saying something about K.I.S.S., again the Strother Martin moment.
KB

[beer bro]

on the etc i see one exposed pin. when i first got the etc i called johnson controls to see what the difference is between cut in and cut out. the representative told me it was better to use cut out . so i switched it to that. do you want me to switch it back to cut in and turn the etc to maximum. what set point should i set and what dif if you want me to set it to cut in cooling mode?? thanks for helping me your my killian broski now hahah happy 4th of july

[KillianBoy]

beer bro,
I still don't know which jumper you moved or your just yukking with me but when you said " i removed the jumper", I assumed you REMOVED, when you moved it where one is exposed you jumped one and inserted it, I still don't know which one you did it to, ya know just call JC and ask them what to do and if you did it right, or just look at instructions, this is getting tiring, HAHAH back, happy 4th.
KB

[beer bro]

go to page 4 where it says positioning the jumpers. i set i myself to cooling mode cut out its the last one on the bottom of page 4. look on jumper 1 only the right side is exposed . thats how i have it. i have the set point on my freezer at 34 and the dif at 3 so it turns the freezer on at 37 and off at 34. the sensor is having in the middle of the freezer and i turned the thermostat on my freezer on full blast. its actually really cold. i want to get the temperature really cold but not freeze. do you want me to set the jumpers back to default???? which is cut point cut in? And i should leave the freezer thermostat on full blast right? should i change my set point and differential ? do you have a better idea to make it colder and better? i am getting my dual tower in the mail today so i am going to install that and buy my first two really good kegs . ballast point sculpin ipa and la fin du monde. what do you think i should set my c.o pressure at? when i get the keg put them in the keezer and let them sit for 5-6 hours and then tap the keg right? so i don't get all foam. A lot of questions huh hahaha

[djc]

"i think your just getting confused on a really simple thing"
You won't win friends like that. There is nothing simple about unravelling your posts. You may want to hold off on buying "two really good kegs" until you've got this dialed in, I expect there will be many more questions. Taming foam has a lot more going on with it than letting the keg acclimate for 5-6 hours or guessing at what the pressure should be. You need to do some more reading here and get into how to measure the beer temperature properly, you will also need to know the volumes of CO2 your beer is brewed at, and then you can get the pressure you need to be at from a force carbonation chart.

[beer bro]

thats the beer i only drink you know. i don't like draft american beers. i am going to see how it goes. how was your first time with a keg , was it a big hassle and you got really pissed or what? what temp do you think a belgian strong beer and a ipa should be at?

[djc]

Ballast Point is from Cali, I think that is pretty American. My first time was a learning experience. Most people, myself included, don't realize going into this that there is a lot to it. It gives you a great appreciation for bars that pour drafts well. I had been lurking here for a while and had an idea of what I would have to do. Going back I would have made all the suggested changes at once, rather than doing it one at a time and waiting to see how it went.
You will need a thermometer that can be calibrated and the v/v of the beers you are serving. The Ballast is probably a D coupler, I have no idea on the other but you should ask your distributor before you get it so you are set to go. You should also have some extra beer line because you need that to slow the flow and you might as well add it before you put the tower on.

Ballast Point suggests 40-45 for their IPA, set it where you want it. Colder than 38 starts to knock out your taste buds, so I try not to go lower than that.

[KillianBoy]

beer bro,
It all came down to the use of the word “removed”, instructions use the word are taken away, you used the word like re-moved as to move from one place to another. If you had said you talked to a JC rep and set it for Cut-Out, I would have taken that at face value and agreed that you had it set at Cut-Out, and that would have been that.
OK, last bits of advice, make dif longer, make setpoint higher, test temperature by putting a bucket of water inside and test with calibrated thermometer. If you have freezer set at max and doesn’t turn off (if you have the ETC connected) then something is wrong and read the forum, everything is there balance, v/v, at what temperature to drink beer (that’s really not a hard question) and anything else you want to know. After this I’m out, don’t PM me, your djc, sketch and everyone else’s problem, again there seems to some sort of communication problem, if we don’t understand each other, there’s no sense in trying.
KB

[djc]

You can't leave, you are his Killian Broski.

[beer bro]

awwww man my broski is bouncing noooooo. haha i can't get the beer i want in a keg its called the bruery-mischief, and ballast point sculpin i have to drive 2 hours there and 2 hours back to get it . so i have to choose soothing else. doc or killian boy if you read this do you guys know of any really good strong belgian ale beer??

[Sketch]

There are a ton of beers in that category, at least in my opinion. However, just as you described, availability might be an issue in your area.

I would say to go see your local beer distributor, or whomever you are going to be purchasing beers from. Ask them what "really good strong belgian ale beers" are available in a keg. Then take your list and buy bombers or 6 packs of those beers, figure out which one you prefer and place the order.

[beer bro]

yeah that what i think i am going to do. do you know any sketch of the top of your head?

[Sketch]

[url=http://beeradvocate.com/lists/style/56]Top Beers - Belgian Strong Dark Ale - BeerAdvocate[/url]

[stn]

awwww man my broski is bouncing noooooo. haha i can't get the beer i want in a keg its called the bruery-mischief, and ballast point sculpin i have to drive 2 hours there and 2 hours back to get it . so i have to choose soothing else. doc or killian boy if you read this do you guys know of any really good strong belgian ale beer??

FWIW - if there's a beer worth driving 4 hours round trip to get on draft, Sculpin just might be it. The local beverage center here gets a keg for the growler station every once in awhile, and it sells out immediately. I usually buy 4-5 growlers just to be safe. However, I wouldn't put it in the "strong belgian ale" category, or even close to it.

I'd also strongly recommend heeding all of the advice from KB and djc. I burned through my first several kegs pouring almost nothing but foam. Then, as djc suggests, I bit the bullet and made all the mods to my kegerator, learned how to take a calibrated 2nd pour temp, and always get the CO2 volume from the brewery and set my psi according to the chart. Other than a small initial burst of foam on my first pour, I get great pours now. My only mistake was not listening to them sooner.