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Dead Beverage Air 3 door kegerator, HELP!

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  • #1

    Dead Beverage Air 3 door kegerator, HELP!

    Hi
    My Beverage Air 3 door kegerator has a problem. The compressor no longer kicks on, I hear the evaporator fan dip in speed as it tries to start the compressor, but it does not happen. It's probably a late 90's unit, uses r12 refrigerant. I called an appliance repair person I know and he said he can't get parts for commercial units because they won't sell them to him. He did think it could just be the capacitor/relay but said it could be the compressor.
    I'm afraid of the cost of a Beverage Air professional doing this repair, and if it's going to be worth it. Any help appreciated... I just spent a bundle on fittings, thermometers, ball valves, etc to improve my "brewery" so I'm a bit low on funds.
    Thanks in advance
    -Ben
    I'm in Dallas, TX BTW
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Originally posted by bdavanza View Post
    Hi
    My Beverage Air 3 door kegerator has a problem. The compressor no longer kicks on, I hear the evaporator fan dip in speed as it tries to start the compressor, but it does not happen. It's probably a late 90's unit, uses r12 refrigerant. I called an appliance repair person I know and he said he can't get parts for commercial units because they won't sell them to him. He did think it could just be the capacitor/relay but said it could be the compressor.
    I'm afraid of the cost of a Beverage Air professional doing this repair, and if it's going to be worth it. Any help appreciated... I just spent a bundle on fittings, thermometers, ball valves, etc to improve my "brewery" so I'm a bit low on funds.
    Thanks in advance
    -Ben
    I'm in Dallas, TX BTW
    If it is an R12 unit it was built before 1994. Thats when R12 was phased out.

    There is an outside chance the compressor will start if you shut the unit off & let the compressor get stone cold. Even then, if it does start back up, it is on it's last legs. Your friend might be correct in thinking the start cap/relay is bad but don't count your chickens. One reason for a compressor to stall or lock up is a dirty condenser which causes high head pressures putting a big strain on those small compressors.

    If it turns out to be just the start components you might get away for under $150. If it is the compressor, you are looking at anywhere from $700 to $1000 depending on compressor model number & who you get to do it.


    THE ICEMAN
    My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
    "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
    -Dave Barry-
    "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
    Strong beer is the milk of the old."
    -Martin Luther-

    Comment

    • #3
      I left it unplugged all day and just plugged it back in, all the fans spin up but the compressor does not start, I can hear a strain on the system when it tries to kick on, then it gives up and tries again in a few moments.

      Comment

      • #4
        Its sometimes tough to diagnose something from a few States away but in my experience it sounds like you have a compressor that is locked up. If you can get new start components for it & it starts up you have dodged a bullet. But as I said before, don't bet the farm.


        THE ICEMAN
        My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
        "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
        -Dave Barry-
        "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
        Strong beer is the milk of the old."
        -Martin Luther-

        Comment

        • #5
          ICEMAN
          Thanks for the advice. Is it common practice to replace the start components along with the compressor? If so, it would be wise to start with those parts?
          I have a neighbor who does HVAC work, and could install a compressor for me, but he's got limited time so I wanted to get everything squared away. I found the relay and compressor here:
          PartsTown

          Comment

          • #6
            A new compressor should come with start components.


            THE ICEMAN
            My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
            "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
            -Dave Barry-
            "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
            Strong beer is the milk of the old."
            -Martin Luther-

            Comment

            • #7
              It may be worth it to try replacing the cap first.

              My dad has a 3 1/2 keg True unit. Compressor stopped running. Cap was replaced and it cools fine two years later.

              Comment

              • #8
                Originally posted by Kpt42 View Post
                It may be worth it to try replacing the cap first.

                My dad has a 3 1/2 keg True unit. Compressor stopped running. Cap was replaced and it cools fine two years later.

                First post today. Looks like a terrific forum.

                I have an OLD True Unit (20 years), Commercial unit. Holds a half a keg. Same issue as above. Just stopped cooling, fan is fine.

                How do i obtain the correct 'cap' to try that first? Even with partstown.com, how do i start?

                Thanks

                Comment

                • #9
                  ICEMAN,

                  Do you recommend hard start cap. kits for use with kegerators? I've used them to save other low-temp devices before, mostly refrigerators, but I've never used one on a kegerator though I don't see why it's not worth a shot.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Originally posted by heynowjerry View Post
                    First post today. Looks like a terrific forum.

                    I have an OLD True Unit (20 years), Commercial unit. Holds a half a keg. Same issue as above. Just stopped cooling, fan is fine.

                    How do i obtain the correct 'cap' to try that first? Even with partstown.com, how do i start?

                    Thanks
                    Give them Mo. & Ser. No. of your unit. There should be a data plate inside the cabinet, upper left.

                    THE ICEMAN

                    OBTW - Welcome to the forum.
                    Last edited by THE ICEMAN; 01-10-2009, 08:32 PM.
                    My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
                    "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
                    -Dave Barry-
                    "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
                    Strong beer is the milk of the old."
                    -Martin Luther-

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by BrewGuru View Post
                      ICEMAN,

                      Do you recommend hard start cap. kits for use with kegerators? I've used them to save other low-temp devices before, mostly refrigerators, but I've never used one on a kegerator though I don't see why it's not worth a shot.
                      I've used them but found them to be only a 'band-aid' type of measure. And there is no guarantee they will work. If it does work, you still have a compressor that has problems. Original start components are the best bet.

                      THE ICEMAN
                      My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
                      "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
                      -Dave Barry-
                      "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
                      Strong beer is the milk of the old."
                      -Martin Luther-

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        It's DEAD.

                        I had a refrigeration guy come by this morning, he said the relay and cap all check out and that the compressor was toast. Looks like it has already been replaced by someone in the past, it's a 93 model box and an 11 yr old compressor. This box is falling apart, the doors, hinges, thresholds etc. are beat up rusting etc. So..... He tells me that for an outside (covered back porch) setup, these commercial units fail easily, because (i may not describe this properly) that the pressure gets too low and the system will suck the lubricant from the compressor if the outside temps are too low. He said it's harder on these in the winter than in the summer for that reason. He said they are built to be in mild climates (indoors) and that bars etc that use them outdoors have to have them serviced frequently.
                        So I asked him about what would work well, and I mentioned the converted freezer option. He said that residential freezers are built to work in garages, which tend to be cold and hot. So now I'm thinking about a keezer.
                        Also I'm considering an outside keezer with a short trunk line into my kitchen wall. I could build sort of a shed for it if I had to.
                        Ideas, suggestions, etc are very welcome. The biggest disadvantage to the keezer is being top loading, it will be hard to get 1/2 barrels in there. I plan on doing more homebrew 5g batches than commercial beers now anyways.
                        Is what my refrig guy said correct?
                        Or I can look on craigslist and find another bevair or true in decent shape for less than what the new compressor install would have cost.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Essentially your refrigeration guy is correct. I don't have time now but I'll try & come back later to tell you how to get around the cold outside temps.


                          THE ICEMAN
                          My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
                          "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
                          -Dave Barry-
                          "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
                          Strong beer is the milk of the old."
                          -Martin Luther-

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Thanks Iceman, I really appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions. Originally I thought it was the Texas heat that would have killed it.
                            -Ben
                            Last edited by bdavanza; 01-13-2009, 04:19 PM.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Regarding low outside temperatures, when exterior temperatures (those outside of the cabinet that you're trying to cool) get too cold the refrigerant will migrate to the coldest area & condense into a liquid. If when the compressor cycles back on, it can pick up the liquid refrigerant & when it tries to pump it through the system it can "slug" the compressor valves. The compressor is designed to pump refrigerant in a gaseous form. The liquid refrigerant also has a habit of picking up the oil in the system & sometimes depriving the compressor which can lead to premature failure.

                              One way to "weather proof" the compressor is to add a crankcase heater. What this does is it keeps the oil in the compressor warm so that if liquid refrigerant does migrate back to the compressor it will boil off (refrigerant has a very low boiling point) & keep it in a gaseous state. The warmer oil is also easier to circulate through the compressor. This is similar to the idea of wrapping a heat tape around your plumbing water pipes to keep them from freezing. You would want a heater with an ambient control to turn the heater on only when it got below about 45 to 50 degrees. Another thing you can do would be to add a fan control for the condenser fan to keep pressures up. This is a pressure control tied into the sealed system. You would need to have your refrigeration guy install either or both of these measures.


                              THE ICEMAN
                              My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
                              "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
                              -Dave Barry-
                              "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
                              Strong beer is the milk of the old."
                              -Martin Luther-

                              Comment

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