Johnson controls A419 mount position

[bbruyn]

Hi, all.

Upright freezer conversion begins next week. My Johnson A419 digital thermostat is on it's way, and I'm having an argument with myself about how best to mount it. Form follows function, of course, but I do believe in extra credit for style. :-)

All I really want to do is mount it so that the wires are not exposed externally, but I'm a little nervous about drilling through the walls. I'd obviously do due diligence before drilling anything (corn starch/alcohol and all that), but I can't really afford to junk that (old) freezer at the moment. The door is still an option, but that's just going to be a mess inside (true you won't see it with the door closed, but it'll bother me).

And so, the first dumb question of many, no doubt:

Is there any good reason I shouldn't just mount the display on the inner wall and route power out through the drain? I've done lots (and lots) of reading on this project (including the A419 manual) and haven't yet seen anyone set up this way.

Thanks in advance,

Bill

[Acmemfg]

"..power through the drain"? Not sure what that may mean but if there is anything liquid which will be present in that drain, common sense says liquid and electricity never mix well.

I have an A419 mounted on the external side of my Kegatronic. Sensor probe snaked in through the back of the unit into the evaporator coil. Electronics are positioned nicely with sheet metal screws. In all it's a pretty clean installation which you cannot really see because that side of the Kegatronic sets up against the wall.

Unless your A419 is the "weatherproof" model, I wouldn't be sure the cold temperature inside your unit would not be problematic. another plus to exterior mounting would be easy access to make temperature adjustments if necessary. Good luck................

[pvs6]

A LED display can freeze, when that happens they go blank. Usually when they warm back up they start working again but sometimes not. Forget about the wires and drilling for a moment, were would you consider the desired mounting location to be, top, side or back? Since the unit shouldn't be up tight against the wall for heat transfer sake and 3 inches gap is generally advised here, that is also the width of the controller. So one option encompassing form and function would be to mount it on the back side using a L Bracket, with the controller face parallel and flush with the units side. The wires in that case wouldn't be visible since their behind the unit but the controller would be accessible from the side but invisible from the front. If unsightly wires are you concern then you can use cable conduit too.

[THE ICEMAN]

Hi, all.

Upright freezer conversion begins next week. My Johnson A419 digital thermostat is on it's way, and I'm having an argument with myself about how best to mount it. Form follows function, of course, but I do believe in extra credit for style. :-)

All I really want to do is mount it so that the wires are not exposed externally, but I'm a little nervous about drilling through the walls. I'd obviously do due diligence before drilling anything (corn starch/alcohol and all that), but I can't really afford to junk that (old) freezer at the moment. The door is still an option, but that's just going to be a mess inside (true you won't see it with the door closed, but it'll bother me).

I would not recommend drilling through the sides if you can avoid it. Typically upright freezers have the condenser coils running through the exterior walls of the unit. An easy way to tell is to feel the exterior while the unit is running. If the exterior gets warm/hot then don't drill. If you have a set of coils running up the back of the unit or underneath the unit you are probably OK.

If you have the space you might try mounting your control similar to where I mounted my Ranco control on my fridge conversion, underneath behind the front grill. I was able to route the power wires underneath & ran the sensor up through the bottom of the cabinet through a rubber plug. You may or may not have something similar, you will have to look. If your freezer had provisions for an ice maker you might be able to go through where it came through. Here is my set up...

THE ICEMAN

[bbruyn]

Thanks, guys. Good stuff, but I guess it's tough to make a final decision before I have the thing in my hands. Meanwhile, my replies to your replies:

@Acmemfg, I just meant that I'd snake male and female power cords out the existing hole in the bottom. The ends would be out on the back somewhere.

@pvs6, damage to the unit is exactly what I'm worried about. I didn't see anything in the manual about it either way - maybe I'll call Johnson this week and see what they have to say about it. At the moment though, I'm leaning toward just mounting it on the back with some Velcro. That ought to keep it out of the way and allow me to pull it off easily to make adjustments, etc.

@iceman, yes the sides get hot very quickly. My understanding is that you're supposed to be able to find the lines by using that corn starch & alcohol method, but it makes me nervous anyway. Be just like me to foul that up and junk the whole unit.

By the way, that setup is exactly what I meant by extra credit for style. I love it. No grill on this unit, unfortunately.

[Sketch]

I wouldn't worry about it being accessible for making adjustments.

When you first install it I am sure you will have to tweak the settings quite a bit to get your keg to your temperature preference. Once you find the settings that allow for that, you shouldn't have to mess with it anymore, unless you adjust the position of the sensors or you modify your unit with a tower cooler etc etc etc.

As long as the variables within the unit don't change - the controller will keep doing it's thing and not need adjustment.

[KillianBoy]

bbruyn,
I don't think Acmemfg meant that your were going to put a exposed lead near the hole, he was just saying that 110 volt lines don't mix well with liquid. No matter how well insulated the line is, the risk of intrusion of liquid is too great to risk it. I would ask the Johnson people if this is a recommended procedure, normally a low voltage sensor passed through a liquid is fine but a 110 volt line is definitely not safe.
KB

[Acmemfg]

Here's how mine was installed. Pretty clean. And there are a number of double sided adhesive products available so you don't have to drill anything.

[Acmemfg]

P.S.
Try 3M VHB Tape. Easy enough to find and install. That controller won't budge afterward unless you want it to.