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  • Photo of Nostalgia Electrics thermostat

    I have a new Nostalgia Electrics kegerator (KSR 2000 series) that I'm still tweaking. The temperature is about 40F and I'd like to get it a little colder, but it stays about the same regardless of the knob setting on the thermostat. I've read through a lot of posts in this forum about adjusting the thermostat, and various descriptions of which screw or screws to adjust. Some of those posts are years old and I also couldn't find any pictures in this forum of the thermostat module. Before I take anything apart, I thought I'd post a picture of mine to make sure I start out right. I see two screws holding the box to the frame, and two more, one above the knob and one below. My understanding is that I should start by pulling off the knob and removing all four of these screws. Then, once I get inside the box, where should I find the adjustment screw? Here is the picture of the exterior of mine:



    Thanks for any pointers....

  • #2
    kudzu9,
    Honestly I wouldn't fool around with the thermostat, more people then not have destroyed their thermostat than get their beer colder, but if you do, you have to take it off unit (the 2 screws on the left holding it to side of unit) and adjustment screws are usually in the back, you don't have to remove knob, the 2 screws above and below knob probably hold the thermostat to the black case, if you do, don't make large adjustments, small turns, re-install wait until the unit cycles several times (usually a few days) for changes in temperature. If you waited 24 hours for the thermostat to change the temperature of your beer than you may have to wait longer, adjusting both thermostat and PSI isn't like adjusting a stereo volume control, you just have wait and be patient, PSI 24 hours is fine, thermostat may take a few days.
    Let's take it from the beginning, I assume your 40 degree temperature is the second glass and also assume you have no modifications, you have to look at making a tower cooler or just a interior fan is enough to circulate air, beer is pulled from bottom of keg, with no air circulation the top of the unit may get as warm as 50 degrees, yet beer is at < 36 degrees, as beer travels up, the 50 degree beer line and tower will warm beer, without any modifications, you may have to pour several beers before you can get the "actual" temperature of the beer, not just the 2nd.
    If it were me I would check the cold plate if fully iced over, turn off unit for an hour or more, while defrosting figure out some sort of circulation system (store bought battery powered fan is enough for a couple of days while you rig a more permanent fan), when ice is melted put thermostat where picture shows (anywhere between middle and 3/4), lets stand for a couple of days, let system settle down then you can take your 2nd glass reading and see where that gets you. With this temperature then you can set the PSI to the v/v of the beer that you have in keg.
    KB

    PS
    I found this in the Nostalgia Electrics thread (sorry no picture but description is pretty good)

    In the lower left corner is the regulator:


    1. Remove the 2 black screws that hold the regulator to the fridge.
    2. Pull off the black knob that adjusts the temp.
    3. Remove the 2 zinc-plated (yellowish) screws to remove the regulator from the black housing.

    When you have the regulator out of the housing, you will see a small phillips head screw on the top. This is what you need to adjust.
    Last edited by KillianBoy; 03-07-2012, 02:41 PM.

    Comment


    • #3
      KillianBoy-
      Thanks for the input. What I'm basing my temperature reading on is an accurate refrigerator thermometer that I have sitting inside the kegerator. It reads 39-40F. I haven't measured the temp in the glass...it's fine the way it is from a tasting standpoint, although a little colder would be good, too. I'm mainly just interested in keeping it cooler if it will keep quality high longer (although I could use feedback on whether there would be that much difference in the longevity of beer maintained in the keg at 40F and beer in the keg at, say, 36F).

      As far as the thermostat, I did previously see that description that you included. I noticed it referenced zinc-plated (yellowish) screws...and mine are all black, so I thought I might have a newer design thermostat than what people previously discussed. The reason for posting the picture was in hopes of getting feedback from someone who has adjusted the thermostat -- successfully -- and that it was one that looked exactly like mine. I don't want to open it up and start fiddling with screws unless I am sure I know which are which. I do appreciate your view on potential risks in trying to mess with it...I'm not ready to jump in until I see if I get any comments here from others who may have hands-on experience.

      Comment


      • #4
        kudzu9,
        Best thing to do is to take the temperature of the beer and see what it says, this will also give you the temperature to set the PSI to, I don't know how your taking the temperature of interior but none can give your an accurate picture of what the beer temperature is. I have tried mercury, wireless, wired in and out of a liquid, none can give you as close as a 2nd glass temperature (as described in "Read Before Posting") in an air circulated kegerator.
        If I remember the post was about 3 years old so colors really don't matter, but again I wouldn't try and adjust, just try and see if this works.
        Put fan in, wait 22 hours, pour beer, check temperature, if 40 degrees, turn a bit colder, wait 22 hours, take temperature, if colder then you don't have to fool with thermostat (if 5 gallon, 15 might take longer).
        Interior temperature really doesn't matter, once you get below 40 degrees then it should be good, after that just check beer temperature, air temperature will waver between 30-45 degrees, if you open the door too often it will go as high as 55 degrees.
        Just find a digital thermometer, and check temperature every day you pour and see what happens.
        KB

        Comment


        • #5
          I decided to call Nostalgia Electrics Customer Service to discuss the temperature issue, and, lo and behold, they have a photo of the thermostat interior and step-by-step instructions on how to make the adjustment. Here is what they sent:



          KRS-2000 SERIES TEMPERATURE ADJUSTMENT
          1. Unplug the Kegorator.
          2. Remove the 2 screws that hold the thermostat to the fridge.
          3. Set the black temperature dial to the maximum setting. Remove the black knob from the temperature dial.
          4. Remove the 2 screws so you can remove the thermostat from the black housing.
          5. Once the thermostat is out of the black housing, there is a small Phillips head screw just above the dial. This is what needs to be adjusted. (See Attached Picture)
          6. Adjust this screw 1 turn at a time. Turn the screw clockwise to make it colder and counter-clockwise to make it warmer.
          7. Plug in the Kegorator.
          8. Wait 24 hours to check temperature.
          9. Repeat as necessary.

          Why this wasn't included in the instructions that came with the Kegorater is beyond me.

          Comment


          • #6
            Kudzu9 how did this work out for you? I recently got the same model from a couple of friends as a gift and am having the same problem. This is my first time into the foray of kegerators so this is all new to me. The lowest my temp got was around 44deg. Im hoping this fixes my issue. Thanks for posting this thread.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Foxtrot View Post
              Kudzu9 how did this work out for you? I recently got the same model from a couple of friends as a gift and am having the same problem. This is my first time into the foray of kegerators so this is all new to me. The lowest my temp got was around 44deg. Im hoping this fixes my issue. Thanks for posting this thread.
              I looked all over trying to find out how to adjust the thermostat in mine - which is different than the one pictured above. Mine is on top of the thermostat, not the front. This is what mine looks like.

              My beer was coming out around 45 Deg. F and would pour with have a glass of foam sometimes. Had the CO2 pressure turned down to 5 PSI which would cut down on foam, but take forever to pour. Finally decided the heck with it. I turned the thermostat knob back to about the middle of the range and then backed-out that little screw on top until the compressor kicked in. Put a glass of water and thermometer inside so I could check the temp every couple hours. Didn't want it freezing and sure didn't want to burn up the compressor.

              After about four hours the temp inside was down to 35 degress or so. The compressor was still running at that time and a little warm so I backed off the thermostat knob until the compressor shut off - then backed it off a little more for good measure. A couple hours later I checked again and the temp was around 38 and the compressor was running. Figured that would be good until morning which ended up being about 36!

              When I pour a beer out of that thing now, it's only got about 1/4" of foam and I have turned the PSI is back up to around 8. Hope this helps someone else.

              Comment


              • #8
                Hi,

                I just purchased this same unit, hooked it all up, and let it sit at the maximum setting for at least 24 hours. The coldest I was able to see the inside of the unit get was roughly 56 degrees. For any of you that have experience with this unit, is this normal? So, what I have done is followed the instructions above to turn the screw just above the knob about 1.5 turn and am waiting to see my results. I did see two pictures in this thread that point out two different screws to turn, but to be clear, the one i turned is the one on the front just above the knob. I don't currently have any beer in it as I am wanting to get my temperature correct before putting a keg in it. In addition, I have a glass of water sitting in there so I can take e temperature of that when I can get the temperature to drop below this 56 in the unit. I am also noticing that the unit never turns off, but I would think this is expected if the temperature won't get any lower. Is that a correct statement? Also, I noticed a little bit of frost/ice on the black plate towards the top right inside the unit. Could that mean something at this point, or is this expected?

                I appreciate any help one might be able to bring to the table on this as I am new to it, and looking to have some cold beer prior to next weekend for football season.

                Thanks

                Comment


                • #9
                  Krc784,
                  These units weren't meant to be on 24/7, if you set at maximum it will not turn off, I think instructions say set at 1/2 at start (Sorry this was in the instructions for the Summit and Haier, Nostalgia does mention to let stand upright and off for 8 hours if unit was on side). Ice will form on cold plate as the compressor runs nonstop, the ice will retard cold and the interior of unit won't get cold enough.
                  Read through forum regarding this unit and cold plate units. Cold plate will run <30 degrees, once ice forms, it will struggle to keep interior cold (ice will radiate at 32 degrees), if it doesn't turn off ice won't melt and it won't get cold enough for beer.
                  I would turn off, melt ice (DON"T USE ANY SHARP TOOLS), when ice gone, dry inside, don't touch any adjustment screw, turn unit on to not more than 3/4 and not less than 1/2, put a large bucket of water inside and close door, let run for at least 72 hours before you open door to check temperature. If the unit doesn't go off after 24 hours (you need to check every 15-30 minutes), adjust the screw to what it was before, if after 24 hours it still doesn't go off thermostat is messed up and either get a new one or get a external temperature controller.
                  Every refrigerator has to turn on and off, cold plate systems really need to cycle on and off, this cycle keeps everything cold and ice off plate.
                  I think beer is out for this weekend but from September 1st, you might be good. Look through forum regarding v/v, temperature, balance, you may have to go to a longer line and a calibrated thermometer but right now patience is what you need.
                  KB
                  Last edited by KillianBoy; 08-23-2012, 08:59 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Killian,

                    Thanks for your quick response on this. I actually did what you recommended here, and the unit does not cycle at all, and I am still left with a 55 degree unit (inside temp), with liquid temp at 54 degree. Granted that I did not wait the 24 hours you mentioned but I did check it regularly, and it never did shut off and cycle. Low and behold, I contacted Nostalgia Electrics customer service (a very nice lady) and we discussed a few things. We came to the conclusion that my best option is to send the unit back because of the fact that it is not cycling. She is thinking it could be an issue with the compressor. All units should cycle regardless of the temperature according to her. I am hesitant to give this thing another try as I have read through all the comments on the other thread surrounding this unit, but I'm going to give it a shot. As a side note, there is even more ice build up on the plate in the back this time around. I'm just not certain if the refrigerator components of this thing is working properly at this point, however I am not experienced in refrigeration.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Krc784,
                      It's up to you if you want to exchange, you found the other thread, members have gotten these things to work, it just takes patience.
                      No matter what unit you get, when you get it you don't know if it's been on it's side and HAVE TO leave OFF for 1-8 hours upright (depending on which unit instructions you have). If it were me, I would leave unit off and upright for 24 hours, throw a strong flashlight inside and see if there is any leaks in door seal, check and double check all the connections and make sure the unit is air-tight, get a wireless thermometer, read through forum as to what modifications to make. Then turn the thermostat on to between 1/2 and 3/4 and DON"T touch the adjustment until you know you want it colder, throw bucket of water in and close door, don't open for 48 hours, monitor the air temperature via the wireless, air temperature should fluctuate between 34-50 degrees, after 48 hours check the water temperature, this should be "roughly" what the beer temperature will be, if it's fine by you, it's ready for a beer keg.
                      KB

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I wanted to take the time to thank everyone here in the forums. I have been lurking for a couple of weeks looking for solutions to the few issues I have had with my Nostalgia kegerator. At this point my Kegerator is pouring perfect 35 degree beers with just enough head.

                        First I had a problem with the temperature. I was running about 44 degrees with the thermostat set on max. I used the information here (Thanks kudzu9 for the photo) to take my thermostat apart and adjust it. I ended up turning the set screw four full turns clockwise. I put the thermostat back in and set the outside to max. That was a little too cold, after 24 hours the 2nd beer was about 30 degrees and I was scared i was going to freeze my keg, so I backed off the outside knob right under 3/4 of the way clockwise. After about 24 hours I was pouring 35 degree second beers.

                        My second issue was that the first beer was almost 1/2 foam. From reading here I figured it was the tower temperature. I used basic instructions from http://www.kegkits.com/kegerator5.htm and built a tower cooler for about $20. Now my tower is very cold, first beer only has about one half inch of foam.

                        If you bought a Nostalgia don't get frustrated, just keep reading and don't give up. I did end up purchasing a regulator here to replace the crappy one that came with it. Other than that I am still using everything else that came with it. It took a week to get everything working perfectly. I can't thank the users here in the forums enough. These forums are very big and you can find an answer to just about any problem you have with a kegerator.

                        Thanks to all users of Micromatic.com forums. If I can be of assistance to anyone let me know. I will be happy to share my experience and or pictures if it can help someone else.

                        Keith
                        Last edited by keithdubya; 09-24-2012, 06:58 PM. Reason: grammer

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          So I turned the screw a little too far & the nut dropped off of it. Now it's too cold & I'm scared that I've wrecked it. I called them & they said that they don't have that part, that I need to contact a fridge parts supply store. Can anyone help?

                          Thanks!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Very informative thread.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Sarcasm doesn't present it's self well in text if that was what you were going for. But you're correct this was a learning experience. Never make more than a 1/4 turn or less when adjising. Patience is not a virtue but a must in T-stats. Tweek a little wait a day for results then tweek again. Risk losingT-stat if impatience.






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