Broken chest freezer

[BrewMasterBrad]

My old chest freezer stopped working this week. It does nothing at all when plugged in. I am not an expert on these things, I just expect them to work. I am thinking that it could be something electrical that is easy to fix. Do these things have some sort of built in breaker or fuse that can be replaced? If that is the issue, I would much rather fix this thing myself than buy a new one.

[maltbarley]

Do these things have some sort of built in breaker or fuse that can be replaced?

Probably not. Sometimes the wiring diagram is pasted to equipment cover so you can use your volt meter to trace the power. But, my guess is that the evap coil corroded, refrigerant leaked, and the pressure switch shut the system down.

[dhempy]

Occasionally the compressors on these things will stop in a location that takes extra oomph to start. This can trip a GFI (ask me how I know) or a breaker. Have you checked that you do indeed have power at the end of your cord? Also as an aside ... I think that either my ferm fridge or ferm freezer throws off some frequencies that interfere with my X10 lights as they turn on at weird times of the day. My preliminary research leads me to these devices (they are common "noisemakers").

If your freezer is indeed old, you're probably better off replacing it than trying a repair. And if there is a leak and it is in the cooling loop, fuggitaboudit, you're toast.

Dan

[oc eric]

Tom Hodge - 714.791.1635

He fixed my fridge at the shop.

[JonW]

Also as an aside ... I think that either my ferm fridge or ferm freezer throws off some frequencies that interfere with my X10 lights as they turn on at weird times of the day. My preliminary research leads me to these devices (they are common "noisemakers").

Sorry... off topic here....

X10?? They still make that stuff?? Just kidding. A plug in noise filter can fix the problem with that.
Have you ever looked at UPB (Universal Powerline Bus) switches? Much more reliable with nice two way communication and scene features. It is very rare that something will interfere with their communication.

Before I added the BCS-462 to automate my brewing, I was using home automation modules to control my pumps and burners.

[dhempy]

Also as an aside ... I think that either my ferm fridge or ferm freezer throws off some frequencies that interfere with my X10 lights as they turn on at weird times of the day. My preliminary research leads me to these devices (they are common "noisemakers").

Sorry... off topic here....

X10?? They still make that stuff?? Just kidding. A plug in noise filter can fix the problem with that.
Have you ever looked at UPB (Universal Powerline Bus) switches? Much more reliable with nice two way communication and scene features. It is very rare that something will interfere with their communication.

Before I added the BCS-462 to automate my brewing, I was using home automation modules to control my pumps and burners.

Continued off topic ...

No I haven't looked at them ... my alarm system has an X10 interface and that is why I use them. They are about 9 years old now. I am presently looking into plug in filters and a whole house filter in case the interference is coming from the neighbors. Will have to ask my low-volt guy about a UPB interface for this alarm.

Dan

[backyard brewer]

Also as an aside ... I think that either my ferm fridge or ferm freezer throws off some frequencies that interfere with my X10 lights as they turn on at weird times of the day. My preliminary research leads me to these devices (they are common "noisemakers").

Sorry... off topic here....

X10?? They still make that stuff?? Just kidding. A plug in noise filter can fix the problem with that.
Have you ever looked at UPB (Universal Powerline Bus) switches? Much more reliable with nice two way communication and scene features. It is very rare that something will interfere with their communication.

Before I added the BCS-462 to automate my brewing, I was using home automation modules to control my pumps and burners.

Continued off topic ...

No I haven't looked at them ... my alarm system has an X10 interface and that is why I use them. They are about 9 years old now. I am presently looking into plug in filters and a whole house filter in case the interference is coming from the neighbors. Will have to ask my low-volt guy about a UPB interface for this alarm.

Dan

As long as we're still off-topic,
I seem to remember reading about using a 220V breaker with a big cap across the lugs to filter both sides of the phase and prevent problems. Some kind of cap made to be a snubber.

[JonW]

I seem to remember reading about using a 220V breaker with a big cap across the lugs to filter both sides of the phase and prevent problems. Some kind of cap made to be a snubber.

No, panel mounted devices are for whole house surge protection or to create a signal bridge between both legs of the phase. For noise, you need to stop it at the source before it gets onto the powerline.

Dan - there are alternate powerline interfaces that emulate the X-10 protocol so your alarm system still thinks it's talking to an X-10 interface, but it could be one of the newer technologies like UPB. You could also take your house to the next level by replacing your alarm panel with a combo security system/home automation controller (like HAI OmniPro II). That's what I use.


Hey, did that freezer ever get fixed?

[BrewMasterBrad]

Occasionally the compressors on these things will stop in a location that takes extra oomph to start.

Getting back on track here, could this cause the capacitor to go bad?

[dhempy]

Not sure on the capacitor ... but caps may not have an immortal lifespan ... FWIW I've had to replace them (smaller of course) on monitors to bring them back to life. These were obviously bad (puffed). And I recall an AC guy putting a big one on the unit at my previous house to assist the compressor during startup.

How do you know that the capacitor has gone south? If that is all it is, it could be a relatively simple fix. Do you have an independent appliance parts house nearby? Up here we have Miracle Appliance ... the guy is really helpful for diagnosis and troubleshooting and he sells parts at about 1/2 to 2/3 of the OEM parts.

Dan

[BrewMasterBrad]

I am probably going to just buy a new one anyway. Just curious.

[BARL Brewing]

How do you know that the capacitor has gone south?

you should be able to test it with a electrical meter

[dhempy]

What is the test?

[BARL Brewing]

here is a more specific answer i got from an answers site:
"A cheap multimeter can be used to test if a capacitor is burnt out. Connect one lead of the capacitor to one lead from a resistor (about 50k ohms). Set the multimeter to a high "ohms" setting and place the test leads on the remaining cap and resistor leads. The display should begin at 50 KOhms and then get higher and higher until it reads infinity/overload."
I know higher end multimeters have a capacitor setting too

[dhempy]

That makes sense since a capacitor stores energy.

Thanks. Dan