External temp controller

[Carl Spakler]

It looks like I'll soon have a spare fridge for the basement that will become a dedicated beer fridge. Hooray! I'm looking at getting an external temp. controller, does the cycling off and on via effectively pulling the plug impact the longevity of the fridge? I'd hate to do something that will cause a premature death to this guy. Thanks.

[hooky]

I've got a Johnson controller and it has temp spread of +/- 5 degrees (or 4 or 6, I can't recall now.) It lets the temp swing before it kicks the compressor back on. For example, if you set it to 40 and it has a 5 degree variance, it will kick on at 45 and cool it back down to 40.

Mine doesn't run that often. Plus it runs even less with each additional keg that goes into it. I'm assuming the kegs help stabilize the temp swings even more.

[sittingcow]

Well, according to HopTech (they sell one of these, so a grain of salt is essential), your fridge's internal thermostat works in exactly the same way. If so, your fridge will actually last longer since it'll be off more often.

[sittingcow]

Forget the grain of salt... think about it - chances are both of them use a bimetallic strip. When it loses contact, you're basically pulling the plug either way.

[Carl Spakler]

Originally posted by sittingcow
Well, according to HopTech (they sell one of these, so a grain of salt is essential), your fridge's internal thermostat works in exactly the same way. If so, your fridge will actually last longer since it'll be off more often.

In the grand scheme, yes it works the same way, but is the compressor (is that the major part that would be affected?) shut down the same way when you pull the plug from the wall as opposed to when the original t-stat tells it to shut off? Kind of like shutting a computer off, you can use the shutdown procedure, or you can yank the plug. They both accomplish the same thing, but in the long run will one cause damage?

[sittingcow]

I said "exactly," not "essentially" or "in the grand scheme."

[Carl Spakler]

Originally posted by sittingcow
I said "exactly," not "essentially" or "in the grand scheme."

So, the t-stat in the fridge mechanically pulls the plug out of the wall? Is that done by the same penguin that turns the light off when you close the door? ;)

[Mill Rat]

Originally posted by Carl Spakler
In the grand scheme, yes it works the same way, but is the compressor (is that the major part that would be affected?) shut down the same way when you pull the plug from the wall as opposed to when the original t-stat tells it to shut off? Kind of like shutting a computer off, you can use the shutdown procedure, or you can yank the plug. They both accomplish the same thing, but in the long run will one cause damage? Until you get into the world of large chiller systems that suck down hundreds of amps at 480 volts or more, get put in place using construction cranes, and sell for more than your entire house and land are worth, the internal stat controls your compressor in the same way that the external stat will. In fact, I'd put money on the external stat being a more robustly and accurately constructed than the internal stat. That's one of the reasons why the external stats are marked off in degrees and the internal stats are marked A-B-C-D-E...