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Cooler not cooling
Cooler compresser and fan is running but box isn’t getting cold and I can’t find name plate to see what type of gas to put in it
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6 Replies
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Sounds like you got a leak.
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First, what type of cooler? If it is a vertical reach in the label should be on the left side inside the box near the top.
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Second, If the lable is gone, you can take the model number of the compressor to see what refrigerant it was built to run. If it comes back as a R-12 unit instead or R134, look around on the compressor, condenser housing, or dryer for a conversion marking. I use white paint marker (like for marking steel) or Sharpie, others use tags and stickers.Â
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I would make sure both coils are clean first and see what temp it is set to. If it’s a cooler it shouldn’t be set below 34 degrees. One common issue I see with coolers is people set it lower to achieve the correct temp. Most coolers do not have a defrost built in so they freeze their evap coil causing the unit to warm up because it can’t circulate any air. The evap freezes, and becomes a solid wall of ice, Â so the unit doesn’t achieve temp so the unit tries harder (runs the compressor longer) and builds up more ice on the evap. It’s a vicious cycle. Another thing that causes this on coolers without defrost is bad gaskets or leaving the door open. Long story short. Check the coils and the temp first.Â
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-JoeÂ
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Joe, they have defrost built in if the temp control is not changed to the wrong one or becomes unbonded with the evaporator.They should be a A-12 type that will not allow it to come back on till the evaporator reaches 37 to 38 degrees. But you are very right to check for ice up first.
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Good to know. In some cases even with a defrost, if the temp is set too low, the defrost still cant keep up. For some manufacturers it’s a 30 second hot gas defrost with a block of interwoven ice, not a heater with a heater thermostat. Yeah, not going to do a thing. I usually ask, “Can you see ice? Yeah? It needs to be defrosted for 24 hours.” After that time and adjusting the temp the thing works like a champ.Â
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-JoeÂ
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If one wants to thaw it quicker, secure the compressor power but not the evaporator fan’s. If there is a small area not frozen so some air can move it will thaw in about 2 to 3 hours. If totally blocked, use a heat gun to open a air flow to start it. Remember, that the fan motor generates heat, and heat rises. That’s why evaporator intakes are at the warmest point of a cooler.
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  Hot gas defrost time’s are normally 20 to 40 min. Freezer. 15 to 25 meat cooler.
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