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Post by csulaguy on Mar 22, 2019 23:38:00 GMT
Update - I got it running. David (turbokinetic) and I got it fixed today. We believe that the original problem is that the thermostat tube leaked (hence the continual blue oxidation of the copper), which let out the charge from the bellows. So the original owner stored it and never used it further, of which it probably seized due to non-use.
We had some issues where the start relay wouldn't go back down; that was fixed by using a 500uF motor start cap in place of the 6 ohm ceramic resistor. I think we needed to do that twice to get it running, and that's after keeping on the heater for many hours (this is one of my improved 20 watt versions from the last group buy I did).
I let it run for maybe 2 hours (not in a cabinet) and we put ziploc bags with hot water inside. Some of the water leaked out of the bags, and I had it frozen to the pig evap. The compressor also got so quiet, it rivaled that of a CK.
David showed me how to replace the copper tubing, and we put in a charge of butane, crimped, and sealed with solder. Later, I'm going to sand the part of the cabinet where the controls are removed and put primer. Since this works, this will probably end up in my house, and my mother will get one of my DR1s (along with her belt drive Frigidaire).
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Post by ckfan on Mar 23, 2019 13:38:08 GMT
Very glad to see it running. That’s great.
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Post by csulaguy on Mar 23, 2019 14:15:50 GMT
As am I. It truly makes me happy to see both it and my DR3 being success stories.
It also means that with the exception of an FEA I might purchase (because it has a 2 door cabinet for cheap with it), I'm done purchasing anything new for now. My end goals are this and the DR3.
Now if I find ANOTHER DR2 or DR3 for a deal I can't pass up, well... there's always the edit button for this post!
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Post by birkie on Mar 23, 2019 14:24:03 GMT
Excellent, it's happy now! So did you replace the resistor in the control with a start capacitor?
Glad to hear it is a smooth runner as well. If you or David could post a video of it running, that'd be much appreciated.
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Post by turbokinetic on Mar 23, 2019 14:38:53 GMT
Excellent, it's happy now! So did you replace the resistor in the control with a start capacitor? Glad to hear it is a smooth runner as well. If you or David could post a video of it running, that'd be much appreciated.
Hi Aaron. When it was stuck, we took the resistor off, and used jumper clip leads to patch in a capacitor where the resistor originally was. That started it, but the run winding current was too high, and the start relay armature had to be manually pressed back down. After doing this once or twice, the resistor is now back in place and it's been starting up fine as normal.
The control is off at this time, so hope to get it back together later today!
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Post by birkie on Mar 23, 2019 14:51:24 GMT
the start relay armature had to be manually pressed back down. After doing this once or twice, the resistor is now back in place and it's been starting up fine as normal Huh. That happened a few times on my DRA2. Pressing down on the armature worked (it stayed down), but now I'm leery of it doing that again. A remedy people used was to attach pennies to give the armature a little more weight. Once I fill mine with R124, am going to revisit the control issues and see what's going on, and what sort of fix is necessary.
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Post by turbokinetic on Mar 23, 2019 15:02:52 GMT
the start relay armature had to be manually pressed back down. After doing this once or twice, the resistor is now back in place and it's been starting up fine as normal Huh. That happened a few times on my DRA2. Pressing down on the armature worked (it stayed down), but now I'm leery of it doing that again. A remedy people used was to attach pennies to give the armature a little more weight. Once I fill mine with R124, am going to revisit the control issues and see what's going on, and what sort of fix is necessary. Interesting. In your case it is really a mystery as to why the armature didn't go back down; but it could have something to do with the higher nominal voltages we see now compared to when these were new. With Paul's unit yesterday, the fact that the resistor was out of the start I'm sure was what caused it. Once the resistor was back in, there was no longer any problem.
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Post by csulaguy on Mar 29, 2019 14:17:29 GMT
Paul, Please post the resistance readings from your motor. Com to Start, Com to run and run to start. Are you sure none of those are grounded? It's very possible that it's stalled from sitting. You can either buy a compressor annie of follow along with whatever David tells you. You know you have a problem with the control. I thought I told you to go through it with your meter and to find the bad connection? You have a 1929 or possibly a 1930 unit. While replacing the insulation yesterday and doing a rough job on the cabinet (rough as in sanding down rust and putting primer and part of it, so I could stick it in the house for the time being instead of tarped outside), someone wrote 5-8-9. Could that imply May 8th, 1929? I also wonder what some of the other various numbers written mean. Someone used their finger to write some numbers and what looked like an R on the side of the inner liner (very heavy on the DR2 painted cabinet). Now comes testing the unit. Since we're using liquid butane in the sensing tube, I get to play around with it, and obviously let the cabinet equalize. I just have a half case of craft IPA inside for now, and the cabinet is only pulling down to around 40 degrees. I'm not used to these tall controls, so figuring out how to set it (unless I take off the control covers) will be interesting.
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Post by ckfan on Mar 29, 2019 23:15:51 GMT
Sounds like it’s working pretty well then. I can’t remember which way up or down you rotate the knob to make it colder. The cover should say. Also, I wish I knew what those marks meant. That’s neat.
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Post by birkie on Mar 30, 2019 0:50:56 GMT
Sounds like it’s working pretty well then. I can’t remember which way up or down you rotate the knob to make it colder. The cover should say. Also, I wish I knew what those marks meant. That’s neat. Rotate the thumbwheel with an upward motion to make it colder. Imagine it is a nut on a screw going through its axis of rotation. Rotating it counter-clockwise (thumbwheel up) "loosens" the nut, and makes it travel away from the arm in the control, reducing tension on its spring. That means less force from the bellows is needed to move the arm to make it snap 'off'. Less force means colder. Rotating it in the "tighening" direction increases the force on the spring, requiting the bellows to be higher pressure (hotter) to have enough force to move the arm, resulting in a warmer cabinet. someone wrote 5-8-9. Could that imply May 8th, 1929? It sure could, especially if it's a form E machine. In 1930, the form F machines (short control, open-style evaporator) became all the rage.
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Post by csulaguy on Mar 30, 2019 15:53:07 GMT
Yup, this is a Type C control, pig evap. I still need to start linking some photos (only Travis and David have seen this and other MTs, because they're both friends on facebook).
I ended up adjusting the fiber wheel that the spring presses against. Now I'm finally able to keep things around 35-37, from when I check at random with my BK temp gauge. What I really need to do is put in a shelf and then a bunch of things in there (beer, bottled water, or something that absorbs energy), connect my Watts Up Pro, and that cheap Chinese temp/humidity sensor (called InkBird on Amazon), and see what temperature and actual run times look like. I didn't change the door insulation, though I meant to. I've noticed the door does feel noticeably colder than the rest of the cabinet, but I ran out of time. Not sure if I'll have the time today, but I want to replace it with foam board, with pink fiberglass along the sides. I also forgot to put some foam weatherstripping on the top, to seal everything in, but this was supposed to be a quick fix to get rid of most of the rust and get this entire unit indoors, now that I know it works.
The previous owner was impressed with it so far, since it never worked when she owned the house it was in, and she asked whether I was selling it or keeping it. I told her I'm keeping it and going to cherish this, as I'd wanted a DR2 for a while. It ain't going anywhere anytime soon!
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Post by csulaguy on Mar 30, 2019 15:55:10 GMT
Sounds like it’s working pretty well then. I can’t remember which way up or down you rotate the knob to make it colder. The cover should say. Also, I wish I knew what those marks meant. That’s neat. On the note of marks, David has a CA (in which the motor is not repairable) disassembled. Underneath the deck, someone wrote in pencil - "Hey Lisa, how is Olga." Most of the marks I've seen were mostly numbers, but some fingerpainted numbers on the cabinet grease, or stamped numbers on CA/CK insulation. Usually, you see some kind of red pencil on DR insulation (I have a lot of that now - 3 DRs' worth that I need to find a use for).
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Post by csulaguy on Jun 2, 2019 20:49:17 GMT
Update - I noticed that my DR-2's overload tripped a few weeks ago. I had put some tire weights to the start winding relay and one of the weights came off. I just used the adhesive on the weights themselves, but I'll probably use a glue gun or some sort of epoxy for a more permanent solution, now that I know this allows it to switch back to the running winding within a second or less. Version 2 of the tire weights involved having about 1/2 to 3/4 of an ounce, instead of 1/4 ounce originally.
My friend Hank was also gracious enough to give me a spare freezing block, which now happily sits in the evap (and only needs a tray of ice to compliment it). I'm leaning towards making this fridge a full time beer/Body Armor fridge (what I've been using it for anyways).
On a side note, with a sarcastic whine to it, "Thanks a lot Travis for getting me into DRs..." Yup, I now have 5 that work, 1 that partially works, and 2 DR-1s that don't work, and as much as I love my CKs, I kinda prefer my DRs.
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