Keezer Lifespan

Hi everyone,

I’m assuming that the more frequent on/off cycle in a chest freezer holding beer at serving temperatures will reduce the lifespan of the machine.

Anyone have any insights into this? How long are you going on your keezer builds?

(Yes, I’ve got my temp controller set to avoid cycling on/off too frequently)

Thanks!

I probably shouldn’t respond. I’m on my third freezer in 2 years. But to be fair, the first two were ancient. The third one is a new freezer and seems OK so far. I did have all the anti-cycling settings on the first two but I think they were just old enough that they couldn’t handle it.

It certainly made me gun shy before forking out cash for a new freezer!

I built my 7.2 cu ft in Aug 2009 with an almost new chest freezer - 3 years ago - and I keep it with a one degree differential at 33F, with the temp controller probe hanging in the air mid-chamber. It still runs like a champ. I did fit a piece of 1/4" plywood over the compressor hump to distribute the weight of two full cornies on top of it, which was helpful to the compressor. And it helps that it is in the basement with a pretty steady ambient room temp that fluctuates only between 62 - 70F through a year. Also, my lid seal is good which is important for longevity.

I’ve had mine for about a year now. I’ve been using the same keezer for my fermentation chamber and later for serving the beer. Recently I decided to buy another chest freezer for a dedicated fermentation chamber. This will help me brew more frequently and keep a stead stream of beers in the pipeline.

I’m just hoping that I don’t burn them out!

I use a separate old 18 cu ft refrigerator for my ferment chamber, since it will hold two buckets. Easier to put buckets and carboys in and take them out in a fridge than a chest freezer. Also for storing cases of carbonating bottles. They are more of a hassle to find in good shape and transport though, and use more energy/cost more to run than a new chest freezer.

I got eight years out of my first one. Probably didn’t help that it spent its life in a Texas garage.

I have been using an avocado green fridge from 1975 for the last 3 years. It was a free Craigslist score, and it works like a champ. To top it all off it live outside on the back porch. They don’t make them like they used to :mrgreen: