USS-8-64 - need opinions

[dylaninwv]

Ok guys, need some opinions here.

Down to the last part of this machine, the cooling. Here's the deal - and please forgive me, I'm an electronics and mechanical guys, and a neophyte at heating/cooling stuff:

Cavalier USS-8-64 - original R-12 compressor and thermostat. Thermostat is set at 1. Plug the machine in, and I hear a fan going (which I'm assuming is the evaporator fan?). After a little bit, you can hear a click, then what I assume is the compressor fan kicks on. Machine gets down to the 34-36 degree fridge range, and then that secondary fan kicks off. For a few hours, that secondary fan kicks on and off - still maintains temperature.

On a warm day (like yesterday, said secondary fan runs constantly - all day long - but the internal temperature never changes - it stays in that range, even with that fan running. I do however see a little bit on condensation build up on the glass door. OR, it will do it even on a colder day if said secondary fan is running for a long length of time.

Please see the below Youtube video link for what I am describing. The secondary fan that I am describing kicks on at 12 second mark.

So, is that the actual compressor that's running all day? Or is that just some kind of recirculating fan that runs all the time anyway and the compressor is really turning off behind the scenes since the temp never drops? Changing the thermostat requires pulling the compressor out of it, and I didn't want to go that route yet in case it's something else. Any thoughts? Sorry if I sound stupid - but as I said, heating/cooling is not my forte.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihLWECJvRlU&feature=youtu.be

[ajf5577]

That louder noise that comes on is the compressor itself. The evaporator fan runs all the time, as will the circulating fan inside the machine. It sounds pretty loud unless you have it amplified for the video. The temp seems to be constant. Did you have your cooling guy look at yet?

[dylaninwv]

He did, and from what he said (as well as Eric at Globalcompressor) since it's such a tight fit, you have to take the compressor out just to change the thermostat. So he wasn't really able to check anything, since he couldn't get at where the end of the temperature probe attached to the shroud.

So far, most of the opinions are to A) replace the thermostat (which requires taking the compressor out) and changing the main door seals and the glass door seals. Which is fine - just wanted to get everyone second and third opinions on that being the best way to proceed.

[ajf5577]

The seals needing attention are what is causing the condensation inside the machine. I would go with what the pro's told you on the compressor. If the temp stays constant in the machine, why do you want to change the thermostat at this point? ( due to the labor involved)

[dylaninwv]

Thermostat I already have - even with the work involved, pros opinions are to just go ahead and change it, even with the work involved.

Gasket-wise, looking at Fun-Tronics website, not 100% sure which gaskets to get for the bottle door and the main door, since they dont specifically have the uss-8-64 listed. Suggestions?

[MoonDawg]

     No no no, everything sounds fine, and all Cavaliers are loud. Don't worry yet!
     But why is your thermostat set at 1?   Set the dial to 3, close the door and enjoy your machine.
     (The compressor does not have to be removed to change the t/s)

[ajf5577]

Give Fun-tronics a call and ask. They have probably addressed this issue already.

Follow Glens advice on the refrigeration aspect.

[dylaninwv]

    No no no, everything sounds fine, and all Cavaliers are loud. Don't worry yet!
     But why is your thermostat set at 1?   Set the dial to 3, close the door and enjoy your machine.
     (The compressor does not have to be removed to change the t/s)

Ok, thanks. Will do. What is the trick then to changing it? Where it attaches is all the way in the rear, and looks like it's coiled up. removed the shelfs, then the shroud?

[dylaninwv]

A little follow up,

Was 75 here yesterday. Machine running all day with the same sound of the fan running. Temp inside of door was 41 degrees with thermostat set at 1. Set thermostat at 3. After an hour of two was back down to 32. Checked the bottle door seal, it does seem flat to me and still condensation on the glass. I went ahead and ordered a new seal for the door from Funtronics. Heres another small vid of the sound of the fan motor running with the door open:

https://youtu.be/KJDpPUVO6t8

So, will need to wait for the door seal, in the meantime....I know these seem like dumb question, but if someone could answer them, it would put my mind at ease:

A) Is that just an extremely noisy fan, or is it really the compressor running all the time?
B) Should I look at replacing the fans and their motors?
c) If the compressor really is running all the time, will it burn out quick, or what kind of hit am I looking at for my AC bill?

[MoonDawg]

        That is too loud!   Try the 'Rag in the fans" trick.

        With the machine unplugged, stick a rag into the upper and lower fan blades. Plug in the machine and you should only hear the compressor.
Pull one rag at a time to pinpoint the worst noise.
        Especially watch for copper lines rubbing, or metal to metal touching somewhere and vibrating when the compressor runs.

[ajf5577]

Sounds like something is loose. That rattling sound is not usual. Are your circulating fans secure and running true?

You may find that after you replace the seals, the compressor may not run as much.  I don't think that these suck up as much electricity as the (new) sales people make you think. They need to have some method of selling new appliances.

[dylaninwv]

I will need to wait to get everything apart to check which fan and what is loose.

In the meantime, just checked it. Temp was down to 29. Turned off and back on, and set thermo to 2. Noisy fan stoped, and came back on in about 10 mins.

[ajf5577]

Dylan,
Let's segregate some sounds. The "fans" will sound like a regular fan, unless they are loose or hitting something.

I think what you are describing as a "noisy fan" is the compressor. It's supposed to come on and off. Makes a slight grinding noise. The "fans" should just be blowing along and stay on all of the time. One down by the compressor, and one inside the machine to move the cooled air around. The access to these fans should be fairly easy.

What we were hearing with the door open was a rattling noise like one of the "fans" we're vibrating, or some other metal parts were vibrating. As Glen said, the Cavaliers can be noisy runners, but in your first video we didn't hear anything out of the ordinary.

Get the door gaskets installed and keep us in the loop.

[MoonDawg]

       The lower fan motor will cycle on and off with the compressor.

[ajf5577]

Correct, my bad.

[dylaninwv]

Thanks for the input guys. This is helping tremendously.

Door gasket is in Fedex, should have it in a couple days.

My assumption is that the evap/circulating fan runs all the time(which seems to be quiet) and the compressor fan keeps running even if the compressor shuts off? That is what it is acting like. Otherwise I assume, if the compressor was actually running, it will be a lot colder than 30 degrees. Either way, Ill post up what happens after I get the new door gasket.

[SodaShopNick]

Not an expert, but evaporator fan should run all the time to keep the air circulating.  The condenser fan only runs when the compressor is on.

[dylaninwv]

Just an update...

New bottle door gasket came in (thanks FunTronics!). Haven't had a chance to put it in yet. Will try this weekend.

Weather wise, we got back down into the 30's-40's. Had it plugged in yesterday, and condenser fan was not running constantly, and machine held temp around 36 degrees with thermo set at 2. It's supposed to be colder for a few days, so I will leave it plugged up to see if the condenser fan kicks on and off at regular intervals and holds temp like it should. More info to follow.

In the meantime, looking at the bottle door (or they call it, port gasket, part 7) per the schematic, it's held in place by being sandwiched between the main door (part 1) and the port assembly (part 37) and held in place under tension via machine screws. I am hoping that all I have to do to change it is unscrew, pull the old gasket out, shove the flanges of the new gasket back into said gap and re-screw? Or does it require the the back half of the door to be taken off completely, to get at the port assembly?

[BeaYoung]

You're making progress!

[MoonDawg]

       Just remove the screws and remove the old one. Do your best to stretch the corners fully when re-installing.

[dylaninwv]

Awesome, thanks guys!

[dylaninwv]

So, time for an update....

New door gasket is in. Finally. For posterity purposes, a few notes on changing the door seal gasket on a USS-8-64:

The original door gasket has a small molded lip that fits over the edge of the port assembly (part 37 on the schematic). After all the screws have been removed, pulling this out of here is very difficult due to this lip. Also, my seal had a fair amount of black mildew stains on it, so it's a bit messy.

The replacement seal from Funtronics does not have this lip, just a flat flange. Getting this flange into that extremely narrow gap is very difficult - I found using a couple of butter knives to make the gap larger and work the flange into the gap worked out the best. Even that though is a mess. Taking the whole door apart may or may not have been the better option.

So, gasket is now replaced. However, since the new gasket is not quite as compressed as the old one, the door tends to "bounce back" by about a 1/32 of an inch. I know that the glass door is adjustable - however a previous owner stripped some screws and also has the door to the far end of the holes, so no adjustment there.

For right now, I have a piece of cardboard in the gap between the glass door and the door frame to keep it fully shut against the gasket. I am thinking of using a cabinet door magnet as a long term solution o solve the door issue.

As for sealing though, it's sealed great now - thermo on 3, and the compressor cycles just like it should and temp holds at 34, with no condensation on the glass door. It's hard to make a judgement, as it's still in the 20-40s here, so I'll have to wait for a warm day to make a firm judgement.

[dylaninwv]

Further status.....

Hard to judge due to the Polar vortex - temps have been in the low 20s to low 40s. We did however has one day up to 51, and I did notice a very small amount of condensation on the glass door, with maybe a little more usage on the condesner than normal. So I'm thinking main loading door seal now.

Below are some pics on the main door seal - it doesn't look too bad, but the access section for the wires looks a little funky to me. Thoughts anyone?

[jholmgren]

The area where the wires pass through is usually filled with a putty-like substance as a soft insulation.  When I refreshed my VMC44 I used plumber's putty.  You might want to take out the old, possibly petrified, stuff and replace it.  Cheap and easy.

Jim