How To Fix Common Wine Fridge Problems
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- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2024
- In this video I cover the three problems I've had over the years, such as cleaning the condensation drain, replacing the compressor start relay, and replacing the compressor control relay.
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction and discussion of common problems
1:57: Condensation drain (overview of the work)
7:02 Compressor Start Relay
10:42 Compressor Control Relay
15:26 Condensation Drain (details on the work) 
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Conan O’Brian does wine fridge repairs? Wow! Man of many skills!
Excellent
Thank you! Cheers!
Hi there, thanks for the video, it has been very helpful in my diagnosis process. Unfortunately, I still have not figured out what the problem is on my Cavavin V-87WBVC. The problem I am encountering is that my refrigerator is not cooling, but when I plug it in, the compressor is starting, the condenser coils are clean, and the condenser and evaporator fans are all running. After running the fridge for a few minutes (with the compressor definitely running) I hear a click from what I believe is a relay, but am unsure if that is possibly the problem. I'm also wondering if it could be a refrigerant leak which is causing very little refrigerant to run through the system, but I hear a gurgling noise when I open the refridgerator doors from what I believe are the evaporator coils. Do you have any suggestions on what to try or what could be the possible problem? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you very much for your helpful video.
Hmmm. Refrigerators are really not all that complicated. If the compressor is really running, then the coil on the outside (and also the compressor itself) should be getting hot, and the coils inside should be getting cool. If the compressor is running AND the coil on the outside is hot, but the coil inside is not cool then it could be a clogged "cap tube" or stuck "expansion valve". The fan may be masking important sounds so you can disable the fan temporarily, just so you can really clearly "hear" if the compressor is running or not. The click might be a thermal overload (if the compressor is not running) or it could be a high-pressure or low-pressure switch. A competent AC guy should be able to troubleshoot it.
Hello William. Excellent video, thank you. I have a similar fridge, although a smaller 56 bottle, that is not working. Everything checks out (relays ok, fans run, no weird leaks, etc) but the compressor does not turn on. It works when I test it direct to current, but the "system" isn't turning it on. The only thing I can think of is that the PC board is not working properly, or as you noted, the relay. It lights up and fans run but doesn't start up the compressor, and the start relay works. I don't (yet) see a gray box like you showed, but like I noted mine is smaller. Any advice or guidance?? THANK YOU!
If you have a volt meter you can check the voltage directly at the compressor itself. If it's not there, then something is in-line stopping it and you'll need to find out what and where. If there is voltage at the compressor and you hear it humming, then the problem would be the "starter" (could be a capacitor or thermistor, sometimes called "start relay").
Hi. Thanks for the video. I think my problem is the compressor control relay. Do you know what the specs to search for on that are? I know it’s a 12V relay and has 4 pins.
In my case, there were sufficient identifying numbers on the relay so I was able to find it online. I had to remove the relay from the board before I could see the numbers.
Yes, thanks. I found it that way too. I replaced and hopefully this will fix the problem. @@WilliamBennerJr
I have a question, I replaced both the overload and start relays, and my wine chiller s still doing the same thing, the compressor turns on, then clicks off after a moment, I filed down the female connections a bit but that didn’t help, any suggestions would be much appreciated.
If the compressor hums, then clicks off, that's the overload stopping so much current from flowing. The cause could be a seized compressor, or start capacitor (if there is one) or start "relay" (just PTC thermistor). If you're handy, you could replace the start "relay" with a hard-start kit (big capacitor that also has a PTC thermistor). Also, make sure you've really got the right start "relay" for the particular refrigerator you have.
I have a VinoTemp that runs and cools, gets to proper temp then after about 20 minutes the inside light shuts off and it stops working until I unplug and replug it back in. Then runs and cools for a bit then no power again. Is this probably a bad main control board.? I would not think a bad relay switch would cause the light to go out, but not sure. Thanks
Well so far I haven't found a wine refrigerator on which the light stays on. Normally you turn it on and it turns itself off after a while. (Wish it stayed on...) So I'm not sure the light is meaningful in this situation. Nevertheless if the compressor also turns off, then it seems like a problem with the power feeding the whole refrigerator (check the socket), or perhaps a fuse or something like that.
I have 250 bottles of wine so 124 white and 126 red so i was thinking to buy 2 wine coolers one single zone for red wine and the other double zone temperature for white and some red wine so
Which brands do you recommend from the best to the less favorite wine cooler?????
Vinotemp seems overpriced to me, at least these days. The last few I purchased were just from Lowes and we're quite happy with them. Basically generic brands.
Hello William. Great video but I don't see my problem
I have 2 Vinotemp VT300SS dual zones. Both have the same problem. Top zones get cold and the bottom zones do not. Set for 50 and 55 respectively. Tops get there, bottom stays at 63 and 61. So continuously running. Lower fan is working on both units. I put frozen food packages next to all 4 thermostats and after a minute or so both units shut off. I bought both units (used) in February 2024 and they worked in the beginning. They were manufactured in 2017 (according to the stickers on the back of the units). Little by little the bottom of both starting to climb and now sit at the 63 and 61. I put thermometers in each zone and they agree approximately same 50/63, 50/61. Strange both units almost exactly the same time with same problem. I unplugged one of the units to see if the electric draw from same wall socket was too much. After 2 days, no difference on the plugged in unit. Can you help please?
Thank you in advance, Jeff
Hmmm. That's very strange. If the compressor is constantly running, then I would think the innards would get very very cold. If not, then either there isn't enough refrigerant in the system so it's not cooling enough. Either that or you're effectively "leaking coolness" (heat leaking into the system), either because your environment is very hot, or because the gaskets aren't sealing well enough (the rubber around the doors). Here's a related question. Does the giant internal plate "evaporator coil" inside getting so cold that it ices up? If so, then your gaskets aren't sealing and that's the problem.
@@WilliamBennerJr Hi William.
Thank you for replying.
I had an appliance guy come over. He said the compressor was no good or it lost freon. I'm confused. I set the top zone as low as it goes (40degrees) I stopped it at 46 because I still had wine in it and didn't want the wine to get that cold. It would have gotten colder. And the zones are not completely sealed from each other so the top cold air would come down to the lower zone. How can it get so cold with low freon or compressor bad?
We did notice the bottom fan was not staying on. Only short burst on and off. Could it be the fan?, thermostat?, or temperature sensor? They want 1500.00 to replace the whole system for each unit. I'm not convinced the compressor is bad. What do you think? Again, both units have the same problem. Strange. The units are about 4-5 years old.
Thank you in advance, Jeff
@@jeffrantinella1345 Yes, I had an AC guy say the same thing about my units in the past. Definitely not the compressor or "lost freon" if one area remains cold. If it's a dual zone, then the fans inside which circulate the air from one part to another aren't working. You might be able to "hack it" by putting in your own fan, at least temporarily, just to demonstrate the problem or test the theory. If it does what I think it will, then the problem will either be a bad fan, or the controller that turns the fans on and off. You might call the company that made it (if you can get through to them) and have a discussion... See if parts are available, etc.
@@WilliamBennerJr Thank you so much. My thoughts exactly. These Vinotemp units are about 5 years old and they discontinued this Designer series. They are no help at all. They don't have any parts and they cannot even give me part numbers so I can try elsewhere.
I will figure it out.
Thanks again, Jeff