Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Yup, I forgot that stuff. My brain death is acting up. :)
Back on point...
Have you checked it with more than one thermometer, and what kind are you using?

Ya know, I retrofitted one of these and turned it into a drinks fridge and it gets so cold I have to watch it doesn't freeze the stuff. I used to keep it on my back porch, then I put it in the office, and now I'm gonna put cigars in it.

I wish I could see more of the inside back of your unit.
I just want to know more about the temp control that's in it. Seems like the sensor lead (the part that reads the temp, I'm lost for the word right now) is buried?

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I have a couple, one a decent one (I think) and one a cheapo from Walmart. Here are some pics and it does appear that the temp probe is hidden at least from the inside:

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...9f230df92f.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...ED85E412EA.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...80BFA5F8B7.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...07ED635A60.jpg

And here's a little diddy I did a couple years ago for the people who keep us free. It was in the same bunch of pics on photobucket and I though it would bring something besides the drudgery of this thread. LOL

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...e_20110804.mp4

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

The thermometers didn't match in the photo cause I took them out a little apart

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Okay, buddy. Awesome tune, by the way. :tu

Ima need to look up that control. It's blowing my mind.
That top thermometer/hygrometer, you should probably stomp that. The caliber is a good one. I'd still feel better if you had a plain, old fridge thermometer.
Does the woman have one of those thermometers hanging on her fridge shelf? I doubt it, those went the way of the dinosaurs when they invented glass shelves.

This is a good type of thermometer for temperature, and they're cheap...
Nevermind, I just sent you a couple via Amazon. They'll be there Wednesday. :tu

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Well you didn't have to do that, I was already thinking when I go to the big city today I could pick one up, but there is no need now. Thanks a ton and I will get them in there soon as I get them.:tu

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

My pleasure, brother. :tu

I can't find a schematic for the Model LFWC35F4LB, or a parts breakdown.
I need Adam. T.G. Adam, not chocolate pudding Adam.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Okay the new and improved thermometers came in today. But I am two hours and twenty minutes from getting off from a 38 hour shift. I get home at almost 11 pm, go to bed and get up at 7 am for another 24 hours. So I will put them into the fridge tonight and will update what happens on Friday.:tu

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I got home this morning and with the thermometers Shilala sent me the temp is settled in at around 58 degrees. The good thing is the temp matches the thermometers that I already had in there. The Walmart cheapo is about 2 degrees off from the hygro and the two Shilala sent. Maybe that means when I get the other drawers and the shelf back in it, it will help it a little more.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Checked again and it goes down to about 51 degrees when it cycles then up to around 58.

That's better than 43 though.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I don't know anything about that thermostat, so we'll just have to see what happens once you load it up.
58 wouldn't be awful, but it's too cold for me. It'd be okay for me if I had a regular humi on top and moved "smokes I was going to smoke" up there to warm.
I always smoke out of my travel humidors, so it would be fine, I suppose.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

If it don't get a little warmer I will probably do the temp control. I hope to get it to at least mid 60s.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Okay so I got the other drawers back today. I now have all of them in (5) and am now going to wait and see what it stabilizes at and go from there.

Calling TG calling TG. Adam, Scott says you are the man as far as getting good prices on temp controls. If I have to buy one, ballpark what are we talking about?

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I have tried and tried to get the temp set and I can't get it to go high enough. I am going to send a PM to T.G. and see where to get a temp control from.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Is this what I need? I am awaiting Adam's reply but plundering around on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Contro...ure+controller

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

This was kinda on the backburner for the last while. Had life get in the way with lots of crap. Anyway Adam has suggested a few temp controls and I will be getting a Johnson A419 digital. Since the temp won't go above mid 40s I gotta get it up. There is also a condensation problem as well. The condensation builds up in the bottom of the evaporator to the point that if I don't wipe it out once every couple weeks it will spill over into the bottom. No cigars are getting wet or anything,, because I keep it wiped out and keep the drawers pulled toward the door so they aren't as close to the condenation as they would be pushed all the way in.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Update: I ordered and received the Johnson Temp control. Since I already had the wire for the three fans running up through the drain hole, I figured I would run the temp probe the same way. When I pulled all the drawers out and looked at the back where the drain comes out, the drip pan (sits on top of the compressor) was kinda in the way. It pops off, so I removed it. The temp probe still wouldn't go up in the drain tube. I could tell by looking at the drain from the inside that it has an insert that makes the drain smaller. I took a pair of pliers with a screw driver handle and gently tapped the drain from the bottom and it came loose on the inside and I removed it. That made the drain hole just big enough that I could run the temp probe up through it. I'm going the seal it up with the electricians putty that Shilala recommended. It is scheduled to be delivered today. I set the temp at 65. I have never used a temp controller before so I asked a couple more questions of TG and he has answered them and I thank him for his recommendations and help choosing the temp controller and his help in the settings.

I have the setting for the setpoint at 65 F. There is also a setting for differential and as TG explained it that is the temp that it will go to below the setpoint before it cuts the fridge off. The differential comes defaulted at 5 degrees. So with the setpoint at 65 with a differential of 5 it will go down to 60 degrees before it cuts off. TG explained that if you have the differential too close to the set point it will cycle the compressor too often and for very short periods leading to premature failure of the comoressor, so he said 5 is good. I am waiting for the thing to stabilize since it was empty for an hour or two while i was working on it and will update soon.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Also got the electricians putty in today and went and plugged up the drain from the top and bottom.:tu

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I meant to point out that when I cleaned the siliconized crap outta the drain, it didn't ever cure all the way inside and it came out goopy. I will forevermore never use any of that again and will use the Shilala endorsed electricians putty as it doesn't set up and stays pliable. I wold think that if I ever have to unplug it and replug it would be easy to do with the putty. I am also thinking of setting the set point a little higher than what I have it at. Any suggestions on what to put it at? Thinking bout putting the set point at 68 or 69, and that would mean it would cut out at 63 or 64 respectively.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

The problem with 68 or 69 degrees F, is that you are basing the cut-out on the temp around the sensor. If another area of the humidior is higher, or the sensor is out of calibration and reading low, then you have an area, or possibly the entire humidor, that is running at 70-something.

65 gives you a nice margin of error / buffer.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Adam, I was hoping you would reply since you already told me that when we were messaging. I went back last night and re-read the whole thread. I saw where Shilala posted that he always kept his set at 72. Was hoping he would post too and give us a couple of reasons why. I will probably leave mine where it is since it seems to be a little warmer in the bottom. I know common sense says that hot air rises, and I am sure you and Scott can both explain the physics of it better than I know. I have learned that when we are dealing with these humidors, vinos and such it isn't always gonna act like it's supposed to. Thanks for all your help too.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Here are a few photos of the humi now that I have the temp control in and it's been going for about 4 days, I think it's starting to settle in. I also bought a Taylor Thermometer because it popped up when I bought the temp control on Amazon and even though the one's that Shilala gave me work great this one is bog enough that my old eyes can see without squinting too much. I am using the two that Shilala gave me in the bottom and top. And as you can see it's warmer in the bottom that in the top. You can't see it in the pictures but the temp sensor for the controller is in the top of the unit right behind the light fixture. So the readings that you get are from the very top of the unit.

I think I forgot to mention that I got some cannisters from Michael to put my beads that I got from Shilala, they are the pencil eraser kind.


http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...B660BFDA4F.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...7B040ECE27.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...DEAAC45B72.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...7854AAA661.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...6DC6EA3E2A.jpg

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...79B5D97B31.jpg

The humidity is hanging in around 59 or 60 %. I calibrated the hygrometer when I started all this so I think I will do it again.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Looks good brother !!!!!

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Thanks Alfredo.

I salt tested the Caliber III hygro, well actually it's still testing. It went to about 66% pretty quickly and this morning it was reading 66% and 74.2 degrees. I think I may need to get another one. Anyone have any recommendations? I hate buying hygros because I have never had one that really worked accurately for me.

Does anyone know how much the temp affects the humidity? I mean is there a scale you can apply? For instance if it's 75 degrees and 75% then if it's 70 degrees will it be x amount %.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

The Humidity is Relative to the temperature, that's why they call it relative humidity, meat.
There's no chart, because it's not a direct relationship.
Anyways, it looks like you're right where you want to be!!!
Congratulations!!! :tu

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Okay Scooter, I knew it was RELATIVE, hence why i asked it it was somewhat predictable. LOL. I was thinking about buting a new hygrometer but I prolly won't. Just let it sit and only open it when I want a cigar and just let it be. Thanks.:tu

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I was curious about the fact that it seems to be backwards from usual reality in the fact that it's warmer in the botton than in the top.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Just ordered a boveda calibration kit for $7.95 shipped on Amazon. I don't believe I have ever really gotten the salt test at the right dampness.:td

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I have two thoughts on that, both SWAGs

1) Poor air circulation in the cabinet.
2) The compressor motor is at the bottom of the enclosure and the insulation is allowing some heat from it to pass into the cabinet.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I'm not sure Adam. I know that the fans are blowing the air around pretty good on the back wall of the unit. You can feel it all the way to the bottom. The second part is true the compressor is underneath the bottom rear of the unit so that is probably the culprit.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

You know what SWAG means, right? I don't put much stock in those ideas, even though I presented them.

Scientific Wild Ass Guess.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

It's funny you should ask. I didn't but bing didn't either. It said it means Secretly We Are Gay. I didn't think that's what you meant LOL. THEN I FIGURED IT OUT. SIMPLY WILD A&& guess. In matters pertaining to humis your guess is better than mine. :r

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I missed the scientific part in the above post. LOL

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Okay, so the wife messages me and tells me that the boveda pack came in the mail today. I will have to wait til tomorrow to check the hygrometer with it because I am at work until 8 am in the morning.

I did make a small change. Before I got the temp control I had an awful amount of cendensation that was building up in the drain area. It would build up so much that I had to dry it out every week because if I didn't it would have eventually spilled over. Shilala assured me that when I got the controller that it would have less condensation and it did. With the temp set at 65 and a differential of 5 the temp controller would shut off at 60. With this temp there was still some condensation, not as much as previolusly but enough that I didn't like it. I changed the temp to 67 so that it cuts off now at 62. There is very little condensation if any. With this small change the temps are almost uniform through the interior. It gets up to around 68 or 69 in the bottom where it seems to be warmest with the middle and top being right where it's supposed to be.

I knew how it worked from talking to Shilala. I was kinda surprised how much of a swing in the humidity you observe when it cycles or when the door is opened. The humidity will drop to the high 40s or low 50s when it cycles and it happens very quickly as well as when you open the door. It also rebounds right back up to where it should be very quickly when it cycles off. Shilala says it's perfectly the way it is supposed to work.

I hope Shilala doesn't mind me sharing his text, but here is his words on the subject:

That's exactly what it's supposed to do.
The water in the air collects on the evaporator, which is the back wall.
Then your fans dry that off and return it to the air.
Instantaneous readings really mean nothing.
You want a net aggregate.
If, when it's not running and the back is dry, your rh reading is around what you want it, you're done.
If you want to test that RH point, turn the compressor off.
See what it says after a few hours.
You don't need to do any of this because you already know it's okay, plus you don't have it filled.
In short, you're all good, stud!!!

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Now you just gotta fill the thing up.
Like I said, if you don't have enough boxes of cigars, fill it up with something.
Lots of guys use plain old boxes with wadded paper in them.
I think I mentioned I'd go beyond that, but only because you have more than plenty of beads. The paper and boxes is a good idea if a guy needs to hold a bit of extra water vapor, but I don't like chance of a box getting pushed back against the evaporator, getting wet, and molding.

Rubbermaid bowls full of water or sand WITH THE LIDS ON are a great idea. That's a great heat sink that'll help your unit stabilize quickly when it cycles.
That's essentially because once they're to temp, they just stay that way. All you're really cooling is the air.
By filling the unit, you vastly decrease the volume of air you need to cool, effectively decreasing the cycle time AND amount of water that gathers on the evaporator.

I can't stress enough that readings a guy gets when the unit is empty (or mostly empty) are almost worthless. They're useful to predict the final result of the project, but in no way reflect how the unit is going to cycle when it's full. Not even remotely.
But when a guy understands all the things going on, those numbers are a great help in telling if settings and fan direction and amount of beads are close.
I can tell Greg with complete confidence that he's good to go.
All he needs to do is get everything ready for the long haul by filling her up.

This has taken forever, but it's been fun.
Greg mentioned to me that he has about 200 bucks in this unit.
It will last a lifetime, literally. Plus it has tons more space than his previous broken almost new winador.

It's long been said that guys can't use compressor driven units for winadors.
Here's about the 20th one I've taken part in or built myself.
So that little piece of knowledge can be filed with the "woosh test" which is equally wrong. :D

I sure hope this helps guys along!!! :tu
Thanks for all the help, Adam!!!

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

It has been fun and I say thanks to Shilala for all the answered texts and aggravation I put him through. Also thanks to Adam as well for the messages and pointing me to the right temp controller. Thanks for anyone else that has added to this project.

I would also say that with the vino it was always struggling to keep the temps cool enough in the summer since I live in Florida. With this unit that is no longer a problem at all.

I also think when I get the hygro calibrated I doubt very seriously I will worry about it too much, since we know the efficiency of the beads to be almost perfect I doubt I will have to mess with it for years.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Just an update: I got the boveda calibration pack. Put the hygro in it and let it sit for about 30 hours. It was steady at 71, which means it's reading about 4 points low. Took it out of the pack and put it back in the humi. It is reading around 64 or 65, which means my humidity is a little higher than I would like at 69%. I think I will just leave it for now and see what happens as I add more cigars to it, or maybe use a couple of Shilala's ideas to take up space in it. I like this setup tons better than I ever did the vinotemp.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Done already?...seems like only 4 months ago that you started this project!!...congrats Double G...lets see some finished pics!

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Keith, since cigars don't fall out of it when I open the door I am hesitant to post pics because someone might think I don't have it full enough. LOL I already posted some and it don't really look any different than the last one's. Just getting the humidity and hygro, and the temp control all dialed in. It has been a long project but it was fun. I always have fun when I am working with Scott, even though it's probably not fun for him. :r

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Just a quick update after a couple months.

I haven't filled it up yet although I have a pretty fair amount of cigars in it. As stated above my hygro is reading about 4 points low. It is usually pretty steady at reading around 64 to 66%. Basically it's at 68 to 70% according to the boveda pack I calibrated with. I finally decided I don't care. It's doing great with pretty big swings when the unit cycles, but that's to be expected. It rebounds very quickly when it shuts off. The cigars smoke fine and burn even so I aint stressing worrying about the humidity NO MO. LOL

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

Just figured I would post an update since it has been a while now. This thing is rock solid and never changes. With the temp control the temp is rock solid and the humidity never changes. I don't even pay it much attention anymore since it's so stable. I would definitely recommend going this route if you ever get the chance.

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

I told ya it'd work.
If anyone has any questions in the future, just pm Greg.
If you need his number, pm me. :D

Re: Shilala's Perfect Frigidaire Wine Fridge How To
 

haha, I will definately be willing to help. Scott put up with all kinds of stupidry from me and answered all my questions.