Alpicool fridge/freezer Temp issues

[cherterr]

I cannot for the life of me, get my C 20 unit to get below 42°.?. It is a couple of years old and has the older readout panel. (Only used once).
  I’ve researched YouTube, this forum, and googled myself to death. I thought I had it all squared away last night, when I reset it to original factory settings.  (I know the readout & actual temp is not the same from reading)
  Nope. When I finally checked it this morning the thermometer I placed it it still reads 42 in the red zone.??
  I have E1 eco-ed and HHH’d it till I’m blue in the face.
  Help anybody else have this problem, and if so… how did you correct it?
 I’m about to chuck it in the trash can and start over.  
  Thanks, y’all. ??

 

[MotorVation]

I would try cleaning the coils. I don't know how you would go about it with that particular unit

 

[tx2sturgis]

Which scenario best describes your situation:

A. The compressor runs all the time, and the readout shows 42f and the seperate thermometer I'm using also shows about 42f, and I cant keep food as cold as it should be.

B. The compressor cycles normally, the readout shows 32f but the thermometer shows 42, and I can't keep food as cold as it should be.

C. The compressor cycles normally, the readout shows 32f, the thermometer is showing 42f, but the food is really quite cold.

D. The readout is not working at all, but the compressor is running (or not) and the thermometer is showing 42f, but its about 42f ambient here.

E. The compressor is not running at all.

F. Something else!

We really need more info to help you figure out what is going on.

 

[cherterr]

B .

 

[tx2sturgis]

Yep...possibly blocked or non-working fan, or coils inside that are frosted over, or condenser coils that are dirty or blocked, or maybe it's lost some refrigerant and/or the compressor or control board is failing... 

Check to see if your unit has a 'fail-safe' switch. It might be hidden somewhere. Look in the instructions to see if one is provided. 

A fail-safe switch on these units, if it has one, bypasses the control board and hard-switches the compressor to run ON all the time. 

Its to keep food or expensive medications from being ruined, at the expense of the compressor running all the time.

More expensive units sometimes have this feature...but yours might not.

 

[cherterr]

It seems to be ‘cycling’ fine, I hear compressor kick in. It runs about 8 min off, and 2 minutes on.
Guess I’ll just find a replacement- I like this model. Maybe the newer readout panel is better. I dunno.
I just want to make sure “I’m” not the problem, before $$
Thanks TX.
Do you have a suggested brand?
For the record- it seems to be getting warmer. Guess it knows I’m talking about it.

 

[hugemoth]

The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42

 

[tx2sturgis]

I would suggest a better quality unit.

Dometic, ARB, and Wynter are mid-range and decent. 

Engle and Luna are near top of the line.

 

[MotorVation]

In the manual for my Whynter, it suggests having the condenser coils cleaned by a professional as part of regular maintenance. That's not going to happen but maybe someday I'll take a crack at it myself. They're not exposed so the cabinet will have to be taken apart to get to it

 

[cherterr]

Just FYI , for those who were kind enough to answer:

I LOVED that little cheapie fridge, and decided to just donate the old one to a friend, and buy another one
This time, however, I went with a company who has customer service and sells lots of industrial strength type items. They just put their sticker and warranty on it and wa la-
Same new fridge, with updated control panel + better CS & warranty. Wheeee!
I’ve been waiting 5 days to plug it in. It was delivered sideways, so wanted to give it same amount of time to settle fluids as it took to get here.
Today’s the big day.

 

[ElroyPatrick72]

I don't know, it's a dubious idea to buy it on amazon