drip drip drip drip drip drip drip drip drip

[KiaKat]

AUGH I'M GOING CRAZY

The wine fridge needs defrosting.

In order to defrost it, I have to unload it.

6' tall fridge (maybe more)

8 shelves

double-stacked bottles

two rows (front & back)

it ALL has to come out so the machine can be turned off and left overnight surrounded by towels.

I'm going to kill something.

[RestaurantDude]

Remain calm.

Breathe. In through the nose, out the mouth.

Relax... Think soothing thoughts.

[KiaKat]

I gave up, turned the damned thing off, and left the door open after pulling all the bottles from the bottom two shelves.

When it gets turned on again, it goes on NO LOWER than 50*F. That's IT.

New store rule. Because I'm not going through this again.

[RestaurantDude]

Do i need to say it again?

Remain calm.

Breathe. In through the nose, out the mouth.

Relax... Think soothing thoughts.

[pitmonkey]

Why would a wine cooler be any lower? I can't think of a wine you would want that cold.

[KiaKat]

Sparkling is supposed to be served at 45*F, whites at 45-55*F, depending on body, alcohol content, and intensity of flavour, and reds should be served at 50-60*F, again depending on the richness of the wine.

But it's perfectly fine to serve all of them at 50*F, if you're not a snob.

Fridge is refilled and on. Let's see if it's gonna make more trouble.

[Pimento]

I would recommend that you look at bottle placement. There will be fans in the back and sometimes stores pile so much crap in their coolers that it blocks necessary airflow.

There should also be a defrost timer that allows for a short defrost cycle to knock down some of the ice buildup. This would be located either in a panel, or on the unit with the fans (depending on if its walk in, walk behind or whatever type)

Also check to see if something is stopping the door from sealing

[KiaKat]

1. I'm very careful about not overloading the fridge. It's full, but the vents are unblocked.

2. HAH. You're assuming it's a commercial unit. Nope. It's a basic Avanti fridge that isn't intended for the heavy use we give it.

3. The seal was the first thing I checked. The compressor was the second (we had the compressor go on our previous unit).

It's just a crap fridge.

[Pimento]

1. I'm very careful about not overloading the fridge. It's full, but the vents are unblocked.

2. HAH. You're assuming it's a commercial unit. Nope. It's a basic Avanti fridge that isn't intended for the heavy use we give it.

3. The seal was the first thing I checked. The compressor was the second (we had the compressor go on our previous unit).

It's just a crap fridge.

Ooooh yeah, non commercial coolers cant handle the load you would need lol. Good luck

Maybe you could toast it and they'll get you a big fancy one :P?

[roothorick]

A refrigeration unit that's only maintaining 50F shouldn't be frosting over. Frost is frozen condensated water, as in, the coil surface temperature has to be somewhere below 32F for frost to form at all. If you're maintaining a cabin temperature of 50F, the cold coil should form at most a very thin layer that quickly melts when the compressor shuts off. There's something wrong with that fridge that needs some attention from a refrigerant specialist.

[KiaKat]

A refrigeration unit that's only maintaining 50F shouldn't be frosting over. Frost is frozen condensated water, as in, the coil surface temperature has to be somewhere below 32F for frost to form at all. If you're maintaining a cabin temperature of 50F, the cold coil should form at most a very thin layer that quickly melts when the compressor shuts off. There's something wrong with that fridge that needs some attention from a refrigerant specialist.

I know it'll eventually have the same problem the other fridge in the other store is having.

But I think I know what's causing it.

We haven't been keeping it at 50*F. We've been keeping it at 45*F. Add in the amount of time we spend opening and closing the door, and you have a compressor that is working overtime to keep it at that temp (ambient store temp is usually 65-70*F). So the coils are actually colder, and forming ice.

The frost is melting almost immediately. That's actually how I first noticed it, and what was causing the drip. Frost forms on the back of the fridge, hits the non-freezing air, and melts immediately. Just that the frost is forming faster than it can melt, so there's a bit of buildup.

*sigh* I guess I just don't want to have to tell Boss and Other Boss that we need a new fridge, right after they replaced the other one.

I TOLD them to get a professional one when our previous model went belly-up last year.

[Andara Bledin]

A refrigeration unit that's only maintaining 50F shouldn't be frosting over.

If the thermostat is far enough from the coils, it could put out a lot more cool than just the selected temperature in an attempt to get the temperature at the thermostat to go low enough.

^-.-^

[Chromatix]

Worse: ice is a pretty good thermal insulator. So once a layer has built up, it will stay until there's enough time for it to melt completely, and during that time it will be cooling the interior poorly.