Eaton VIKING chest freezer 165318 A (?) not cooling

[jy999]

Hey everyone,

  I have an. OLD Eaton Viking chest freezer. I have been using it as a beer fermenting chamber so it's hacked up with extra connectors, etc., for my sensors and a PID controller to turn it on and off.

The freezer has stopped getting cold.. As in, it was on ALL day today and barely dropped 1c below the temp in the room.

- I have bypassed all my hacks and it's plugged straight into the wall. Thermostat set to coldest.

- The compressor starts, hums, and I can hear gurgling

I'm not sure what to check. There is no damage to the wiring, the motor turns on, and I can hear the flow.. so any advice would be very much appreciated. Given how old it is, I'm guessing I can't top up the refrigerant if that has leaked.. :( I've put a lot of TLC into this thing, I'd hate to chuck it.

THANKS!!

 

 

[jy999]

UPDATE: I pulled it open and confirmed (I think) that it's a static system with no coil fan setup. Also, there seems to be fluid leakage all over the place, which isn't good - and the motor online goes for $250. Looks like it's a new freezer for me.

(Also, there was a mummified mouse with dried maggots.. but no signs of mouse damage!)