Introduction
Our chest freezer is located outside and forms condensation inside the lid which freezes. The lid contains wiring for lights and switches and the ice surrounding the wiring harnesses causes trickle-currents which trips GFI breakers.
To repair it requires removing the inside plastic panel from the lid and thawing and removing the soaked fiberglass insulation batting (which just acts as a sponge for condensation).
The plastic panel is held on by push-in retainers which are destroyed by their removal. It is hard to find replacement retainers. AuVeCo makes a wide range of auto retainers and I think I've found the most suitable: AuVeCo #19149 which you can order from Fastenal with their SKU 11120582.
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The lid is a steel frame around a solid foam panel. The inside of the lid is a thin plastic molded cover held on with plastic push-in retainers (under the gasket). The plastic cover is too thin to be able to use metal screws as a replacement.
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The original retainers (white) and the replacements I found (black). The replacments are AuVeCo #19149: 3/8" head, 7/32" stem width, 5/8" length. Fastenal carries them with SKU 11120582 for a box of 50 (I needed 42).
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I removed the old fasteners by cutting the heads off with diagonal side-cutter and pushing the stems into the holes with a blunted nail. I pushed the new fasteners in with the back of a center-punch.
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3 comments
Hi. My Name Is Steven Gale From Arizona. The Lid For The Revco Floor Freezer That My Brother William Has Is: 5' (Five Feet) Long By: 2' 4" (28 Inches) Wide. The Retainer Clips In The Lid Are Metal. They Have All Fallen Out. The Lid Will Not Close Properly. The Insulation In The Lid Is Swollen With Moisture; And, Needs To Be Replaced. Please Tell Me Where I Can Get A Piece Of Replacement Insulation (I Am Not Sure If The Insulation Is Fiberglass; Or, Foam Rubber. It Is About 1 1/2" Thick); And, New Retainer Clips, Weather They Are Metal; Or, Plastic. Thanks.
Sincerely;
Steven Holliday Gale.
Today's Date: Friday, August 26, 2022.
10226 East Wood Avenue.
Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona, 85208.
The United States Of America.
My Cellular Telephone Number Is: 1 (480) 781-1460.
My Primary Email Address Is: adot5@hotmail.com.
My Secondary Email Address Is: mrstevenhollidaygaleesquire@gmail.com.
Time Out: 01:40 PM (01:40 Hours).
Please Help Me Out. Thanks.
To get rid of moisture I now remove the lid annually and let it bake in the sun for a couple days to thoroughly dry it out, turning and draining it after it thaws. (I put a black garbage bag over it to get it really hot). I bought a 2.5" rigid insulation slab (styrofoam) from the hardware store to place on top of the freezer while I do that -- 24" wide just barely covers ours (ours works fine with the lid electrical removed, but check your schematic).
Careful: the hinge springs are very powerful - I alternate 2 bar clamps to gradually compress or release each one at a time (with a block of wood at the front to keep the lid from sliding towards the back).
I've removed the pieces of fibreglass batt insulation from inside our lid (they always got sodden) and just rely on the rigid styrofoam inside the lid. I also applied silicone caulk to all exposed electrical connections inside the lid to try and prevent moisture from tripping the GFI breaker. It seems to be working (no GFI trips for years now).
Our fridge is turned on, it turns off only when it gets very cold, now it turns off without getting cold, and then it turns on by itself, and there is no chilled coal.