Hey all. I was luck to pick up a broke Vinotemp vt-28teds off cl for a cigar and a couple 20's, and I am wanting to convert it over to a humi for my (eventual big) collection.

So it doesnt cool. all things point to the peltier/cooling unit, and I read somewhere you can replace just the peltier device for about $20 but im not sure how. The alternative is to replace the whole cooling unit for $50+ from the company.

Any ideas on what to do?

this is what im looking at, and im trying to figure out if the big block is the thermostat sensor or what.

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If you live in a hot environment and need cooling and do not like freezing your cigars. Then maybe the 50 bucks is worthwhile. Then again, maybe someone here knows more about this kinda stuff lol.

Cool grab tho, have fun with it. If you live in a cooler environment, you might be able to get by without the cooling unit.
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nah, here in the deep south. hell, today it was 73 outside...
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The big block is the electromagnetic side of the peltier coil.
If you truly desire to fix it, there's a huge wealth of information on peltier units on the web. You can have a decent understanding in 15 minutes.
You'll find that a peltier coil is designed to lower temperature a maximum of 15 degrees below ambient, and a vinotemp in the deep south needs to be kept in an air conditioned environment or it flat out wont work for your purposes.
I just mention that because lots of guys think they're a fridge and can't figure out why they won't cool and why they can't control humidity in them when their house is 80 degrees or more. They just run themselves to death, which is probably what happened to this one.
Before you throw money at it, read up and make sure you can give it a suitable environment. You'll be a lot happier in the end. :-)
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oh itll be cool enough here, year round. one thing this house doesnt get is hot. im fat, cant deal with that.....
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I would recommend buying the cooling unit from Vinotemp for the $50. It comes along with all three fans as well so you can use the ones that were on the original as backups if you ever need to replace them as well.

I went this route for mine and feel it was well worth it.
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