# DIY Question: keezer/ferm chamber combo



## Bruer (5/12/14)

Hi guys,

This is my first post so be gentle. I've been brewing lots of different things for a while now and finally made my first steps into all-grain brewing. I've began to realise that I hate bottling and I also need to better control my fermentation temps.

The solution is pretty obvious: I need a keg system and I need a fermentation chamber. What I'm wondering is can I get one set up to do both? 

I know I can use one standard (freezer on top) fridge or chest freezer to do both. Ferment at set temps (10 - 23°C), then bring the temp down to serving temps one fermentation is finished. Obviously, this is somewhat restrictive in that I can only either ferment or have a keg on the go (and when I tap the keg, I have to wait for the next brew finish before I have beer again).

One possible solution I have is to use a double door fridge/freezer and have both a ferm chamber and keg fridge simultaneously. This also means I don't need two fridges. But I'm not sure how to get one side to keg temp and the other side to ferm temps. I know than most fridge/freezers work by using the really cold air from the freezer to help chill the fridge part - so I'm thinking that the freezer would be the keg fridge and the fridge be the ferm chamber. 

The real problem is I have no idea how to do this. Using a typical brew computer (the one you plug the powrr cord through) is probably out, because this will effect both chambers. I'm thinking I'll have to control both thermostats separately or at least the exchange fan between the two sections of the fridge/freezer

Has anyone tinkered with this idea before. I know its just easier to get two fridges, but we're renting and space and power consumption are a bit of an issue (but will if if there is no work around).

Any ideas?


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## nosco (5/12/14)

I dont know for sure but at a guess I reckon it wouldnt be possible to control the temps to that degree on a dual fridge frezzer. But as you say fridges use cold air from the freezer to keep cold.
So depending on how good you are at diy I reckon you could make your own temp controlled ferm chamber that pumps cold air from a freezer. If you look at how peolpe make keezers with the coffin on top and also look up "swamp box/fridge?" Or something like that, that would give you an idea. 
Basically you would have have a keezer with its own temp cotroller on it and a collar. Pipe some cold air with some pvc pipe into the cold box for fermenting. You could use some of the 1" thick insulating foam to make it. Then have another temp controller hooked up to a fan on the fermenting/fridge box. When it needs cold it turns the fan on to pump in cold air from the freezer.

I have never seen it done so I dont know if its possible but thats how I would do it. It would depend on where you live and if its inside or outside too.


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## nosco (5/12/14)

Me personally I have a bar fridge and a freezer. Since they are both running warmer than normal temps they actually dont use that much power. I also modded the bar fridge to hold 2 fermenters.


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## MartinOC (5/12/14)

You've nailed the problem with combo fridge/freezers - you can't control the two chambers independently to a point where you can achieve the temps you want in each.

If I might make a suggestion (since you said space is at a premium), have you considered "stacking" bar-fridges (or at least one on top of a larger fridge)?

The upper one can be used & controlled as a fermentation chamber. Once you're ready to keg, you just "drop" the beer straight from the upper/fermenter into a keg in the lower (set-up & controlled independently as a serving fridge) & away you go. Re-load the fermenter in the upper "fermentation fridge". Constant supply of beer. 

The only drawback I see is having to lift a full fermenter into the fermentation chamber in the first-place, but you might be one of those big, burly types that thrives on physical exertion........

$0.02


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