Adding a port between Freezer and Fridge

[brente1982]

So ive mentioned in another topic that my old fridge sucks at reaching really low temperatures that might be required for lagering. And what im wondering is whether or not i could cut part of the wall out between the bottom of the freezer and the top of the fridge and put vents on either side that would allow me to reach lower temps aided by my temperature controller???

Ive attached the pics below to show my setup and am interested on peoples thoughts.
Obviously it would then render the fridge freezer combo useless apart from brewing, which is ok by me as thats all it was mainly used for and when it wasnt the freezer would be the only thing used when our upright was at exploding point.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

What you need to do is determine if there are cooling pipes runing between the 2 compartments. What you need to do is defrost and totally dry the freezer compartment. Then turn it on empty and let it get cold. When cold put a bowl of hot water in there and close it up. What you should notice is ice will form or at least water will condense near where the pipes run. If ice forms on the back wall but not the bottom you should be able to cut a hole thru to the fridge. If it freezes on thr bottom your fucked.

For best performane cut 2 holes and put in 2 small computer fans. Make sure one blows and one sucks so you get good air circulation

 

[MartinOC]

Three thoughts (& in no particular order):

1. If there are cooling pipes in the bottom of the freezer/top of the fridge compartment, you'd run the risk of piercing the pipes, which will render the whole combo. useless.

2. Freezers work most efficiently when they're full. At the moment, it seems you're pushing the freezer to chill nothing but air, so it keeps trying to prioritise it's cooling to the freezer section & failing. Have you tried putting bags of ice in the freezer section to give it something to "work-on"? Once the unit detects that the freezer space is at it's designed optimum temperature (-18C), it will channel it's cooling efficiency to the main compartment.

3. I just noticed that it looks like you've got a heat pad inside the main compartment, so the fridge/freezer combo isn't going to work like it normally would anyway. Usually, all the cooling power goes to the freezer compartment as a priority & then draws cold air from that into the main compartment, but you're trying to heat it with the heat pad. You're confusing the thermostats inside the fridge & freezer & getting a poor result that will just chug power.

Can you get hold of a dedicated (ie. fridge-only) unit & just use your fridge/freezer combo as a kegerator/hops/excess food freezer? The freezer compartment could still be used for frozen food etc. & the combo would then work more efficiently, like it was actually designed to.

 

[brente1982]

3. I just noticed that it looks like you've got a heat pad inside the main compartment, so the fridge/freezer combo isn't going to work like it normally would anyway. Usually, all the cooling power goes to the freezer compartment as a priority & then draws cold air from that into the main compartment, but you're trying to heat it with the heat pad. You're confusing the thermostats inside the fridge & freezer & getting a poor result that will just chug power.

They are 2 separate compartments and don't work like new fridge/freezer combos in that their are already dedicated vents to channel cold air from the freezer to the fridge. And as for the heat pad, i run a dedicated temperature controller, that will only have either the fridge/freezer on or the heat pad on at any one time. So the fridge/freezer wont be running at the same time the heat pad is. Once it is within the specified temperature range i have set, both often sit unpowered for quite some time.


As for other comments regarding cooling pipes in the bottom of the freezer, i hadn't thought of that and will definitely have to do some research into it to work out where they are located.

 

[Truman42]

I doubt if you will have an evaporator plate in between the freezer and the fridge. Much easier to put them at the back like the one in the fridge.
Try Ducati boys suggestion to check for it though and then you can mount a fan or two to draw air from the freezer.

 

[brente1982]

Or I might just get pick up a cheap upright freezer could probably almost work out cheaper in the long run

 

[Camo6]

I use an upright freezer I got off ebay for $90. Fits four bunnings 30l fermentors (just) and allows me to ferment then crash chill to sub zero temps if necessary. Just make sure to get one where all the shelves are removable and have no evaporator coils through them.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

I'd do what Ducatiboy Stu suggested. A way to be doubly sure/cautious would be to drill through a block of timber and use it as a chock which allows just the tip of a drill bit to poke through, and use that to drill through just the plastic skin of the fridge/freezer wall. Then have a poke around with a piece of wire to check for cooling pipes.

 

[Bizier]

Yeah I just nicked but didn't compromise a refrigerant line once. Check until thoroughly sure.

 

[Florian]

I've got a combo fridge where the fridge part suddenly stopped working, so i removed the floor between fridge and freezer so it now only cools from the freezer down into the fridge.

just take a stanley knife and cut the plastic bottom. You'll most likely find foam in there, just poke around a bit and remove it bit by bit with a knife or spoon or whatever works. No cooling pipes at all in my fridge so there's now a huge hole.

 

[Maheel]

if you remove that screw and the from the area where the freezer door goes and the middle doors hinge can you remove that strip and have a look in the area you are going to "cut"

 

[QldKev]

Some fridges do, some don't. I know the fridge/freezer combo I had did used to have lines on the freezer floor as you could see by the frost. Also some may have 240v wires running through. So take it easy when digging in there and make sure the fridge is unplugged.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Just hook in

 

[brente1982]

Hahah yeh i think it's frozen on both bottom and top of freezer as they is where frost builds up quickest.

I'll wait and see the outcome of this upright freezer I'm looking at before deciding if I investigate mine first