Brew Fridge - The Ideal Fridge

[jacknohe]

Hi all

I'm looking at obtaining a Brew Fridge and using it with a temperature controller. Just wondering what models some of you are using and if there was any particular ones that are more suitable for fermenting etc.

I'll be using the standard 30L round fermenter. If I can fit two of these in, that would certainly be ideal.

Thanks

Jack

 

[Supra-Jim]

Ideally look for an All-Fridge, i.e fridge only no freezer section. These will give you maximum internal space for multiple fermenters or single larger fermenters.

Cheers SJ

 

[raven19]

Whatever fridge you can pickup for free/cheap is the answer you are probably looking for. And the bigger the better for multiple fermentors. Willow blue jerry cans are good for secondary or primary ferments and can be squeezed into most fridges side by side (by side if fridge is really big).

Although any newer fridge that does not drop condensation inside would be better (I have one old skool fridge that gets a fair buildup of condensation on the inside).

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Fisher & Paykel Upside Down Fridge.

My 520litre beast (you can get smaller ones) uses a 12volt fan to move cold air from the freezer section to the fridge section. That allows me to have a four-fermenter area that can be kept at (say) 17degC and a two-fermenter area that can be kept at (say) 0degC, or just left to run as a freezer.

Or... Brewery fridge and fermenting cabinet in the one unit.

 

[adryargument]

Fisher & Paykel Upside Down Fridge.

My 520litre beast (you can get smaller ones) uses a 12volt fan to move cold air from the freezer section to the fridge section. That allows me to have a four-fermenter area that can be kept at (say) 17degC and a two-fermenter area that can be kept at (say) 0degC, or just left to run as a freezer.

Or... Brewery fridge and fermenting cabinet in the one unit.

This sounds ideal.
The other option is looking into a fridge that fits in 2 x 30 liter fermenters, or a 60 liter.
If you hang around here you know your going to be moving to all grain double batches soon

 

[argon]

this is what you want... it's an all in one freezer... 341 L Fisher and Paykel. Picked it up in front of a house on a council pickup weekend. Can fit 4 fermenters with ease. Or could probably fit 6 kegs in over 2 levels. Haven't checked that part though.

 

[stux]

I like the 400L all-fridges (got two so far )

Easily fit 3 30s, or 1 60, or even a 100L conical

can fit 8-12 kegs too..

 

[Bizier]

Yeah, I second the all-fridge thing for sure.

I used to use my 520L F&P (freezer on top) for fermenting, but I managed to pick up a 300L ish all-fridge westinghouse (I think). Cost a lot more ($200-300 or so) than the hundreds that one could have picked up at the time super cheap in Sydney, but I was getting sick of cleaning mould out of every corner of the freezer for each ferment. When finishing the ferment at around 20C or so, the freezer section of the F&P was like a perfect mould incubator.

 

[Tilt]

Fisher & Paykel Upside Down Fridge.

My 520litre beast (you can get smaller ones) uses a 12volt fan to move cold air from the freezer section to the fridge section. That allows me to have a four-fermenter area that can be kept at (say) 17degC and a two-fermenter area that can be kept at (say) 0degC, or just left to run as a freezer.

Or... Brewery fridge and fermenting cabinet in the one unit.

Thats a great idea Spillsmostofit - any idea what model you have (or a pic or two would be great)? Is the 12V fan a mod you put in or is it stock?

I've heard of folk having a dual fermenting and conditioning fridge and thought they must have had a model with two compartments controlled by independent compressors which they control with separate tempmates.

I like the idea of being able to ferment in one section, and then condition or store hops in the freezer section.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Pretty much all of the F&P fridge/freezers work the same way. I have just intercepted the fan *they* use to blow cold from freezer into fridge. One or two more details on my blog. F&P service manuals are also easy to find, which helped me during the *cough* design *cough* phase.

Our (VestFrost) kitchen fridge is a completely different matter, btw. It has two compartments: a fridge and a freezer and they each have their own compressor. I like the simplicity of the F&P design.

An associate purchased a Westinghouse fridge that does the same thing but completely differently. He is yet to make it work. Caveat Cooler.

 

[Tilt]

Pretty much all of the F&P fridge/freezers work the same way. I have just intercepted the fan *they* use to blow cold from freezer into fridge. One or two more details on my blog. F&P service manuals are also easy to find, which helped me during the *cough* design *cough* phase.

Our (VestFrost) kitchen fridge is a completely different matter, btw. It has two compartments: a fridge and a freezer and they each have their own compressor. I like the simplicity of the F&P design.

Thats great - thanks. Yeah, agreed the simplicity of the F&P design sounds damn good. :icon_cheers:
What's the greatest temp diffferential yours can manage? Will it handle a 22degC D-rest up top while still crash chilling at 1deg (or even freezing stuff) in the bottom compartment?
I'll get onto your blog and scan the F&P manuals to decide which 2nd hand model i'm after.
Much appreciated

 

[[email protected]]

this is what you want... it's an all in one freezer... 341 L Fisher and Paykel. Picked it up in front of a house on a council pickup weekend. Can fit 4 fermenters with ease. Or could probably fit 6 kegs in over 2 levels. Haven't checked that part though.

View attachment 44120

+1 This exactly what I use.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

What's the greatest temp diffferential yours can manage? Will it handle a 22degC D-rest up top while still crash chilling at 1deg (or even freezing stuff) in the bottom compartment?

I thought I'd pre-answered that in a previous post.

The freezer section is unmodified, so it can behave as, well, a freezer if need be. Probably the only tricky bit to my situation is that the heating brick in the fridge compartment maintains warmth when needed and the fan which makes that fridge compartment cold also makes the freezer compartment warm when needed. So, I have upper and lower limit temperature control of both compartments, which is important in this part of the world.

 

[wakkatoo]

If you only want one fermenter at a time and can't find an all-fridge, try and chase up an upside-down fridge (freezer section on the bottom). I have one of these as my fermenting fridge and a larger one for the kegs. The advantage of them is the flat floor with no need to make up a shelf.

 

[stux]

If you only want one fermenter at a time and can't find an all-fridge, try and chase up an upside-down fridge (freezer section on the bottom). I have one of these as my fermenting fridge and a larger one for the kegs. The advantage of them is the flat floor with no need to make up a shelf.

Also you can put your keg taps high so no bending to pour

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Imagine if you could find a fridge that had the same mechanism as I'm advocating, but with a big enough freezer section up high - for keg serving - and a fridge section down below for fermenting.

It would be a bit like Thirsty Boy's aquarium heater in fermenter in serving fridge idea, but more aligned to my energy sensibilities..

 

[Tilt]

I thought I'd pre-answered that in a previous post.

The freezer section is unmodified, so it can behave as, well, a freezer if need be. Probably the only tricky bit to my situation is that the heating brick in the fridge compartment maintains warmth when needed and the fan which makes that fridge compartment cold also makes the freezer compartment warm when needed. So, I have upper and lower limit temperature control of both compartments, which is important in this part of the world.

Yep - you're right there, didn't mean to ask you to repeat yourself - just wondering if you'd been able to get greater than a 17deg difference.
I'd imagine there comes a point where too great a temp diff (e.g attempting to do a Saison up top while CCing below) that the whole shebang would crap itself (too much cycling of the heater/fridge) and not doing either very well.
This'd dictate to some extent the order of "brew pairing/ scheduling" (ie only cooler fermenting ales paired with lagering vs Ale conditoning paired with a Saison).
S'pose I'm just musing on the possibilities but....
That all said sounds a fantastic set up to me!!
Cheers :icon_chickcheers:

 

[wakkatoo]

just be careful with using the fridge as a fermentation area and expecting the freezer to remain as a freezer. My fermentation fridge is controlled by a tempmate, so when it turns the cooling off, the freezer also turns off, thus rendering it useless, until the tempmate needs to turn the cooling back on.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

just be careful with using the fridge as a fermentation area and expecting the freezer to remain as a freezer. My fermentation fridge is controlled by a tempmate, so when it turns the cooling off, the freezer also turns off, thus rendering it useless, until the tempmate needs to turn the cooling back on.

...and that is why I went to the bother of explaining what I do. <_<

 

[Amber Fluid]

This topic has made me wonder and therefore ask the question:

What would be the best to run in general.... a fridge or a freezer or there really is not much difference to worry about it?