brewing fridge shelving upgrade

[spartan2007]

g'day guys newbie question have just put down my first batch and have noticed my shelves are not handling weight too well in the fridge i bought.As they are only plastic type any ideas on replacement material ,was thinking marine ply or aluminium checker plate with some front legs for support as a fridge has motor hump at rear on floor.any ideas would be great. cheers

 

[evoo4u]

G'day Spartan (and welcome aboard!)

(1) I know some brewers do, but I wouldn't be trusting the plastic grooves in the sides of the fridge to support the weight of a 23 litre brew.
(2) I would also use an 'open' shelf rather than a solid one (ie - expanded steel or aluminium) to allow air circulation within the fridge.

To support the shelf, I'd be putting legs on each corner going down to the bottom of the inside of the fridge.

Another shelf option I've used is to get a small sheet of galvanised 'weldmesh', fold it to form a top and two sides, and trim it to suit the bottom floor slope (if any) of your fridge.

Top marks for getting a fridge though - will make an enormous improvement in the quality of your beer. Cheers!

 

[Cervantes]

I use a plywood shelf that sits on the hump at the rear of the fridge and has two wooden legs at the front.

I should really get a hole saw and cut some ventilation holes in it.

 

[Blind Dog]

Plywood shelf with 19mm X 40mm pine glued and screwed underneath (the 19mm side being the side attached as that gives the most strength), sealed and varnished so I can clean it and not give bugs a home. Just sits in the grooves ( although the grooves are deeper than most). Holds 2 fermenting cubes side by side with no dramas. Been used 50+ times

 

[hotmelt]

g'day guys newbie question have just put down my first batch and have noticed my shelves are not handling weight too well in the fridge i bought.As they are only plastic type any ideas on replacement material ,was thinking marine ply or aluminium checker plate with some front legs for support as a fridge has motor hump at rear on floor.any ideas would be great. cheers

Saw this in Masters
http://store.closetmaid.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?docname=ShoppingArea%2FCatalogSection%2FCategorySubsection%2FCategoriesDisplay.jsp&catalogId=10051&top_category=10006&parent_category_rn=10066&langId=-1&categoryId=10080&productId=10136&storeId=10151

Different widths and lengths just cut to size to suit fridge.

 

[angus_grant]

 

[Hoploader]

I've got 2 checker plate shelves one above the other with some lumps of metal between them so it's supported by 2 slots each side. Shelves not overly deep so airflow front and rear.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

About to replace my thin glass shelves which have been holding the brews but worry me slightly. Using 10mm thick wood, think it's coated MDF.

Can you buy food grade paint or a similar surface finish that can be easily wiped down/sanitized? Or or varnish the way to go as mentioned above?

 

[TidalPete]

Pretty similar to Angus.
Strengthened existing shelving with checker plate for good recirculation.