Chest Freezer Fridge - 0.1 Kwh Per Day!

[hillbillybreweries]

One other advantage to Chest Freezers to serve you kegs is if your property is vertically challenged they are a hell of a lot easier to transport up steps than heavy fridges.

A disadvantage is that many of them do not have a drain plug and many brewers who use them complain they are a little hard to clean out.

 

[bulldoglegend]

You need to add to the equation a temperature control device (Fridgemate?) which has a thermostat that tells the freezer when to turn on and off.

Set the thermostat to the desired temperature (lagering or serving, etc)

Because chest freezers are more efficient than upright fridges, the need for active cooling is reduced.

WJ

Does this mean that I will need to swap the thermostat from a fridge with the one from the freezer?

 

[bulldoglegend]

Then there is all the stuff about building a collar to fit the kegs in the chest freezer.

Cheers

Can you please explain what a collar is because I found a freezer at KMart that will fit my 4 post mix kegs into?

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Does this mean that I will need to swap the thermostat from a fridge with the one from the freezer?

No the freezer is plugged into the fridgemate which has a probe that sits in the freezer - the fridgemate then switches the fridge on and off as required

Search fridgemate - there are a bunch of threads on it

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Can you please explain what a collar is because I found a freezer at KMart that will fit my 4 post mix kegs into?

Have a look here

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=191143

It is not necessary to build a collar if your kegs fit and you are happy to drill holes in the freezer - also a collar allows you to sit kegs on the compressor hump

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Just to report back with 2 weeks of data on the fridge

It has cost 5.22 to run over the 2 week period since installing the monitor

That's 37c per day or $136 per annum (850kWh p/a)

I have done a little work on the fridge - ie putting the gas bottle outside - changed beer and gas lines around etc things that involved leaving it open

0.1 kWh a day would be brilliant - even 1.0kWh per day would be good - I'm gonna have to really find a chest freezer

Cheers

 

[BrotherNutz]

Have a look here

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=191143

It is not necessary to build a collar if your kegs fit and you are happy to drill holes in the freezer - also a collar allows you to sit kegs on the compressor hump

Cheers

And when you put the drill bit through the condensor and or evaporator lines within the freezers skin, you can toss your fridge into the local landfill!

 

[chovain]

And when you put the drill bit through the condensor and or evaporator lines within the freezers skin, you can toss your fridge into the local landfill!

Yep - that's a really big one. If you're installing a font, you're generally pretty safe drilling into the lid (assuming there are no connections beyond the basic hinges). If you want to front-mount your taps, only skip the collar if you really know your fridges internal workings. If you're not a fridgie or a wealthy adventurer, and want to wall-mount, be smart: build a collar.

 

[etbandit]

Just to report back with 2 weeks of data on the fridge

It has cost 5.22 to run over the 2 week period since installing the monitor

That's 37c per day or $136 per annum (850kWh p/a)

I have done a little work on the fridge - ie putting the gas bottle outside - changed beer and gas lines around etc things that involved leaving it open

0.1 kWh a day would be brilliant - even 1.0kWh per day would be good - I'm gonna have to really find a chest freezer

Cheers

Cortez,

If its 850kWh p/a, wouldn't it be 850kWh/365days = 2.32 kWh per day?

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Cortez, If its 850kWh p/a, wouldn't it be 850kWh/365days = 2.32 kWh per day?

Yep :huh:

But that's my fridge - which is i a normal upright

 

[bulldoglegend]

Have a look here

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=191143

It is not necessary to build a collar if your kegs fit and you are happy to drill holes in the freezer - also a collar allows you to sit kegs on the compressor hump

Cheers

Thanks for your help guys. I have now finished building the collar for my new freezer and the fridgemate is in the post on the way to me. I had some left over 50mm cool room panel at work from a project we did there and that was just the thing for the collar.

I will post some photos later when completely set up so you can see what your brilliant advice has helped me achieve.

Cheers everyone.

 

[sathid]

I'd be really keen to see how you made your collar bulldoglegend. I'm making one shortly and will be going the cool room panel route.
What did you use to seal between the freezer and the panel?

 

[QldKev]

Has anyone measured their freezers after conversion. I measured my kegerator and it is heading for $150/pa. I haven't noticed any measured results from the freezers.

QldKev

 

[sam]

And bump.

Anyone know the energy usages for a fridge running at standard fridge temp (say 3C), and serving temp (say 8C)? Just looking at a comparison here, trying to steal a fridge from my mum and justifing the savings to her.

Cheers,

Sam