Ferment Fridge The Way God Intended

[ada]

Hello, long time resercher here, first post

I am gathering parts required to make a fermenting fridge.

I have bought the fridge, a westinghouse chillstream upright fridge only, 370L. Good thing about this fridge is it has an inbuilt fan and I will hard wire this to run constantly not just when the compressor runs so circulation will be good when heating/cooling/doing nothing.

I have a "Brewmate" controller(STC-1000) this will be used for heating and cooling the fridge, This will not be in line with the fridge power supply, I am an engineer and could not live with myself just cutting the power to control the fridge temp, also not knowing if the light would come on or not when you open the door is just crazy and not in line with my obsessive compulsive disorder.

Heating: I am going to glue a heat mat to the side of the fridge and wire this to my controller, I do not think I will require much heating in Sydney, if it is not enough, I will glue another heat mat the same to the other side.

Cooling: I have removed the original fridge thermostat and will wire the controller in its place, I could not relax knowing the old one is still in there doing nothing.

Anyway I know theres been lots of simillar threads but my projects do get interesting so watch this space

I think I have attached my wiring schematic

View attachment fridge_controller_pdf.pdf

 

[ada]

Just incase the lack of comments was because people thought I was full of it.
See attached

View attachment fridge_controller.pdf

 

[under]

Just incase the lack of comments was because people thought I was full of it.
See attached

You should put a knot or a cable tie where the cable comes through the gland into the box, so that the wires cannot be pulled out of the block.

 

[ada]

You should put a knot or a cable tie where the cable comes through the gland into the box, so that the wires cannot be pulled out of the block.

Look a little harder

 

[kelbygreen]

not bad way to much effort for me lol

 

[unrealeous]

I wonder if that light stays on when you close the door?

 

[peas_and_corn]

No, elves turn it off. It's how all fridges operate.

 

[ada]

I wonder if that light stays on when you close the door?

I suppose I could just..............wait Ill go find out...

 

[felten]

No, elves turn it off. It's how all fridges operate.

I thought it was chilly billy

 

[kelbygreen]

lol there is usually a button that the door closes onto and turns the light off. of coarse if you hook temp control using a plug on the temp control and plug the fridge into it the light wont work unless the temp control is in cooling mode. From what I can gather ADA has hard wired all components into the temp controller bypassing the fan and light so they are always on and only connecting the compressor to the cooling part of the temp controller.

Of coarse I am no electrician nor a fridgy but this sounds like a massive pain in the arse to try and if you dont know what your doing then your screwed. I think this is a great idea but unless you really know what your doing a very dangerous one lol

 

[Gar]

so... hey.... where abouts do you live?... are you going away for christmass... do you lock your shed.... h34r:

 

[under]

Look a little harder

Der hahahaha. Can only just see it. Comment retracted.

 

[Supra-Jim]

I thought it was chilly billy

LOL, I remember that book!

Cheers SJ

 

[michael_aussie]

With all due respect to the OP, what are the advantages of going to this trouble?

The "standard" way that most of us have wired up temperature controllers, may not be quite so elegant, but it does offer two advantages:

1. Far easier/quicker/less risky to wire up.
2. Portable. Can be easily moved from one fridge (or freezer) to another.

I open my fridge so rarely, and have a light in my shed, so the "light always works" logic doesn't cut it with me.

 

[brocky_555]

I think it is cool

It's the way it should be done

I can do it for a price $$$$$ h34r:

Yes it is portable but how often do you blow up a fermenting fridge? cause it shouldn't be working all that hard

 

[Diggles]

Nice, but all that work to keep the light on and still meauring the air inside the fridge giving you inaccurate readings and operation of your fridge.

I'd recommend doing the following if you want to go the full hog

If you have an external thermocouple, try and get hold of an old tube from a keg, crimp the end, drill the lid of your fermenter and put it through. This will allow you to measure the wort temp accurately, whilst keeping it dry! Oh, remember to use a gromet. Good luck.

 

[michael_aussie]

and still meauring the air inside the fridge giving you inaccurate readings and operation of your fridge.

so true diggles.

many at AHB have posted temp reading proving that measuring the air temp doesn't ensure accurate wort temp.
The only way to accurately control your wort temp is to measure your wort temp.

what's the point of an elegant solution that doesn't actually achieve what we are all chasing ... accurate control of the temperature of our fermenting beer.

 

[glaab]

that's real perty, honest, but why u got 12 terminal block? 1 for the earth would do ya. pfbbbbt, backyarders, an don;t blame the ocd

 

[ada]

Agree on controlling wort temp, its a work in progress and will def be controlling wort.

As for all the comments on too much effort, was a $100 ebay fridge, a controller, a box and about 4 hours muckin around in my shed. as for not being portable well i could put this on another fridge in an hour or two, with my eyes closed, while muckin around in my shed. I LIKE MY SHED.

 

[ada]

that's real perty, honest, but why u got 12 terminal block? 1 for the earth would do ya. pfbbbbt, backyarders, an don;t blame the ocd

Why do you mind how many terminal blocks are in my box? I have a few more ideas I might try and will need more terminals. as for only one pb, you cant fit more than one, two at a stretch wires into the controller so yes I needed terminal block. I suppose i could have just twisted up the wires and taped them like in your gemini and avoided the terminal block.