Fermenting Fridge Advice

[oldmacdonald]

I'm looking for a fermenting fridge and might be able to get hold of a chesty for not much. I have an ice bank so I don't need it for a kegerator so can I use if for fermenting? Main drawbacks I can see are getting the fermenters in and out and also sampling SG.

Altermatively, if I get hold of a regular fridge/freezer is there any practical use for the freezer section if you're running the fridge for fermenting with a tempmate?

 

[oldmacdonald]

Bump...Anyone?

 

[jiesu]

In short
Yes Beer storage!


I When I ferment at about 18 c the freezer section will float between about 4 C to 9 C which Is great temperature for drinking at! Usually I have three brews in the fridge at once and when the final brew has been in the fermenter for 2 weeks I put the temp control down to 0.5 C and crash chill. This lowers the freezer section to between -11 C and -5 C approx While I am crash chilling I put a bunch of milk bottles of water in the freezers to freeze up so I can use them in an ice bath for chilling my next wort

 

[Wolfy]

Clingwrap lid on fermenters in the freezer and test SG with a refractomerter - problem solved.

I find no practical use for the freezer compartment on my fermenting fridge, but after ruining one fridge cutting holes to allow for air-flow from fridge to freezer, I just put up with the inefficiency now.

 

[MarkBastard]

I've used one. It works.

For some reason when I used a chest freezer for fermenting it attracted fruit flies and both batches because infected. Never had that problem with a fridge. Both were of equal age with good seals. May have just been a one off. You'd think the co2 in the freezer would have killed the buggers.