Fermenting Fridge Recommendations?

[livo]

F&P E450R which I assume is a 450 litre with RHS opening door. Good fridge.

 

[find_another_slave]

Hey what is the name of this fermenter? I picked one up recently and don't know who makes it, there are no names on it, a solid bit of kit though!View attachment 121798

I've much the same question. I did dig around for an answer, and I think the answer I came up with was they were sold through Craftbrewer a while ago - other than that, I didn't narrow it down to a name/manufacturer. The person I bought it off sold it as they were having trouble pressurizing it for ferment - the one time I forgot to open the blow off seemed to prove it held pressure...

 

[CaptainMachSnot]

I would avoid a frost free. My food freezer has enough smarts in it to alarm if it doesn't complete a defrost cycle, and will not reset untill it does one. Found this out because the element was faulty when i bought it second hand. Seller tried to cover this up before i bought it by having it cold and unplugged when i came to pick it up.
I cracked the ***** and made them give me back $80 which is what it cost me to buy a new element. Thought there was more wrong with it cause when i replaced the element, i didn't have the conductor into the IDC far enough and it didnt make contact, so i thought the whole freezer was cactus. New connecter, all good now.
Element looks like hws or what you would see in the bottom of a bain marie, and wrapped around the evaporator coils inside the freezer. Sometimes it looks just like the evaporator coil, just with wires going to each end instead of a gas pipe.

 

[livo]

Apparently, on some, you can adjust the timer so it doesn't come on as frequently (or possibly at all. I don't know this for sure). There is an adjustment trimpot that controls the timer on the PCB, which you can use to trouble shoot when it doesn't work, which is sort of the opposite of trying to fix it. I guess if it doesn't work in this application is a good thing, but not what you want in the kitchen.

Edit: How do I know this? Because the one frost free fridge in my shed that I want to use as a frost free, isn't. So I looked it up. There are many videos about how to fix frost free fridges so I suppose you do the opposite and break it. If you can find out how to simply disable it or disconnect the heater then no problem. To be honest, for the amount of energy it will use or how fussy you are about temp control, I can't see it's worth worrying about.

 

[Klosey]

Both my temperature controlled fridges are all fridges no freezer. My pouring fridge has a freezer on top which I use to store hops etc.

 

[BrewLizard]

Thanks for all the interesting replies guys. I managed to find a used 237 L Hisense all-fridge for $100. Good bargain, as they seem to be $699 new now.

Keen to level up and do split batch yeast experiments!

 

[Grok]

I've much the same question. I did dig around for an answer, and I think the answer I came up with was they were sold through Craftbrewer a while ago - other than that, I didn't narrow it down to a name/manufacturer. The person I bought it off sold it as they were having trouble pressurizing it for ferment - the one time I forgot to open the blow off seemed to prove it held pressure...

Ah OK, it shall remain nameless then. I have tested it for pressure and it seems to hold about 10psi before the seal starts leaking, which is OK, but the seal is a square section O ring in a square groove on the base side only, not a very good arrangement for pressure sealing as the O ring section is to wide for the clamp pressure to be very effective. A better way to go is to change it out for a round section O ring. I have done this and tested it up 20psi and it held compressed air for over an hour without leaking down, good enough for pressure brewing!
I presume your fermenter is the same dimensions as mine, but you would want to measure, so here is a link to AliExpress where I bought from and it is as described, that is if you want to upgrade the seal of course!
OD 370mm x 6mm round section.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002774829402.html?spm=a2g0o.9042311.0.0.560f4c4dN0BSHM

 

[find_another_slave]

Ah OK, it shall remain nameless then. I have tested it for pressure and it seems to hold about 10psi before the seal starts leaking, which is OK, but the seal is a square section O ring in a square groove on the base side only, not a very good arrangement for pressure sealing as the O ring section is to wide for the clamp pressure to be very effective. A better way to go is to change it out for a round section O ring. I have done this and tested it up 20psi and it held compressed air for over an hour without leaking down, good enough for pressure brewing!
I presume your fermenter is the same dimensions as mine, but you would want to measure, so here is a link to AliExpress where I bought from and it is as described, that is if you want to upgrade the seal of course!
OD 370mm x 6mm round section.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002774829402.html?spm=a2g0o.9042311.0.0.560f4c4dN0BSHMView attachment 121816

Freaking Legend! If nothing else, I always wondered what I was going to do when the original seal **** itself. I will look into it!

 

[Paddy]

Picked this Esatto one up from appliance online fits the big all rounder or a fermzilla only works hard during cold crash in summer, it has the compressor hump by the back of the drawer.

 

[duncbrewer]

@Grok and @find_another_slave
I ordered replacement O rings for the keg posts and the various parts of fermentasaurus in anticipation of the day of failure.