Freezer Conversion

[SteveSA]

That's the one I use and I'm really happy with it. Unfortunately I paid $90 for mine :angry: Oh well... live and learn.

 

[Batz]

Same as mine
And I paid $100 up here

May just get another a this price

 

[RobW]

Do you need to change anything to make them work with a cooling device rather than a heating one?

 

[wardy]

now that's a good question, what governs the on/off criteria? there must be some kind of polarity control, or at least a jumper to control on/off? anyone know with their existing thermostat?

i guess i will find out tomorrow, as i have already ordered one.

 

[RobW]

I'll give them a call & find out now

 

[wardy]

actually, just thinking about it, i don't think it really matters. The switch can only engage "on" when the temperature deviates from the required setting whether that be above or below. Whether you have a warming device or a cooling device should be irrelevant.

 

[RobW]

I'd have thought if it's set for a heater between say 4 & 6 degC that means at 4 it will come on & at 6 it will switch off. If you hook it up to your freezer & your freezer comes on at 4 it will start to cool & stay on won't it? Or alternately if your freezer temp is over 6 it won't come on at all. Anybody else got any ideas?

 

[SteveSA]

The unit I have has a 1.5 degree swing. This means if I set the dial to 3 degrees the fridge will switch on when it hits 4.5C and will run until it cools down to 1.5C. The fridge then switches off until 4.5C is reached again.

BTW set your fridge to the coldest setting - it chills quicker, therefore runs for a shorter time.

Regards

 

[wardy]

yes keneasy, you may be right. i just hope it's not microprocessor controlled and i can just change the polarity or something on the relay or switching mechanism. Don't they also sell these at brewshops to control the heater mats?

 

[RobW]

Just spoke to the HerpShop & they say that unit is unsuitable for cooling. :angry: They have another one that would do the job for $33 but it doesn't have a probe.

 

[wardy]

thanks KenEasy, should have asked that question myself (didn't even occur to me that a thermostat would not have been bi-directional. i guess i can always use it in winter to keep my ale temps up above 15C

 

[Batz]

Cheers KenEasy,
Thanks for chasing up that info for us all

Batz

 

[GMK]

some of the temp controllers can be convereted from heating to cooling by moving a wire inside.

I dont know if this is one of them...

 

[wardy]

that's what i'm hoping for. i'm an instrument technician, so the first thing i will be doing is pulling it apart. i've put it on the company account so i really have nothing to lose, if it works however, i will be on a winner! fingers crossed because i want to start my first lager tomorrow. currently the warmest temp in my fridge is 8C... is that too cold to start fermenting a lager at?

 

[RobW]

fwiw Wardy the HerpShop bloke didn't think it could be reversed. As an intrument tech you might be able to though - good luck & let us know how you get on.

 

[GMK]

Wardy

You should be able to brew a lager at 8C....
Just let the yeast bud at room temp for the first 24 hours - then in the fridge to slowly cool to 8 and then leave in primary for 2 weeks.
Rack to secondary and dry hop for 4- 6 weeks in the fridge at 8.
Take out of the fridge and let goto to room temp over 2-3 days - Diaceytl Rest - then bottle.

Let us know how you go.

 

[siiren]

Guys, I have bought a thermostat from the Herp Shop.
Have tried to change it to control a fridge, but it is designed for a heat box for reptiles. I opened the box to hopefully change the thermostat from normally open to normally closed but the thermostat does not have the dual setting. Tried everything but eventually sent it back to the shop. It would be a good (but expensive) solution to a controlled heating box in cold climates however.
My .02c worth anyway!

 

[wedge]

this one turns on your appliance when the temperature gets too LOW!

You want one that turns on the frig when it gets too warm.

IT would be great for a HLT though!

You could timer set the switch then bring you water to temp when your still laying in Bed!

 

[Doc]

There were a few people discussing mounting a font on a freezer conversion a while back, and having to think about how to mount it so it was still easy to open the freezer and access the kegs etc inside.
A couple of days ago I came across this picture of a font mounted on the side of an upright fridge.
It got me thinking that it would be a nice easy solution to mount a font onto the collar of a converted freezer.

Thoughts ?

Beers,
Doc

 

[big d]

just thinking doc
a really good collar conversion could incorporate an extension serving as a bar top.pity i cant take a pic of my thoughts as i reckon it would look real neat.would take some good wood to incorporate as the bar top with the font to one side.
does this make sense.?collar to allow the beer line out.top of lid covered with wood and a neat fit to the next part of the bar top where the font is.the whole lot would blend in and you wouldnt even know there was a fridge below.

cheers
big d