'fridge Or Freezer?

[Spork]

Hi all.

In the process of setting up for brewing. Following advice on here I've ordered ae ebay temp controller, and the brewing kit I have coming has a heating belt. I need some kind of cabinet to fit a fermenter in and chill it in hot weather / insulate it to help keep it warm in cold weather. It will be outside in my patio. Obviously, a cheap 2nd hand 'fridge or freezer is required!

And therin lies my question. Which is generally considered best? I've read that chest freezers have better insulation so are more economical. Can anyone verify this? Would it make much difference anyway if it only had to cool to say 18c? At the moment my back is good enough to lift a fermentor in and out of a chest freezer, but sometimes it plays up...

Can a chest freezer be used sitting on it's end? this would make the "top" into a front opening "door", or would this prevent the cooling mechanism from working properly?

Thanks for reading.

 

[hydroboy]

Power consumption will be minimal at 18 deg, I would go a fridge with no freezer that fits two fermemters if you can track one down.

 

[DU99]

all fridge is the go..you dont have to bend down and lower fermenter's into them..

 

[kelbygreen]

get a fridge people like myself use the chest freezer for kegs not fermenters. Also if you lay a fridge or freezer on its side they say to leave it a few hours once you place it upright before turning it on not sure the reason for this but if there is a good one then id say they will not work to well laying down to be used

 

[michael_aussie]

Hi all.

In the process of setting up for brewing. Following advice on here I've ordered ae ebay temp controller, and the brewing kit I have coming has a heating belt. I need some kind of cabinet to fit a fermenter in and chill it in hot weather / insulate it to help keep it warm in cold weather. It will be outside in my patio. Obviously, a cheap 2nd hand 'fridge or freezer is required!

And therin lies my question. Which is generally considered best? I've read that chest freezers have better insulation so are more economical. Can anyone verify this? Would it make much difference anyway if it only had to cool to say 18c? At the moment my back is good enough to lift a fermentor in and out of a chest freezer, but sometimes it plays up...

Can a chest freezer be used sitting on it's end? this would make the "top" into a front opening "door", or would this prevent the cooling mechanism from working properly?

Thanks for reading.

in general you can't use a freezer in a different orientation.

if you are going to use more than one fermenter, look for a fridge that will hold all the fermenters you want to use at once.

fridge only are ideal.. but they are rare

 

[Spork]

Thanks guys, thats what I suspected. To think I gave one of those away when the wife bought our new 'fridge.

 

[Ross]

All freezer is the best option IMO. Best temp for cold conditioning a beer is -1c, you won't get there with a fridge.
Get an upright, you don't want to be lifting in & out of a chest freezer. Westinghouse Silhouette series are a good model to look out for.

cheers Ross

 

[kelbygreen]

go into harvey norman and go to the fridge section, and ask people if they are getting rid of there fridge and if so you will take it for free instead of them paying harvey norman to get them. Or if you know some one that delivers the fridges for such places they usually will take a carton of beer for a fridge. I done a work for a guy that done that with harvey norman he had 4 fridges in his shed to bad all was accounted for but he said a carton each and most was only a few years old.

Look on freecycle and ebay you will find one before it gets to cold for cheap

 

[michael_aussie]

...... Also if you lay a fridge or freezer on its side they say to leave it a few hours once you place it upright before turning it on not sure the reason for this but if there is a good one then id say they will not work to well laying down to be used

fridges and freezers use a refrigerant .. this is a substance that is liquid in part of the system and a gas in the rest of the system.
As it changes from liquid to gas it draws in heat the same as you see on a gas bottle as it produces gas and gets very cold. This is what happens in the tubes where it generates cold.

There is a good description here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vapor-compression_refrigeration

The thing you need to know is the orientation of the fridge/freezer has been designed to suit its refrigeration circuit, but it wont work in any other orientation.

kelbygreens comment about letting them sit upright for a few hours before turning on again is correct. It was suggested to me you should leave them for 24h if possible.
When you up-end a fridge, parts of the circuit that should have liquid will now have gas and vice versa. If you turn them on in this state, you will screw the compressor.

 

[kelbygreen]

yeah thought as much michael just wasnt sure of the true reason behind it. I always leave them for at least 4 hours after moving them but always try transport upright if possible.

 

[Amber Fluid]

Get an "upright" freezer. Stands like a fridge so you won't need to lift the FV any higher than a fridge anyway and works as a freezer giving you a more economical unit.

 

[Logman]

Freezer - if you can get one that takes a double fermenter all the better, whether you have one ATM or not...

 

[cozmocracker]

up right freezer for sure, my holds two fermenters easily.

 

[argon]

upright freezer is what you want... i have 2 and can fit 4 30L fermenters in both. I've also measured up one that can get 8 kegs in.

this one is a F&P Upright freezer picked up free on the side of the road. Don't recall how many litres