Fridge with freezer as fermentation chamber

[rossbaker]

If using a standard fridge with top mounted freezer as a fermentation chamber, using an STC or similar to control temps, are there any negative implications for the freezer? How cold will the freezer likely stay if the fridge is kept at about 18 deg? What do people who do thus use the freezer compartment for?

Cheers!

 

[mosto]

I store empty bottles in mine. I've never checked the temp, but the bottles come out with frost on them, so I'd suggest it still gets to freezing temps, though maybe not constantly.

 

[elcarter]

It's no good for much more than storage.

The freezer gets very cold to luke warm in quick succession. Hops will hate it. I had ~ -5 deg and then in summer the top compartment got to + 25 before the stc picked up the change. "probe is in the wort" so will slow fluctuations down.

I managed to carve out the liner / air flow ducts between the two compartments. Basically just made a big fridge. This works very well as the condenser only needs to cool to fridge temps and can crash chill far more effectively.

You will need to have a fridge with no cooling lines between the two compartments to achieve this. I had to pull apart the freezer / fridge to find the condenser and make an educated guess before getting out the knife.

 

[rossbaker]

Excellent thanks guys. I'm thinking I will prob just leave the freezer empty.

 

[stux]

If the fridge is the type which blows air from the freezer into the fridge to cool it, would it be worth putting a large bucket of water or something in the freezer to act as a cold well?

 

[elcarter]

If the fridge is the type which blows air from the freezer into the fridge to cool it, would it be worth putting a large bucket of water or something in the freezer to act as a cold well?

I think there would be merit in this. Before I did the mod I did actually put Frozen Ice buckets to help crash chill, was particularity helpful in reducing the time it took.