Refrigeration Shelf Moulds - Strength?

[Silo Ted]

Looking for some feedback on how people install two fermenters into their fridge. I have one with glass shelves, so obviously they wont be used to hold fermenters. I'm tossing up whether to knock up some timber shelves to replace the glass, but concerned that the moulded plastic shelf mounts might warp, or worse still break under the strain of 50kg of weight.

My other option, and most likely a safer one, is to build a shelf that sits on a small ridge above the compressor hump, supported at the front by two legs made of pine, then stacking fermentoers on top of each other, with a plastic cutting board on top of the lower fermenter to evenly distribute the weight of the top fermenter.

Suggestions ?

 

[bignath]

Looking for some feedback on how people install two fermenters into their fridge. I have one with glass shelves, so obviously they wont be used to hold fermenters. I'm tossing up whether to knock up some timber shelves to replace the glass, but concerned that the moulded plastic shelf mounts might warp, or worse still break under the strain of 50kg of weight.

My other option, and most likely a safer one, is to build a shelf that sits on a small ridge above the compressor hump, supported at the front by two legs made of pine, then stacking fermentoers on top of each other, with a plastic cutting board on top of the lower fermenter to evenly distribute the weight of the top fermenter.

Suggestions ?

ST,
assuming your doing the glad wrap lid, i reckon i'd go one on top of each other. I read a little while ago about someone who literally put one fermenter on top of the other one without any weight distribution ideas, and it works well for him.

I've never tried it, and am lucky enough to have a 400 something litre fridge as my fermenting fridge, so they sit side by side in mine.

I'd go the compressor hump supported shelf at the bottom, and glad wrap lid, stacked on top.

Actually another option might be (batch size dependent obviously), to get a couple of the willow "jerry cans" and ferment in those as they are very slim, and could quite conceivable fit two into most smallish fridges and ferment side by side. I have some of the 20L ones which i use for conditioning, but i am sure i have seen 25L versions which should be ok for a 20-21L ferment......just a thought.

Nath

 

[DJR]

Looking for some feedback on how people install two fermenters into their fridge. I have one with glass shelves, so obviously they wont be used to hold fermenters. I'm tossing up whether to knock up some timber shelves to replace the glass, but concerned that the moulded plastic shelf mounts might warp, or worse still break under the strain of 50kg of weight.

My other option, and most likely a safer one, is to build a shelf that sits on a small ridge above the compressor hump, supported at the front by two legs made of pine, then stacking fermentoers on top of each other, with a plastic cutting board on top of the lower fermenter to evenly distribute the weight of the top fermenter.

Suggestions ?

If you are going to add in some timber shelf mounts, then make up some little support props out of wood as well to reach from the bottom of the shelf to the bottom of the fridge if you want to be safe with some "backup". That being said i'm sure the plastic on the side, unless it's an old fridge and has gone a bit brittle should be fine with the weight. Think about if you stacked up a fridge with say, 30 2L coke bottles

 

[MarkBastard]

Someone here made a shelf out of security screen (for windows). Looked awesome.

Also regarding the side plastic rail holders, you could make up a bracket that uses more than one on each side to be safe. If you know much about engineering perhaps make it so that any downwards weight on the shelf itself ends up making the bracket push outwards sideways against the sides of the fridge.

 

[MeLoveBeer]

I didn't trust the plastic rails in my fridge and ended up making a shelving unit to fit inside out of slotted steel and checker plate. Problem is that the materials are pricey, but I can still move the shelves up and down as I need and haven't lost any space inside the fridge.

 

[Silo Ted]

If you are going to add in some timber shelf mounts, then make up some little support props out of wood as well to reach from the bottom of the shelf to the bottom of the fridge if you want to be safe with some "backup". That being said i'm sure the plastic on the side, unless it's an old fridge and has gone a bit brittle should be fine with the weight. Think about if you stacked up a fridge with say, 30 2L coke bottles

That's a good idea, and something to think about for the future. For now, Ive just cut a square of pine, and two pine legs. My cutting ability is shitty, so a lot of sanding is in order to get it squared :angry:

I dont suppose anyone in Sydney's west has a Triton saw bench I could come over and use for five minutes ?

 

[tallie]

Someone here made a shelf out of security screen (for windows). Looked awesome.

I guess that would be this one: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=614556.

I'd love to have some of them myself. For me though, I use clay pavers to allow a second fermenter at the back of my fermenting fridge on the hump. Not pretty, but does the trick.

Cheers,
tallie

 

[QldKev]

That's a good idea, and something to think about for the future. For now, Ive just cut a square of pine, and two pine legs. My cutting ability is shitty, so a lot of sanding is in order to get it squared :angry:

I dont suppose anyone in Sydney's west has a Triton saw bench I could come over and use for five minutes ?

Go get a $3 length of pine from Bunnings and get the guy on the saw bench to cut it for you.

QldKev

 

[bcp]

When the fridge was inside I had plastic crap shelves that cost so damn much to replace, so when they broke, went to a perspex place and they bent over one edge to give it extra mechanical strength. I then jigsawed the shape. It worked well, but does create a lip. Once the fridge became a brew fridge i wanted the perspex for my new router table, so i just jigsawed a nice thick piece of ply. Should've done marine ply but this has been fine. Too easy.

 

[bum]

Mark and tallie beat me to it. Barley Belly's shelves look the duck's would have to be pretty well near indestructible. As long as your fridge has slots and not those old 4 screw-in notches (seeing you have glass I'd be assuming the former) I don't think you could find a better idea. Been meaning to seek out some scrap for this purpose myself so I can get rid of the stack of phone books I use to level out the hump in the bottom of my fridge.