setting up brew fridge

mongey · 5/1/15

heya

so I have been brewing for 6 months with no fridge,. this week we are upgrading to a bigger fridge for the arrival of our 1st baby which means I get the old fridge as a brew fridge

so been doing some googling and it seems I just need somehting like this and I'm sorted

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fridge-Temperature-controller-fridge-thermostat-cooling-heating-homebrew-5watt-/291109299479

I already have a heat belt that I got in winter when it was freezing in my back room

anything else I need ?

Camo6 · 5/1/15

Just check that controller has dual outputs. It mentions heating and cooling but not necessarily together and no pics showing two outlets. That's fine if you have stable ambient temps but for warm days and cold nights it's good to be able to control both. There's a heap of stc1000 threads if you're keen to build one yourself for less than fifty bucks. Otherwise I think Kegking do one for about the same price as the one linked. A quick search on evilbay revealed this one for cheaper.

I use a heatpad and just have it leaning against the wall of the fridge. The only other thing I'd recommend is a small pc fan to circulate air.

Blind Dog · 5/1/15

What Camo6 said

You need dual outlets on the back , 1 for the fridge and one for your heat source in the fridge. Or have 1 just for the fridge but also run a small fan in the fridge which will probably give off enough heat to keep things steady.

Pretty sure the mangrove jacks one only heats or cools (1 out socket)

mongey · 5/1/15

ah thanks. I just figured the one I linked had 2 outlets but looking again your right it doesnt .saved me a disapointing purchase

Rod · 5/1/15

I have used a fridgemate for more than 10 years

never a problem

https://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=718

the unit you show looks very similar

an advantage is that it comes assembled while I had to put the fridgemat together

stux · 5/1/15

When fermenting in a fridge with a heatbelt, I find it best to use a fermowell to measure the wort temperature, rather than the fridge cavity's temperature.

This prevents bouncing between too hot and then too cold (again and again)

Then you simply strap the heat belt around the fermenter, just above the tap and yeast cake.

http://shop.beerbelly.com.au/fermentor-thermowell-9-53mm-x-400mm-stainless-steel-with-grommet.html

mongey · 6/1/15

Thanks all

getting the new fridge tomorrow so will take the plunge on a controller this week

a newb question - do you cut the rubber seal around the door to get the leads in/out or just close the door on the leads ?

I'm guessing just put a small cut in the seal but thre are no dumb quesitons right

Blind Dog · 6/1/15

Just close the door on the leads, no need to cut the seals. Just be a little careful though as some fridges (ie mine) have some sharp metal around the hinges that can (ie will) cut the lead in 2 if it gets jammed against it (cue expletives)

crowmanz · 6/1/15

This might be a good thread to ask in.

I have a ferm fridge set up at the moment, the all fridge half of a pigeon pair. However I am also starting to set up a keg fridge and I am going to need a second fridge. I thought about getting a second hand bar fridge or freezer (due to not having a ute or trailer on hand) for either the ferm or keg side of things. I read on here that you will need to bend the freezer section of most bar fridges to fit kegs and it can be tricky, but the standard size bar fridge should be good fit for a 25L bunnings or 30L fermenter without difficult modification right?

stux · 6/1/15

Never set up a bar fridge myself.

Fwiw, a full size upside down fridge / freezer makes the perfect keg fridge. Room for 5 or 6 kegs (yeah, this is a good thing). Taps at eye level! No issues with running a freezer at fridge temps. Room for some bottles on a top shelf. And a whole freezer for hops and vodka

schtev · 6/1/15

crowmanz said:
I read on here that you will need to bend the freezer section of most bar fridges to fit kegs and it can be tricky, but the standard size bar fridge should be good fit for a 25L bunnings or 30L fermenter without difficult modification right?

Depends what you mean by "standard size"...

...but with my bar fridge (which seems pretty standard to me) I had to bend the freezer in order to fit a 25L Bunnings fermenter in. It wasn't a huge drama, just had to go slow and steady. Don't do it while the element is cold, let it warm up to room temp.

crowmanz · 6/1/15

schtev said:
Depends what you mean by "standard size"...

Yeah by standard size I meant ones around the 100-120L mark (not the smaller ones around the 50-70L mark)

How many litres is your one?

schtev · 6/1/15

crowmanz said:
Yeah by standard size I meant ones around the 100-120L mark (not the smaller ones around the 50-70L mark)

How many litres is your one?

Mine is I'd guess around 120L. It was a cheapo Gumtree one so I don't know for sure. Looks exactly like the one in this post and I had to bend the freezer as shown in the pics.

The alternative is to chop the shelves off the door and fit the fermenter down at the bottom in front of the compressor hump, as shown here. May not give you enough room though, depending on the fridge and the size of your fermenter.

crowmanz · 6/1/15

schtev said:
Mine is I'd guess around 120L. It was a cheapo Gumtree one so I don't know for sure. Looks exactly like the one in this post and I had to bend the freezer as shown in the pics.

The alternative is to chop the shelves off the door and fit the fermenter down at the bottom in front of the compressor hump, as shown here. May not give you enough room though, depending on the fridge and the size of your fermenter.

perfect thanks for the links mate

panzerd18 · 7/1/15

This is the one you need to get, you won't be disappointed.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Temperature-Controller-16-Amp-FREE-BONUS-Floating-Thermometer-Home-Brew-/271292797438?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item3f2a4f91fe

mongey · 7/1/15

panzerd18 said:
This is the one you need to get, you won't be disappointed.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Temperature-Controller-16-Amp-FREE-BONUS-Floating-Thermometer-Home-Brew-/271292797438?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item3f2a4f91fe

I did end up buying that one . For $50 cant really go wrong. if it sucks no big loss

stux · 7/1/15

mongey said:
This is the one you need to get, you won't be disappointed.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Temperature-Controller-16-Amp-FREE-BONUS-Floating-Thermometer-Home-Brew-/271292797438?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item3f2a4f91fe

I did end up buying that one . For $50 cant really go wrong. if it sucks no big loss

Click to expand...

It looks good, 0.1C, auto switching and 16 amps. Good price actually, hard to build an STC-100 in a nice case for much less.

panzerd18 · 7/1/15

Its actually come down in price. When I bought mine a few months back they were $68

mongey · 13/1/15

so got the unit

whats the best way to use the temerature probe ? attach it to theside of the carbouy ?

stux · 13/1/15

mongey said:
so got the unit

whats the best way to use the temerature probe ? attach it to theside of the carbouy ?

http://shop.beerbelly.com.au/fermentor-thermowell-9-53mm-x-400mm-stainless-steel-with-grommet.html

Alternatively, get some foam/bubblewrap/insulation. Strap the probe between the insulation and the fermenter wall with a bungy strap or similar.

setting up brew fridge

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