Smallest Full Fridge For Two Fermentors

[jacknohe]

Hi All

Long story short, have just purchased kegs and I'm looking at using my current fermentor fridge to store the kegs. Space isn't the major issue, but I'm trying to minimise floor space and viewability from SWMBO. I'm thinking if I use my current fermentor fridge for the kegs i can sweeten the deal of buying yet 'Another' fridge by allowing SWMBO to utilise the freezer compartment now that it won't have temp control on it.

So I'm after the minimum size full fridge (no freezer compartment) to house two 30L fermenters (standard homebrew size for 23L batches). I'm looking at one with removable shelves and advertised dimensions of 1440Hx545Wx570D. This I expect is the external dimensions.

The fermentors measure up at approx 290Wx640H including airlock which could be removed if I was desparate and replaced with cling wrap.

So I'm curious if anyone has a full fridge that fits two fermentors and what the internal and external dimensions are.

Thanks

Jack

 

[Nick JD]

Have you thought about fermenting 20L batches in bunnings jerrycans? You could probably get 4 batches in the same volume as round fermenters.

Only the weizen and the occasional belgian yeast spills over, and they are easy to clean with a cap of napisan.

 

[jacknohe]

Have you thought about fermenting 20L batches in bunnings jerrycans? You could probably get 4 batches in the same volume as round fermenters.

Only the weizen and the occasional belgian yeast spills over, and they are easy to clean with a cap of napisan.

I had thought about it a couple of years back. But that option had certainly not crossed my mind recently. Hmmm, I can also fit a jerry can in my little bar fridge... I'll keep that option up my sleeve. Thanks.

 

[Logman]

Just did a bit of measuring - I've got 2 in mine atm.

I've got a 300 ltr F&P fridge only - I get 2 25's in it and with airlock they are 57 - the entire outside of the fridge stands at 160. I can't get even 1 30 and 1 25 in there with airlocks so you'll be looking at a fridge that stands around 180 to get 2 30's in there. You'll need probably 140 of available space I'd say i.e. from bottom shelf to top.

You can cut down by using a blow off tube instead of an airlock or glad wrap on the top of the fermenter instead of a lid.

 

[Bribie G]

Buddy round the corner brews in pail-style fermenters and does keg sized brews. They are 40cm tall and he has two of them vertically with the top one standing on a custom made free standing shelf.

 

[argon]

i have a 280L F&P all freezer as my lager fridge... picked up off the side of the road... no shelves, but i guess i could make some up from painted MDF of security screen. I just put one ferementor on top of the other with each lid turned back a touch. Heaps of room and the freezer itself has quite a small footprint

and here it is next to the others.. to give sense of scale

at the moment i have 5 21L fermentations going all in bunnings style fermentors. I could probably fit about 12 jerry can styles if i had the wort for it.

 

[stux]

Hi All

Long story short, have just purchased kegs and I'm looking at using my current fermentor fridge to store the kegs. Space isn't the major issue, but I'm trying to minimise floor space and viewability from SWMBO. I'm thinking if I use my current fermentor fridge for the kegs i can sweeten the deal of buying yet 'Another' fridge by allowing SWMBO to utilise the freezer compartment now that it won't have temp control on it.

You just want a place to store your hops

So I'm after the minimum size full fridge (no freezer compartment) to house two 30L fermenters (standard homebrew size for 23L batches). I'm looking at one with removable shelves and advertised dimensions of 1440Hx545Wx570D. This I expect is the external dimensions.

The fermentors measure up at approx 290Wx640H including airlock which could be removed if I was desparate and replaced with cling wrap.

So I'm curious if anyone has a full fridge that fits two fermentors and what the internal and external dimensions are.

Fairly certain you're looking for no more than a 300L all-fridge

 

[stux]

Fairly certain you're looking for no more than a 300L all-fridge

I use 25L Pail fermenters too...

But you can certainly get two cooper's style carboys in many 300L all-fridges, perhaps you'd want to use glad wrap

The other option is to ferment in Willow jerrys.

 

[ekul]

Maybe not an otion but have you thought about two small bar fridges? I use a two bar fridges (thanks Bribie, mark bastard and all the other AHB'ers who've had the **** fridge before me). They come up cheaply every now and then and are easy to fit into small spaces. I have often thought about stacking them on top of each other but i'm not that pressed for space.... yet.

Plus if you start with one 'little bar fridge' and then sneak in another one later maybe swmbo won't even notice h34r: Again if you take a tape measure you might even be able to get two jerry's in there.

A benefit of two fermenting spaces is the fact that you can do an ale and lager at the same time.

Another option could be to buy a bigger fermenter. Those 70L bad boys can get 3x 20L brews in them and would fit in a msaller fridge then a fridge that contains 2x 30L fermeters. The downside is you'll have less variety or if you get an infection you'll be kicking yourself!

 

[jacknohe]

i have a 280L F&P all freezer as my lager fridge... picked up off the side of the road... no shelves, but i guess i could make some up from painted MDF of security screen. I just put one ferementor on top of the other with each lid turned back a touch. Heaps of room and the freezer itself has quite a small footprint

and here it is next to the others.. to give sense of scale

at the moment i have 5 21L fermentations going all in bunnings style fermentors. I could probably fit about 12 jerry can styles if i had the wort for it.

Nice setup by the way!

So you place one fermenter in front of the compressor hump and one on top of it? How much spare room roughly above the second fermenter?

 

[argon]

Nice setup by the way!

So you place one fermenter in front of the compressor hump and one on top of it? How much spare room roughly above the second fermenter?

I "installed" a shelf over the hump... a bit of spare mdf held up by a small bucket. I then just stack 2 of the bunning's fermentors on top of each other here's a pic of just one in there without a lid propped to the level of the hump... but you can see how much room there is above.

 

[QldKev]

I'm running an older style 320L kelvinator, which has heaps of space for 2 fermentors.

QldKev

 

[MarkBastard]

I use two bar fridges that just fit 25L bunnings fermenters. I made a thread about them ages ago, they are freaking awesome. Got them for about $100 each second hand, one from someone here and another from ebay.

It's good being able to control the temperature on each one individually.

$100 compared to some brew gear is very cheap.

 

[jacknohe]

I use two bar fridges that just fit 25L bunnings fermenters. I made a thread about them ages ago, they are freaking awesome. Got them for about $100 each second hand, one from someone here and another from ebay.

It's good being able to control the temperature on each one individually.

$100 compared to some brew gear is very cheap.

Yeah, that sounds like a good option too. Do you make 23L batches in your 25L fermenter?

I'd love to find one without a stupid ice box!

The above is a random image I found on google image search, not my kid.

Seriously? This whole time I was thinking it was... :lol:

 

[MarkBastard]

I don't tend to make 23L batches. I've made plenty of 21.5L batches and one 22L batch. I keg so 20L batches are perfect for me.

And yeah not my kid, I had to put that notice there because I got heaps of people sending me private messages about it. Some saying it's child abuse, others letting me know they saw someone else using it on another website etc.

 

[Kai]

Child abuse? pfft. My number two's first word was BEER.

um, I mean, I second the jerry can approach. 20-odd litres will ferment just as well in a jerry as a fermenter, and I could fit three of them in my old fermentation fridge.

Though the idea of two bar fridges is also an excellent one. You can stack 'em on one another, and the flexibility of individual temperature control is not to be sneezed at.

So, two bar fridges that can hold three jerries each. Yeah.

 

[jacknohe]

So, two bar fridges that can hold three jerries each. Yeah.

I must have the wrong Jerry cans or a small bar fridge. I've been using the Willow 20L water containers. Which type do you use?