Wine Fridge To Ferment

[stowaway]

Hi,

I was wondering has anyone tried to buy a standard wine fridge (can buy them from kmart for $200) to use for the fermenting process.

you can set the temps from 12degrees to 30degrees.

thought this might be a good way to keep a constnat temp... what are your thoughts?

my apologises if this topic has been discussed before. i tried a search for wine fridge but got soo many irrelevent posts

 

[hosko11]

Hey Stowaway,
I'm pretty sure those wine fridges only cool, so unless the ambient temp where the fridge is located is higher than your desired ferment temp you will almost certainly need to provide some form of heat as well.
Cheers,
Hosko

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I have a German Black Bear kind of lager thing fermenting in one right this very instant (has been for a couple of weeks). Mine is a thermoelectric wine cooler and in spite of its flaws is a perfectly acceptable device if it fits your needs.

It fits a single Bunnings water drum fermenter or a couple of Decor 8.5litre storers and just does its job. Don't expect to be able to use it to chill from boiling though.

My ales seem to love it in the warmer weather.

$200 is probably a bit steep. I paid $160 for mine a year ago, thought it was a good price and have subsequently decided I paid over the money.

 

[T.D.]

I use a wine fridge for fermenting. Its a "Rank Arena" jobbie. Got it from Big W from memory. Works really well, although its a bit weak in terms of cooling power. But once you know its pitfalls you can plan for them. For instance, I can't pitch a lager at ambient temps and then bring it down to <12 in the fridge - once fermentation kicks off the fridge can't counteract the warmth it produces and the wort usually ends up staying at around 16-17. If I cold pitch its not a problem - holds 10-12 with no probs at all. Its also perfect for summer brewing as it holds 18-20 perfectly. Again, if I cold pitch a lager in summer it will also hold lager temps. But like I said, you just need to learn what it can and can't do, and allow for it.

Also, make sure the one you're getting doesn't have a compressor hump on the inside. The big selling point of the one I got was that its compressor is on the back so the inside is all usable space - fits a 30L fermenter in beautfully!

 

[turto77]

I got a Minstral thermoelectric wine cooler from "The Warehouse" last week for $189, it fits a standard coopers fermenter (i think these are about 30L) with the tap and has plenty of room for the air lock. Seems to work well, just a bit fiddly to get the temp right, but i am sure that will get easier as i get more familliar with the temp adjustment.