Fermentation fridge wanted!

[rich1985]

If anyone is looking to sell / get rid of their fermentation fridge please let me know. Looking for an under the counter one. Currently researching temperature controllers, heating lamps and fridges but it's a bit daunting and would have to get an electrician to install the equipment.

I'm based in Finsbury Park London!

 

[GlentoranMark]

Rich, I kept checking Gumtree and Freecycle and bided my time. Eventually I got a larder fridge for £25.

I didn't do any electrics, just plugged in an Inkbird (discount code available on this forum) and put the sensor in through the door. You only really need heating if your ambient room temperature goes lower than your brewing temperature (like in a garage or cellar).

It works for me.

 

[rich1985]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for this. So no drilling or anything? I'm trying to plan ahead to winter brewing with regards to the heating element. Will the fridge without one and just the inkbird be able to maintain a 18-25 degrees celsius temperature in winter? My living room can get pretty cold during the day!

Thanks for getting back to me,

Richard

 

[GlentoranMark]

I just passed the wire through the gap in the door so no drilling. I could imagine you could also put a heater in without drilling. The Inkbird does all the work. I actually used the Inkbird to control my boiler for mashing until I bought a dedicated mashtun boiler.

It depends on your living room temperature in winter but my kitchen rarely goes below 18° at any time. The Inkbird keeps the fridge at the correct temperature, it just switches the fridge on and off when needed. There are plenty of under counter fridges on Gumtree but get make sure you get one without an ice compartment.

They also pop up on Freecycle all the time although for me I wanted a taller larder fridge which was harder to get. I waited 3 months but eventually one appeared for £25. I didn't even haggle as I was well pleased. Just bide your time and you'll pick something up for next to nothing.

 

[Clint]

The heater is easy to fit...take the plug off and push the cable through the drain hole at the back. I extended the heater cable with spare flex and a small 3 core junction box. The inkbird temp probe cable is so thin I just close the fridge door over it and the magnetic seal well...seals around it. I mounted the heater on a spare bit of wood and built a shelf,which I drilled lots of holes in,for the fv to sit on. It really is easy!

 

[GlentoranMark]

As my room rarely drops below 18° I didn't feel the need for a heater but as you say it's easy to do. The Inkbird does all the work for you so no complicated wiring, just plug the heater into the heating socket of the Inkbird and the fridge into the cooling socket. Set your temperature and your good to go.

The heater is easy to fit...take the plug off and push the cable through the drain hole at the back. I extended the heater cable with spare flex and a small 3 core junction box. The inkbird temp probe cable is so thin I just close the fridge door over it and the magnetic seal well...seals around it. I mounted the heater on a spare bit of wood and built a shelf,which I drilled lots of holes in,for the fv to sit on. It really is easy!

 

[rich1985]

Hi Clint and Mark,

Thanks for the advice! Think we will go ahead and go with the fridge. Still not sure if I'm entirely confident in extending the lead for a heater but for now we don't have that problem. Plenty of time to think till winter comes.

You don't by any chance know why people sometimes go freezer over fridge do you?

Thanks so much again

Richard

 

[Clint]

Extending the lead is dead easy...go to a hardware store and select the junction box you need..probably 3 core. It's a case of stripping back a few mm of insulation off the wires and screwing them into the corresponding slot in the box then replace the cover. The box costs under £2. No specialist tools required...a very small screwdriver,sharp blade and wire cutters.
Not exactly sure why you would get a freezer rather than a fridge...availability?

 

[GlentoranMark]

The Inkbird leads are pretty long, you won't need to extend. I'm not sure of the difference, the Inkbird will still do its job and meet whatever temperature you set it at whether you get a freezer or fridge. Just avoid fridges with ice compartments, it's not that they don't work but the ice compartment takes up space you could be using for your beer.

 

[rich1985]

Gonna start looking on gumtree now. I assume you only need the heater in addition if it was very cold. I think I recall the gent in London beer lab saying getting a chest freezer is great for cold crashing but I do not think we are at that stage yet. I'm going to look for a cheap fridge now. Thanks for the advice.

I also saw you didnt use an airlock clint. Was that for any reason?

 

[GlentoranMark]

When you go to check out a fridge, bring a FV and airlock to make sure it fits, also just bide your time and wait on the right fridge at the right price. It took me 3 months to get my larder fridge, every time I phoned up I was too slow but I got there in the end. I think we've convinced you that fridge conversion (if you can call it that) isn't hard.

 

[Clint]

Airlock....the picture was just for showing off purposes on the forum!...and the fv was empty! I always use a blow off tube when fermenting just incase there's a mess..easier to manage.

 

[grmski]

cheap hairdryers from Argos/Amazon can be picked up for less than a tenner and make ideal fan heaters, I've been using one for years.

 

[sdt7618]

Hi Clint and Mark,

Thanks for the advice! Think we will go ahead and go with the fridge. Still not sure if I'm entirely confident in extending the lead for a heater but for now we don't have that problem. Plenty of time to think till winter comes.

You don't by any chance know why people sometimes go freezer over fridge do you?

Thanks so much again

Richard

If you can wire a plug just cut the plug off the heater feed the cable through and wire the plug on, if you need to extend just get an extension cable. Or drill a 10mm hole in the top or side pretty simple and when cables in fill with either silicon or blue tack!

like others has said the inkbird does the hard bits.