Fermenting fridge help

[Daddynoob]

Thanks for all the replies
Much appreciated
Only kept the glass cos thought it might be better for the heat
I will replace it with some polycarbonate plastic or some ply

was going to try and ferment on the top and carbonate in the bottom with another one set of to ferment on the top while bottom is carbonate
(Fridge freezer)
Have got a heat mat for the bottom part

as for the Pb I have 3 which I found 1 had a leak in the seem

so will carbonate in bottles for first batch the experiment with Pb on second batch
Will try 3-5 ounces in boiling water and see if that works

thanks again

 

[Daddynoob]

Do I have to do anything with the gas on the fridge? Or will it be ok as is

 

[Daddynoob]

What would happen if I cut this bit out
Need PB to sit further back
Or maybe another FV

 

[Galena]

Isn't that where the compressor is?

 

[Daddynoob]

I think so
But it won’t be used

 

[Galena]

I think so
But it won’t be used

Are you certain? What about when the weather warms up and you need to chill?

 

[Daddynoob]

Have a large pub style fridge

 

[Galena]

Have a large pub style fridge

What I mean to say is, if its a fermentation chamber, it may need to cool the brew from time to time, I know mine does in summer, also can then be used for cold crashing.
However if you know you will not need it and will not be using any onboard electrics then I guess it may be safe but you would need to make sure there are no pipes or anything in there. Sorry I can't really be of help

 

[Daddynoob]

Is cold crashing better

 

[Galena]

Is cold crashing better

Hah, well that could open a can of worms lol, I don't think in most cases you need to worry about cold crashing, as discussed in another thread recently whether it improves the clarity at all, or just speeds up the process is open for debate. I only do it occasionally. If you brew lager though, with lager yeast then you will need to ferment relatively cold and cold crashing is part of the process.
However when the temperature is 30 degrees in summer, assuming you are brewing how are you going to control the temperature?

 

[Daddynoob]

I have a thermostat plugged in

 

[Galena]

I have a thermostat plugged in

But if you have removed the compressor all you can do is heat.

 

[Daddynoob]

I thought when you ferment and carbonate you need to heat
When they are bottled I can put them in the pub fridge
Am I missing something

 

[Galena]

I thought when you ferment and carbonate you need to heat
When they are bottled I can put them in the pub fridge
Am I missing something

Well you can get away with fermenting in a room in the house kept around 'room temperature' but if you are going to the trouble of building a fermentation chamber then it is worth doing right, best practice is to keep the brew within a certain temperature range that keeps the yeast at its optimum. This will vary depending on the yeast you use, also many people start it at the lower end and slowly raise to the upper end of the yeasts range. So typically I might do 3 or 4 days at 18C then increase 1 degree a day until I get to 21C and then hold it there until finished.

Having said that perhaps I am a bit anal like that and you will probably fine most of the time without going to that trouble and just heat using the thermostat. Its just if you are going to the trouble of building one then I consider it may be worth going the whole hog.
I see it doesn't look like you have room though without cutting out the bottom of the fridge and disabling the compressor.

 

[Daddynoob]

Can just squeeze a PB in the bottom without any cutting

but don’t know whether to carbonate in PB or bottles
Or even half and half but can never get the sugar amount right
Also the thermostat does cold as well

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

The thermostat only reads the temperature and switches the compressor on and off. The compressor makes it happen.

Without the compressor, the thermostat just switches and the temperature stays at ambient. Without the thermostat, the compressor runs and tuns and the temperatur gets colder and colder. So to keep things within the temperature range you choose.

If you remove the compressor, all you're left with is an insulated box. And probably lots of coolant to mop up.

 

[Bombers hoppy ending]

This is how I did it. Don’t cut the back out. You’ll also end up with a large hole. So no cooling ability and no longer even an insulated box