Fridge freezer to fermentation chamber...?

[Pugh]

Hi All,

I've been given a castoff fridge freezer that I've been using to cold crash and store hops but it would be more use as a temp controlled fermentation chamber. I was going to get an ink bird but it struck me that I'm not sure that I want the whole unit to be turning on and off if there was beer fermenting at 19C in the fridge compartment.

Has anyone got any experience of disconnecting the freezer element so that when the Inkbird turns the appliance on and off, only the fridge compartment does?

Or is there a simpler (or more useful) solution I'm missing?

Thanks in advance!

 

[stan.distortion]

Check how the fridge and freezer sections are cooled. It might involve pulling off loads of panels and fans and stuff but you need to know how they operate to know what's possible. Refrigeration is only done on the freezer section on mine, the fridge section is cooled by circulating air from the freezer to the fridge. That's disconnected now, only the freezer has cooling and the fridge section only has heating (2 inkbirds and heaters with only the freezer section plugged in on the cooling side).

I'm not sure if that's normally how fridge freezers operate, it could be others use seperate heat exchangers for each section and would need a different approach. None of the air ducting is blanked off but they don't noticeably effect each other, the freezer section can hold near freezing and the fridge mid 20s without either the heating or cooling running any more than if there's just a few degrees difference.

 

[Pugh]

This is really useful, thanks! I'll give that set up a go!

 

[Pugh]

Check how the fridge and freezer sections are cooled. It might involve pulling off loads of panels and fans and stuff but you need to know how they operate to know what's possible. Refrigeration is only done on the freezer section on mine, the fridge section is cooled by circulating air from the freezer to the fridge. That's disconnected now, only the freezer has cooling and the fridge section only has heating (2 inkbirds and heaters with only the freezer section plugged in on the cooling side).

I'm not sure if that's normally how fridge freezers operate, it could be others use seperate heat exchangers for each section and would need a different approach. None of the air ducting is blanked off but they don't noticeably effect each other, the freezer section can hold near freezing and the fridge mid 20s without either the heating or cooling running any more than if there's just a few degrees difference.

I just wanted to say that this has worked a treat. I've not tried to control the temp of the fridge compartment yet but the inkbird and heater is doing a great job in the freezer compartment. Thanks!

 

[LCJohnny]

Hi Pugh
Are using the freezer compartment for fermentation?

Jon G

 

[Pugh]

Hi Pugh
Are using the freezer compartment for fermentation?

Jon G

No, I'm using both. I'm finding that if I set the freezer for 15C on the inkbird (+ a heater) it stays around that level and the fridge compartment is about 20-22C. If you leave the fridge door open overnight it also helps to bring it down a bit.

 

[Cisk]

Hi i have a upright freezer can i use it with a inkbird + a heater as i have a fermentasaurus gen 2 it needs a big space

 

[Pugh]

Hi i have a upright freezer can i use it with a inkbird + a heater as i have a fermentasaurus gen 2 it needs a big space

Just depends on whether the fermentasaurus and a small heater fits in the chamber? I'm, not sure of the fermentasuarus dims and every fridge is a bit different. Inkbird takes up no room.

 

[Old Geezer]

All I do is put the temperature probe in the fridge section when I am fermenting and in the freezer section when I'm cold crashing admittedly though it doesn't solve your problem if you want to do both at the same time.

Normally when I have the probe in the freezer section cold crashing a barrel at 2 degrees I have another barrel in the fridge section for drinking works quite well.

I guess I really could do with another fridge or freezer