My brew fridge

[winelight]

Thanks to everyone for their pics and information on how to make a brew fridge, this is mine, just completed yesterday:

Not much to say about it really, it's just like everyone else's.

 

[JimmyB78]

Looks great, that's going to be my next project. Just need to find a cheap fridge, they all seem to be going for £40+ on eBay here at the moment.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Nice one.. :thumb:

 

[winelight]

need to find a cheap fridge, they all seem to be going for £40+ on eBay here at the moment.

I think it depends what part of the country you are... round here it's exactly the same, I had to pay £50. I could have got one for less if I'd been more patient, but not much less. So that's why I had to save £3.50 by buying the STC-1000 from China, lol

Duh... should have read your location first. Yes I'm also in herts.

 

[winelight]

Nice one.. :thumb:

Thanks!

 

[morethanworts]

Looks great!

What internal dimensions do you have there? It's a project for me soon. Should be ready, just as the winter comes

 

[winelight]

It's a standard under-the-counter (Beko) fridge, and the height above the shelf (as you can see, like most other folks I've made a wooden one for extra support) is about 470mm (so no room for the bubbly thing) and the width between the shelf supports about 430mm. So, just big enough.

The only thing I did different to most of the designs I've seen on here is that I don't have trailing mains sockets from the STC-1000. Instead, all the wiring is inside the existing connector block that came with the fridge, the one mounted on the compressor. So the power feed from the mains goes in as before, but instead of going to the internal thermostat and then to the compressor, goes up to the STC-1000 and back down to the compressor. And of course the heater is wired into the same block (at least, the neutral and earth are), the the live is fed down from the STC-1000 in the other half of the two-core cable that carries the switched live for the compressor.

 

[morethanworts]

Thanks!

Maybe a top-hat style airlock would just fit?

I've already built an STC 1000 unit with sockets in the box, so I'll run it externally. Can you get it colder than the lowest previous setting on the fridge's own thermostat, by bypassing it like that and have you tested what temp you can get down to?

 

[mikeyjay84]

What was your total expenditure for the whole project?

 

Thanks to everyone for their pics and information on how to make a brew fridge, this is mine, just completed yesterday:

Not much to say about it really, it's just like everyone else's.

great job ... :thumb: .
and yes im jealous .... :sulk: .

regards mick... :hat: .

 

[Remf]

The reply from my wife when I showed her this beer fridge, and telling her I want one was. "Don't you take up enough space in the house with your brewing". :whistle:

Alan :

 

[winelight]

What was your total expenditure for the whole project?

Tube heater and STC-1000 were both about £13.50. Fridge £50. ABS black plastic box from Spirotronics on eBay was about £5.

I think that's all I spent?

 

[winelight]

Can you get it colder than the lowest previous setting on the fridge's own thermostat, by bypassing it like that and have you tested what temp you can get down to?

I hadn't thought to test that. It will get up to 30, I know that!

 

[morethanworts]

Would be interesting to know, for lagering, but perhaps don't test that while your current brew is on the go! Repost if you do. :thumb:

 

[mikeyjay84]

Would be interesting to know, for lagering, but perhaps don't test that while your current brew is on the go! Repost if you do. :thumb:

Mine knows its only a matter of time before a fridge appears somewhere

 

[winelight]

Would be interesting to know, for lagering, but perhaps don't test that while your current brew is on the go! Repost if you do. :thumb:

OK, will give it a try once the current brew is out of there, which will be in about 10 days' time.

 

[Zedilly]

I got a Beko fridge off good old freecycle for......erm, free , I already have a tube heater, now I just need to get my @rse in gear and order an stc1000 from somewhere.



Note to self.......order an stc1000 from somewhere.

 

[mikeyjay84]

What I need is some space for an extra fridge...

 

[musher]

I've just acquired a new fridge so I now have a spare. The trouble is that it's not a larder fridge, it's an old style one with an ice box. Could I still use this as a brew fridge?

 

[winelight]

I don't see why not, as long as there's enough room inside for an FV?