My new brewing fridge

[DoctorMick]

Just acquired a fridge and have sorted a pre-wired temp controller. :) I know I need a heater which shouldn't be a problem but as the fridge has a salad drawer I need to build something to level the bottom of the fridge off (and to mount the heater). As I'm useless at carpentry (and all other DIY to be honest) would it be possible to buy a strong piece of ply and just put it in the bottle shelf grooves? That would mean the heater would just be sitting on the floor of the fridge, would that pose any risk?

 

[ManseMasher]

Just acquired a fridge and have sorted a pre-wired temp controller. :) I know I need a heater which shouldn't be a problem but as the fridge has a salad drawer I need to build something to level the bottom of the fridge off (and to mount the heater). As I'm useless at carpentry (and all other DIY to be honest) would it be possible to buy a strong piece of ply and just put it in the bottle shelf grooves? That would mean the heater would just be sitting on the floor of the fridge, would that pose any risk?

Depends on the heater and what it kicks out really - worst thing ever would be to melt the floor of your fridge! As for the ply, if you're doing 23l brews that's 23kg - quite a lot of weight in the middle. If you want to go down that route you could probably get away with one supporting piece of timber in the middle of your ply to the fridge floor. Might be able to mount your heater to that, or mount it on the underneath of your shelf. You'll need some holes in the shelf to let the heat rise too I would suggest.

 

[acuk63]

I agree with Mansemasher, that's quite a bit of weight on the shelf, so cut a couple of supports down the the floor to spread the weight, with regards to the heater, the one I bought is 60W and gets quite warm, but it comes with 2 brackets, I would think you could fit the brackets to the heater then stick them to the floor of the fridge with silicone, that way the heater would be up off the floor of the fridge, drill plenty of large holes in the shelf to radiate the heat up through to your brew.

 

[DoctorMick]

Cheers gents, I'll build a frame rather than trying to botch it...wish me luck. :lol:

 

[Twostage]

I use 40 watt light bulbs in a baton socket as a heat source. I think the socket cost about 2 quid. As others before have said - thread the cable through the fridge drain hole. I have a computer fan running constantly to circulate the air. I don't mount them in anything, just zip tie something metal to them to weight them down and then stand them on their edge. I think the fans are £1.79 from fleabay.

You're going to like your brewfridge . It makes a big difference to brewing and makes lagers a real possibility.

 

[ManseMasher]

If you want a pc fan pm me - I've a couple going spare. You'll need a 12v power supply. I used one from an old broadband router.

 

[DoctorMick]

If you want a pc fan pm me - I've a couple going spare. You'll need a 12v power supply. I used one from an old broadband router.

I'm pretty sure I've got one lying around. How do you power the fan? Is there some kind of converter from the molex connector?

 

[ManseMasher]

I'm pretty sure I've got one lying around. How do you power the fan? Is there some kind of converter from the molex connector?

I cut the ends off the power supply and the fan, worked out which were the +ve and -ve wires and spliced them together.

 

[DoctorMick]

I cut the ends off the power supply and the fan, worked out which were the +ve and -ve wires and spliced them together.

Hmmmm... :electric: :lol:

 

[ManseMasher]

Hmmmm... :electric: :lol:

With crimps and insulated, so not as dodgy as it sounds!

 

[DoctorMick]

Could of questions, which illustrate my lack of DIY knowledge:

- Where would be a good place to get the small amount of wood I need to build a support frame?
- Should I buy a heater with or without a plug fitted? I'm guessing without so I can try and get the cable through the drainage hole.
- Rather than put the probe in to the FV I was going to attach to the outside, insulated with polystyrene. Only problem is, I can't think how to stick it to the side of the FV, any ideas?

 

[Mickeywheelspin]

- Where would be a good place to get the small amount of wood I need to build a support frame?

The large B&Q near me cut wood on site and usually have a bin of offcuts kicking around. Failing that, ask mates / family if they have anything (offcuts, old shelves...) or try wickes.

- Should I buy a heater with or without a plug fitted? I'm guessing without so I can try and get the cable through the drainage hole.

Whatever's cheapest. If you get one with a moulded plug you should be able to disconnect the flex at the heater end to poke through (assuming the hole is big enough for a 3 core double insularted flex?). alternatively a plug is about £1.

Rather than put the probe in to the FV I was going to attach to the outside, insulated with polystyrene. Only problem is, I can't think how to stick it to the side of the FV, any ideas?

Personally, I use Duct tape but bungee or similar would work.

 

[ManseMasher]

My probe is taped to the wall at the back of the fridge. Works absolutely fine and means you can leave in place rather than having to unstick it from the fv.

 

[DoctorMick]

The large B&Q near me cut wood on site and usually have a bin of offcuts kicking around. Failing that, ask mates / family if they have anything (offcuts, old shelves...) or try wickes.



Whatever's cheapest. If you get one with a moulded plug you should be able to disconnect the flex at the heater end to poke through (assuming the hole is big enough for a 3 core double insularted flex?). alternatively a plug is about £1.



Personally, I use Duct tape but bungee or similar would work.

Cheers. The hole doesn't look big enough, if it isn't what are my options?

 

[Mickeywheelspin]

Cheers. The hole doesn't look big enough, if it isn't what are my options?

If you're feeling brave then drill a hole, poke the cable through and seal with mastic or similar. You need to be VERY sure of where the cooling coils and electrics run though. Suppose you could go via the door?

I've got a chest freezer with an opening lid so I just sit the heater inside and the cable gets trapped in the rubber seal. Not an airtight seal but good enough for my needs and it means I can take the heater out before crash cooling.

 

[Twostage]

Cheers. The hole doesn't look big enough, if it isn't what are my options?

If your heat source is a simple 40watt bulb then the cable only needs to be low amp (thin) two core. I've got the cables for the bulb and fan through the drain hole and the temp sensor just poked through the door with the seal taking care of sealing it.

As Manse I've got the sensor floating in the fridge. Tried attaching it to the FV but it caused constant cycling of heating/cooling. I sometimes attach a temp monitor to the FV to check progress, if the FV is warmer than the chamber it's fermenting hard. When the FV temp drops to the chamber temp it has stopped.

 

[ManseMasher]

I managed to get 3-core, fan twin-core and the temperature sensor cable through mine - I taped them together and got them through in one go. If yours won't fit, rather than drilling, perhaps you could heat up the chuck end of a drill to melt the plastic enough to get them through? I have never tried it, but you might get a bit more control than drilling?

 

[DoctorMick]

Right, I'm pretty much sorted. :)

I've built a frame, attached the heater and connected everything up. Couldn't get all the wired through the drainage hole but got the heater cable thru so the sensor is just going in through the door and the seal is still good. All I need to do now is sort out the fan...can someone give me an idiots guide to wiring up a PC fans to the mains?

 

[ManseMasher]

Right, I'm pretty much sorted. :)

I've built a frame, attached the heater and connected everything up. Couldn't get all the wired through the drainage hole but got the heater cable thru so the sensor is just going in through the door and the seal is still good. All I need to do now is sort out the fan...can someone give me an idiots guide to wiring up a PC fans to the mains?

Most PC fans are 12v, so you will need a 12v power supply. I use one from an old broadband router I no longer use. I take it you already have a fan? What colour are the wires?

 

[Twostage]

Right, I'm pretty much sorted. :)

I've built a frame, attached the heater and connected everything up. Couldn't get all the wired through the drainage hole but got the heater cable thru so the sensor is just going in through the door and the seal is still good. All I need to do now is sort out the fan...can someone give me an idiots guide to wiring up a PC fans to the mains?

Don't wire it to the mains !!!

Get a phone charger or similar. Ideally one matched to the fan (12v and 200ma) from memory. Then cut the silver plug off the cable from the charger, strip the wires and connect to the fan cable. Check it is the right way round (mine didn't work with them reversed). If you can feed it through the drain hole unconnect it again, push it through and then reconnect. Then wrap with insulating tape round the join.

From memory my fan was 90mm £1,79 from eBay (3 wire - black red yellow). And the charger was a voltage selectable one for a fiver. I had mine set on 9 volts so it was a gentle breeze.