The Best Equipment Investments

[Maysie]

Newbie Question Alert!

I have been reading this thread with great interest as I am waiting to start off my first ever brew. My house is always cold, whatever the weather, so I am worried that my fermentation will not be successful due to inconsistent temperatures, so I have decided that a brew fridge is essential for my circumstances. I have ordered a STC-1000 and a tube heater which should arrive soon, so I am looking to buy a 2nd hand fridge on ebay.
So my question relates to the fridge purchase:

I have read that a broken fridge can be used, but surely that means that you cannot chill the brew in the summer if the fridge is not working?!
Does that not defeat the purpose of having a controlled environment, ie one that can warm and chill as required oris the chilling ability only needed for certain types of brew and therefore not as important for some people as others?

Apologies if I am missing something really obvious, but I am very confused!
TIA for any views and apologies for the slight hijack.

 

[marksa222]

At this time of year, unless you're lagering, nature should pretty much cover the cold part. The reason a fridge would be good is because it's well insulated. If you have a heater controlled by an STC-1000 and say going for 18 degrees with a 0.5 degree allowance, it will come on when the temp dips below 17.5degrees, heat to 18 degrees then turn off. As its insulated, it should be a while before it dips back below 17.5 degrees. This is assuming the temperature outside the fridge is lower than 17.5 degrees.

It would be fine to use a broken fridge in the winter, but if it ever goes above your fermentation temp, you wont really be able to control it. Remember that fermentation itself creates heat, so if the outside temp is 18 degrees, you could be fermenting at 22 because of this. I attach the sensor of the stc1000 to the fv by sellotaping a sponge to the side of the fv and slipping it under there. It measures closer to the beer than the fridge itself to give a little more control.

 

[nobyipa]

my freezer does not work but its a great brew fridge
chilling i do in bits in my working fridge
:thumb:

 

[ovenbeasts]

There are still quite significant changes between the day and night temperatures. Day time has been as high as 10C and at night fallen to 0C or below.

From what I've read of technical spec of both fridges and freezers the optimum working temperature for a fridge is above 10C which means if its in an environment where the temperature is below this there may be issues with the thermostatic control. I've not experienced it myself but know of other people whose fridges have gone a bit strange at this time of year, particularly those kept in sheds or garages where its possible the internal fridge temperature is higher than the temperature of the shed/garage.

To echo the previous posts if you want to chill your beer you need a fridge that can do this.

 

[Maysie]

Thanks Guys
I think you are confirming what I thought, ie that a working fridge - even if it is a bit rough around the edges will be a better bet as a 'project fridge' than a nicer looking but broken fridge, as the ability to chill will give much more flexibility to control the temperatures as I need them.

At this time of year, chilling wont be a problem as I have stone floors which keep the back of the house cool and an attached 'outhouse' that is like a semi-frost protected outdoor space. But as the temps warm up in the summer, it will be handy to have the additional (chill) control.

When the heating isn't on, my house sits around 13C (winter) - 18C (Summer) so is pretty consistently cold all year round, so a brew fridge is pretty much essential to get a decent batch!

Thanks for the tips, and this is great forum by the way.

 

[hairybiker]

A "broken" fridge can be used, as long as the the break is the thermostat (which you will be replacing with the stc1000 anyway).

 

[joe1002]

Thanks Guys
I think you are confirming what I thought, ie that a working fridge - even if it is a bit rough around the edges will be a better bet as a 'project fridge' than a nicer looking but broken fridge, as the ability to chill will give much more flexibility to control the temperatures as I need them.

At this time of year, chilling wont be a problem as I have stone floors which keep the back of the house cool and an attached 'outhouse' that is like a semi-frost protected outdoor space. But as the temps warm up in the summer, it will be handy to have the additional (chill) control.

When the heating isn't on, my house sits around 13C (winter) - 18C (Summer) so is pretty consistently cold all year round, so a brew fridge is pretty much essential to get a decent batch!

Thanks for the tips, and this is great forum by the way.

It doesn't have to be rough round the edges, you gan get a good fridge cheap, check gumtree, freecycle etc. In my view a fully working fridge is the best bet, but cheap of course :thumb:

 

[Maysie]

A "broken" fridge can be used, as long as the the break is the thermostat (which you will be replacing with the stc1000 anyway).

^^^^
That statement 100% plugs the hole in my thought process.
Crystal clear now - hopefully like my brew!

 

[morethanworts]

I'd reckon there'll be more second hand fridges about after xmas, at a guess. Took ages this Summer for one to come up near me that was suitable (ebay, gumtree and cards adds), with the weather so hot, and I imagine many will keep any old ones spare for extra food over xmas.

In the end, I got a great one for £20 from posting a wanted add in a local supermarket. :party:

 

[nobyipa]

also a good accurate thermometer is a must
i went through 2 glass ones couldn't hardly read em with my eye sight and took an age to get the right reading
have a colmark digital now and will never look back now
one of my most used equipment investments
:thumb:

 

[morethanworts]

Ooh, just thought: a box of thin nitrile disposable gloves. You may end up looking like a surgeon, but I find them far better than normal rubber gloves to work in when using sanitisers.

Cost me 3 or 4 quid from a car boot sale for a box of 100.