Fermentation fridge/freezer

[bert7cosby]

Hi I am hoping to build a dual purpose fermentation chamber / kegerator and was wondering what would be best to use, either a under counter fridge or freezer ??
I have already built the stc unit and have a heater so I just need to start scouring the usual channels for my appliance of choice.
What are the pro's and cons of a fridge v's freezer ?
Thanks all & a very happy new year
Brett

[daddies-beer-factory]

Hi, If you get a tall larder fridge, something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beko-Tall-Lar ... 339b2cc9a9
and put a ply shelf at the bottom, and a removable ply shelf half way up, you can get 2 30L fermenting buckets in there

or 2 corny kegs and a bottle of CO2

[bert7cosby]

Hi thanks for the reply but unfortunately I only have room for an under counter fridge

[Fil]

many under the counter freezers have fixed shelves that contain the crucial cooling pipes, and while mini chest freezers can make good kegorators they are not ideal for fermenting as you need to lift out the FV to let gravity help you bottle or keg.

on the plus side for freezers they generally have better insulation than fridges.

So imho a fridge would be the best option and avoid those with the small freezer compartment at the top as generally those comprise of a metal cooling radiator shelf which needs careful bending out of the way without compromising the cooling lines embedded within it.

[IPA]

Hi I am hoping to build a dual purpose fermentation chamber / kegerator and was wondering what would be best to use, either a under counter fridge or freezer ??
I have already built the stc unit and have a heater so I just need to start scouring the usual channels for my appliance of choice.
What are the pro's and cons of a fridge v's freezer ?
Thanks all & a very happy new year
Brett

My advice would be to go for a small chest freezer for the following reasons.
1/ They are more economic because, unlike a fridge, you can open it without losing a load of cold air. Plus as Fil said the insulation is better.
2/ You can mount the taps and drill all necessary holes through the wooden skirt without risk.
3/ They are cheaper to buy. You can buy a brand new one for less than £100

As you are buying a small on I would suggest that you make it so that the skirt lifts up with the lid. This would make it much easier to lift in and out your FV's as the height will be 15 cms lower.

[BenB]

As said a freezer has better insulation and the duty cycle will be lower. If you're mostly going to be cooling a top-opening chamber makes more sense as you won't loose all your cold air when you open it. Obviously if you're chamber is hotter than ambient you lose all your heat immediately- but then I suspect it would quickly spill out anyway with a front-opener. The downside of chest freezers is that often the bottom is not entirely flat due to the compressor- they have a ridge either at one end or at the back of the freezer. With cornies / kegs this isn't a problem because their diameter is smaller but it does mean sometimes a big old bucket FV won't fit. You can insert a false floor to level the entire freezer but then you loose height. These are all reasons I went with a tabletop freezer attached to the side of a custom made MDF chamber lined with Celotex- that way I had complete control over the dimensions. The fact that the freezer is suddenly cooling a much bigger space is compensated for by the fact that I'm not taking the chamber down to freezer temperatures. Works well.....

[orlando]

Dual purpose sounds a good idea but in practice it will be very restricting. I find a single fermentation chamber restricting enough and have a trug and fish heater just to keep stocks and variety at a reasonable level. If you decide to go over to keg only you really are unable to realistically do this, as you will not be able to balance fermenting duties with dispensing. In other words you need both.

[far9410]

Dual purpose sounds a good idea but in practice it will be very restricting. I find a single fermentation chamber restricting enough and have a trug and fish heater just to keep stocks and variety at a reasonable level. If you decide to go over to keg only you really are unable to realistically do this, as you will not be able to balance fermenting duties with dispensing. In other words you need both.

+1