MGBeer

Recipes 

Hi

I have a small magic chef fridge that I keep my homebrew in out in the garage (live in Chicago). Last winter I had only a couple 6 packs out there, and they froze in December. Would love to be able to use it all through the winter - any ideas?

Thanks!

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Primary- Brown Ale
Secondary- Empty (boo hoo!)
Bottled- Oatmeal Stout
On hand- APA, Cream Stout, IPA

GilaMinumBeer

Recipes 

Ranco, Johnson, Love.

Unplug it?

Heat lamp?

Move it inside?

Not really getting a feel for the issue here. Is it that the unit runs too cold or that, just by the nature of it being garaged it freezes?

If the latter, you can get a lamp and a timer on a budget or go with a dedicated controller (named above) and the lamp/heat pad/etc...

MGBeer

Recipes 

Thanks - the issue is that it freezes just being in the garage...

__________________
Primary- Brown Ale
Secondary- Empty (boo hoo!)
Bottled- Oatmeal Stout
On hand- APA, Cream Stout, IPA

GilaMinumBeer

Recipes 

Sounds like a good reason to move it inside to me.

MGBeer

Recipes 

- would love to move it inside, but space & spouse dictates that that is not possible...

__________________
Primary- Brown Ale
Secondary- Empty (boo hoo!)
Bottled- Oatmeal Stout
On hand- APA, Cream Stout, IPA

GilaMinumBeer

Recipes 

Throw out her shoe collection. Space problem solved. Spouse likely too.

I snuck mine in overnight. She was not amused but, has gotten over it.

No doubt she's waiting for the day the toddler decides to pull the handle and walk away.

springer

Recipes 

put heat in the garage a tv and a couch.. Little extreme ? Well if the air temp in the garage is below freezing then eventually everything is going to freeze. I would just get a temp control and some type of heating device set it to 40 and walk away.

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'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.'- Ronald Reagan

KiltLifter

Recipes 

Perhaps Heat Tape?
The stuff that goes in gutters or the ones that wrap around water pipes to keep them from freezing. You would just have to check the temp that they turn off at and be 5-10 above that temp to be sure that your fridge and the tape aren't battling it out at the same time! Anyone tried this? (I have not, BTW)

slimer

Recipes 

The answer is simple. Turn your fridge on low and put in a simple lightbulb. It will heat enough to keep it from freezing. Trust me. I have my kegerator in the garage and it's been fine.

Cpt_Kirks

Recipes 

Get one of those reptile heat pads they have in the pet stores.

Hook it to an external temperature controller.