Newest Threads

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:20 PM

Hello everybody!

I am not quite done with this build but it is functional and I wanted to post up.

I recently picked up a side by side fridge and decided I wanted a BIG fermentation chamber. Here is the fridge... one standard 1990's era Amana:

So first things first, in order to make this side by side a single chamber I had to cut out the middle wall.

I used a dremel tool with a metal cutoff wheel to score a line around the metal at the edges. Then I grabbed the panel with a pliers and ripped away the metal.

Then I knocked out most of the insulation.

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:24 PM

Then, I scored the other side of the panel and removed it in the same way.

Next I cleaned up the edges of the metal divider to flush, and blushed off the remaining insulation.

A wire brush worked really well for cleaning out insulation.

Here is another view of the preped chamber

I now have a big open space!

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:27 PM

Here is a shot of the cooling unit:

This unit has no coils in the walls and is very compact. It works well for my purposes.

Here is a shot of the original thermostat and humidity control:

The thermostat is what will be bypassed with a LOVE controller.

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:33 PM

Next comes the part of wiring. This fridge has a circuit diagram ont he back that was very helpful.

With this diagram I could locate hot and common leads throughout the system and it made my life MUCH easier. I still double checked everything with a multimeter, just to make sure.

The first order of business was to plan where I would pickup my common and hot leads for the LOVE, and where the LOVE would be positioned.

I decided to take the hot leads directly from the original thermostat and the common from the cooling cavity. I will explain more as I go through the pics.

I decided the best place for the controller was in the upper left, so I put tit there....

marking out the opening:

Cutting the hole with my trusty dremel, you can clean up the corners with a utility knife:

I then drilled four marker holes in each corner of the opening through to the inside of the fridge.

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:35 PM

Then I opened the inside hole with a utility knife:

So now my panel mount hole is done.

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:45 PM

Now to wire the controller!

I purchased a LOVE TSS2-2100 dual stage controller from Dwyer so I can control both heat and cool in my chamber.

This diagram shows how to wire it.

So, I wired in sections of 4" #14 solid cable from all the points I needed power, inserted the controller into my hole, and secured it.

I used terminal blocks to make all my jumps.

White wire coming in is common from the systems white wiring picked up from main cooling area, left hand side of this pic. The brown board on the left has an extra spot for additional hook-ups (very handy).

The black is hot from the system's red wiring and I picked it up directly from the original thermostat. I used wire nuts because I was lazy. Maybe I will go back and solder it later...

The green wire is the switch wire and leads to the system end of the red wire located at the original thermostat. This is the connection the controller will switch on/off for cooling.

In the above diagram the black hot wire leads to terminals 5, 7, and 10 to provide hot power. The white common wire leads only to terminal 4. The green wire leads to terminal 8.

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:49 PM

Here is a shot of the interior leading to the original thermostat, the main cooling compartment, and the controller.

Now the second circuit needed to be wired for heating. I ran a second green wire with black stripes from terminal 11 down to the main cooling compartment. You can see the new green striped cable in this pic:

..................

So now the controller is fully wired. I didn't have my heater yet and HAD to fire it up!

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:52 PM

Then it was time to reinstall the cosmetic covers and check out the setup.

Looks Good.

At this point, my wife left the house with her camera and I have a bit of a gap in photos...

Anyway, I bought a small heater from Home Depot for $14 that has a resistive heater and a fan. I connected that to the green and black striped wire and the white common in the main cooling compartment.

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:55 PM

So that was it! I have the inside repainted to cover all surfaces. I bondoed over the exposed insulation, used two coates of primer, and top coated with appliance paint. It looks rather nice and pro.

then I installed two oak shelves. This puppy can hold about 7 carboys!

Here are some shots:

Boerderij_Kabouter · 02-23-2009, 01:57 PM

Future plans are to repaint the front doors and replace the handles with two oak handles. The paint will be green to match my keezer.

...................

For other info and detailed programming help for this LOVE and the sigle stage, check out this thread:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/love-temp-controller-series-ts-wiring-diagram-2008-a-88369/