So this is how i did my fridge this weekend. I thought I would share as it was a bit different than what I have seen on here. I bought a $50 craigslist fridge and decide to use it for Fermentation fridge and also Lager with it. Its a GE black mini fridge (not sure right now which one but if someone wants to know I'll re-post). So here we go:
First things first, i need the temp controller built. I followed the Ebay aquarium build on this site and that helped a lot!:
This is the project box all wired up. A dremel and files came in handy when cutting out the holes.
Plugin and faceplate installed on back:
I put both the Temp controller and plugin on the end so you can set the box on things or mount it and still be able to read it as opposed to putting it all on the top of the box.
ON TO THE FRIDGE:
So I started with the freezer part as I thought the door modification was going to suck. The fridge "shelf" holds the refrigerant lines running all through it so DO NOT CUT THIS or you will have to buy a new fridge!!!
The goal here is to bend as carefully as possible to make more headroom for you ferm vessels. You want to unscrew the shelf from the roof and lightly bend it down to form around the back of the fridge.
This is what it will look like when you have it bent back
Now we just need to affix it to the back so it will stay. I had some plastic wire clamps that fit into the screw holes so I used those with some hot glue to just tack it to the back of the fridge so it doesn't move around.
Next we can look at the door. This needed to be cut down so I have the room i needed when the door was shut. I had heard and read that if you peel back the black seal around the edge, there were screws that you can take out and then remove the plastic "pop' holder piece from the door. For my project, this was not the case. They had molded it to the styrofoam underneath and it was just glued in place. I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it really was.
You will have to get a razor knife in between the seal and the door and just cut a slit on the top like so:
No need to cut around the whole door, just enough for the next steps.
I found that the plastic cut rather nicely with the razor knife and you can slowly cut sections of it and pull it out from underneath the seal. Be careful because this plastic is sharp!
Next if you take a long kitchen knife or whatever you have to shave the styrofoam down to an all flat surface you can either leave it like that or cover it with a flat piece of plastic or something to make it look cleaner.
Then you have to calibrate your temp controller and your all finished.
Any questions I will be happy to answer or take more pictures..
Thank you