Best fermentation fridge to fit a carboy

I am interested in converting a fridge to a fermentation chamber with a Johnson temperature controller and I am wondering what is the best option for a fridge. Maybe even a chest freezer. My concern about them is that all the insides I see pictures of have a bump out that will not fit a carboy. What do you all recommend?

You caught the big "gotcha", that stupid hump where the compressor sits. My first fermentation fridge was the exact right dimensions I needed as listed on Craigslist... until I tried to put a bucket in there and the hump prevented the door from closing. I was able to make it work but it took some disassembly.

I recently got a pretty big chest freezer for $20 (<3 Craigslist) and I absolutely love it. It has enough room for a couple carboys, 3-4 corny kegs and my CO2 tank. It also holds temperature pretty well, so that the controller only kicks it on once or twice an hour at normal fermentation temps. Only downside: it was pretty old and one HEAVY SOB Took a lot of grunting to get it moved in.

I attached a pic; I just cleaned it out so the kegs are disconnected. Bonus cameo by my first all-grain batch in the carboy.

Just bought a 5 cu ft GE chest freezer at Home Depot. Will take one carboy with plenty of room to spare. They run about 160. For 180 you can go with a 7(or 8?) that (I think) would go 2. Fermenting at 64° it comes on about once every hour for maybe 2 minutes in a house at 79°, so the insulation appears to work ok.

Does anybody make a shorter carboy that could ride the hump?

I also use a 5 cu ft chest freezer, if you can find a used one they are pretty cheap. I looked at the 7ft ones but I wasn't entirely confident I could fit 2 carboys in with the hump.

KeithMoonsLiver said:

I also use a 5 cu ft chest freezer, if you can find a used one they are pretty cheap. I looked at the 7ft ones but I wasn't entirely confident I could fit 2 carboys in with the hump.

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So youre saying the 5 cuft one you have, does NOT have the hump in it?

Some of the smaller ones don't have a hump they just raise the entire bottom of the freezer compartment.

dmbnpj said:

So youre saying the 5 cuft one you have, does NOT have the hump in it?

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the 5cu ft does have a hump, but there's more than enough room next to it for a 6 gallon carboy.

I have a few. The 7.2 chest freezer is best. I want a 20 to ferment in and use the 7.2 for six kegs.

The mini fridge

The wood box lifts it even with the compressor. I cut the door and bent the freezer down. I wish it fit two kegs.

The side by side.

This will fit two fermenters or three kegs and a five pound CO2 tank.

The 7.2 Magic Chef.

This fits two buckets and a five gallon carboy. The bucket on the compressor has to have a blow off.

Buckets tend to work better than 6.5 gallon carboys because they are both skinner and shorter. I seldom use mine.

I'd say check craigslist. You can find upright or chest freezer for cheap (if you have room for them). I don't know if a regular mini fridge would have enough room for a carboy. You may have to do some modifications. You may be able to find kegerator type mini fridges that are built to hold kegs or even wine coolers (with temp control) for cheap. YMMV.

I'd enthusiastically second the craigslist comments. I live in a college town and there are dirty old mini fridges aplenty for $25 on craigslist.

Somewhere on here is a post of someone converting a whiskey barrel and a mini fridge into a kegerator and it gave me the bug big-time to find a way to do something similar for homebrew kegs.

5.0 has a hump.



inside, almost room for 2, but need taller but narrower carboys.

Guess there is no need for room for more than one carboy since you will only be able to set one temperature in there at once. So the 5 cubic foot is all that is needed really?

Any one have a 5 cf that uses 6.5 gallon buckets that can post a pic of it in there?
Im trying to decide if the 5 is enough or if I really should make the jump to the 7+ cf freezer.

The 5cf and 7cf ones at Home Depot are the same size in height at an inside dimension of 27.1/8" tall. The difference is the width whereas with the hump in there you can only fit one bucket/carboy even in the 7cf one, which is my thinking that the 7cf is pointless.

You can always build a collar and then the hump doesn't matter. I think it's also a good idea to size it for kegs.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/sizing-your-chest-freezer-corny-kegs-75449/

I think 2 freezers eventually will be needed. Using the fermentation freezer as a keg freezer will eventually get in the way.

Shackled said:

Any one have a 5 cf that uses 6.5 gallon buckets that can post a pic of it in there?
Im trying to decide if the 5 is enough or if I really should make the jump to the 7+ cf freezer.

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I've got a beer filled carboy in mine so I can't take a pic right now, but a 6.5gal bucket fits with room to spare.

We got a regular sized kitchen fridge with top door freezer for free on freecycle, and I can fit either two 5gal kegs w/ CO2 or two 6gal carboys in there, or some combination.

I will also add to the upright freezer idea. I use one for fermentation.

1. It is so much easier to get a full carboy in and out of there, as opposed to lifting them in and out of a chest freezer.
2. If you go the upright freezer route, find one that does not have the coils that are built into the shelves. If they are, you can not remove the shelves.

If you have a habitat restore for humanity in your area, you can score a regular size fridge for $75. My homebrew neighbor got one for free and bought a $50 compressor to fix it for his kegs. You could also fit a few carboys in it.

I bought one before I got into homebrewing 5 years ago for my garage (Beer) fridge and it is still going.

I am on wait list for another one to watch fermenting temps down here in the deep south during summer.

dmbnpj said:

I am interested in converting a fridge to a fermentation chamber with a Johnson temperature controller and I am wondering what is the best option for a fridge. Maybe even a chest freezer. My concern about them is that all the insides I see pictures of have a bump out that will not fit a carboy. What do you all recommend?

Click to expand...

If your just looking to chill one carboy at a time check out this thread

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/smallest-fermentation-fridge-225303/

based on the dimensions, this should hold a 6.5 carboy. I've found this model for around $115 on the internet. If the thread checks out, this will be perfect for me and might be what you're looking for.