Freezer Info

Hello, all.

I have been doing a little lurking here lately since I am thinking of getting back into homebrewing.

I got tired of messing with bottles, then moved to a house with no basement, so gave it up.

Kegging looks interesting, so I am going to give it another whirl.

How do you keep a freezer from freezing your kegs and carboys? Do freezers allow that degree of temperature control, or do you have to use an external controller?

Welcome! You have to use an external controller, I don't know of any freezers that will keep it warm enough not to freeze your beer. External controllers are relatively cheap (you can get one for $50 or less), and they work great.

external temp controller, or i think you can bypass the thermostat and install a new internal controll/bypass.

most deep freezes dont' get warmer than 20F or so since their purpose is to freeze.

Thanks. That was what I thought.

I was just playing with the digital control on the freezer on our big fridge and it only goes up to 22 degrees.

Since asking, I have done some googleing and all the freezer projects I found used controllers. One guy had a heater wired in too. He lives way up north and has his modified freezer in the garage.

Prowling craigslist, looking at fridges and freezers.

I wonder what would be best?

I have room for a large dorm fridge, a small house size fridge or one of those corner size freezers.

I would be nice to have room for two or three corny kegs, plus a carboy or bucket for Lager. Some room for bottles would be a plus.

I personally like chest freezers, I think you get more bang for your buck. I have a 7 cu ft. one, and it holds 4 cornies and a CO2 tank, or 3 cornies, a carboy, and a tank, or numerous other combinations.

Also, look at EdWort's sticky in this section about chest freezer sizing for corny kegs.