Glass Front Fermentation Chamber?

I'm thinking about buying this guy for use as a fermentation chamber.


I'd much rather have a normal fridge or freezer, but I've had a hard time finding one with the right inside dimensions.
I'm wondering if anyone has any input on the energy efficiency of these kinds of fridges. Do I need to add some insulation to the door?

That's what I use and I added 1/2" foam to the door. Since it is used for fermentation it doesn't use a lot of electricity anyways.

This is without the foam....


With the foam.....

If you are fermenting with any clear containers you'll need the foam on the door to prevent skunking.

I have a TRUE glass front freezer with a temp controller that I use for my fermentation chamber. My Kill-a-Watt shows that it costs me about $35.00 a year in electricity to run, so about $2.92 a month.

i use a wine fridge in the summer

TopherM said:

I have a TRUE glass front freezer with a temp controller that I use for my fermentation chamber......

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I also use a TRUE (GDM (Glass Door Merchandiser)-10) as a fermentation chamber. Very rugged and stable. Love it. Have a GDM-12 for my corny cooler.

Travestian said:

If you are fermenting with any clear containers you'll need the foam on the door to prevent skunking.

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I use a heavyweight, custom, slip cover over my glass carboys to protect the brew from the effects of light during fermentation. A heavy pillowcase would do the same. I like to see the bubbles. The door is made from low-E glass with fairly good insulating properties.

I use a heavyweight, custom, slip cover over my glass carboys to protect the brew from the effects of light during fermentation.

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LOL...I use an old t-shirt with the neck of the carboy sticking out of one of the sleaves. Hi-tech shizz.... nestar:nestar:nestar:nestar:nestar: :rockin:

I use a wine cooler for my fermentations. It has a glass front and I simply taped aluminum foil to it. The room is also usually not too bright but I won't take any risk!

Thanks for the help, guys. I bought it and it will be here tomorrow. Wish me luck getting it up three flights of stairs!

I did the same as Monster Mash.

loetz said:

Thanks for the help, guys. I bought it and it will be here tomorrow. Wish me luck getting it up three flights of stairs!

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Are you putting this in an apartment? You must not be married...

Heh, yep and I am married. I somehow tricked her into letting me have a beer room. It's a small room which is too small to be a bedroom and too big to be a closet. I think it's meant to be a baby room.

this thread is a little old but I just picked up one of the glass door beverage coolers like you see in convenience stores which is like the True ones mentioned in this post. Mine is a Beverage Air. I was wondering how folks are running their temperature probe from their temp controller in the cooler. Any tips?

I have my temp probe mounted on the left side of my cooler with two sided gator tape, then the probe lead feeds nicely through the folding side of the door.

BullGator said:

this thread is a little old but I just picked up one of the glass door beverage coolers like you see in convenience stores which is like the True ones mentioned in this post. Mine is a Beverage Air. I was wondering how folks are running their temperature probe from their temp controller in the cooler. Any tips?

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It's usually best to attach the probe to the vessel which contains the wort/beer/whatever whose temperature is being controlled. For even better control, cover the probe with insulation to reduce the impact of air temperature changes in the chamber.

TopherM said:

I have my temp probe mounted on the left side of my cooler with two sided gator tape, then the probe lead feeds nicely through the folding side of the door.

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So you have it just going right in the door?

Well, through the gap between the door and the unit on the hinge side. The fridge seal conforms nicely around the probe wire and still seals the fridge. Make sense?

Got it. I was originally thinking I was going to have to figure a place to drill a hole in the side or something. This is much easier.

I do have one more question. I have a chest freezer that I use currently. When it gets kicked on by the temperature controller it only runs the compressor. When this thing turns on it will run the compressor, the fan, and the Fluorescent light. Taking the bulb out will be easy enough but does anyone worry about this thing turning on and off more than just a compressor? I know it's just a fan but I thought I would ask. Alternatively, would it be beneficial to have the fan running continuously and only have the compressor on the temperature controller?

I just ask because this thing is a little more $ than a simple chest freezer and I want to not screw it up. Thanks a lot for the input.

Mine has a light too, and I just took it out. Those "tube" style florescent bulb actually put out a decent amount of UV light, so I really didn't want to worry about even the slightest risk of skunking when I use a glass carboy in there that might sit for 2-3 weeks.

My unit also has a compressor and a fan that circulates the air in the unit. I've been using a Johnson A419 controller on it with no modifications for about 4 years now and have never had an issue.

Good luck!