Decisions....Decisions....

I bought a top freezer fridge from a neighbor a few months back. It's the typical GE cheapo model and is about 2 years old. Works great, but sits in the garage, so has to run quite a bit brecause of the heat down here. The wife and I close on our first home Monday. The previous owners left behind a 2 year old side by side that is in perfect working order. SWMBO has said I can take my pick of the fridges to keep. The fridge will be dual purpose....It will be a kegerator full time, and a part-time lagerator.

My dilemma.....Which one do I keep? I'm leaning towards the top freezer model even though it has been in the garage and the compressor has worked more. BUT....I'm not ruling out the side by side either. Which would you all choose, and why?

Assuming they are both in good condition, I'd go for the one that has the largest usable interior space. Which one could you fit a 5 gallon carboy in for lagering (or would you do that in a cornie?) plus the most cornies for tapping?

Oh, and convince SWMBO to let you keep 'em both. You'll want that extra fridge for something eventually.

beer4breakfast said:

Oh, and convince SWMBO to let you keep 'em both. You'll want that extra fridge for something eventually.

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That would be the smartest move. Give up something, but keep em' both. That compressor can't have worked that hard. And like beer4 said, you'll just want it eventually.


Ize

Keep both. You need one for a fermentor. Even if you have to keep it outside until it croaks.

If it comes down to it see what holds the most combination of carboys and cornies.

BTW: Been running a 30 yo fridge in PHX garage for years.

If I absolutely HAD to pick just one, it might be the top freezer model. You know it works, and it probably has more useable real estate in the refrigerator section. Unless it's a particularly wide side-by-side, the halves tend to be narrow - plenty of cubic feet, but oriented vertically. That's not going to be ideal for storing kegs and carboys.

Sorry for the delay in the poll. A wreck happened outside my house as I was typing it up.

Jester4176 said:

Sorry for the delay in the poll. A wreck happened outside my house as I was typing it up.

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THAT'S what happened to Ralph Nader!




Ize

Ize said:

THAT'S what happened to Ralph Nader! :

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Actually, it was a guy on a bicycle that got hit. As I was typing in the poll options, a teenage girl turned in front of an oncoming car. Oncoming car hit her, spun her car around, adn she hit an innocent guy out for a bike ride. He was unconscious for about 5 minutes before he SLOWLY started coming to. He's going to have head trauma. No broken bones to be seen, just smacked his head real good. Took about an hour for it all to get wrapped up. The guy on the bike was skinny, yet it took 8 EMS/police officials to hold him down and strap him to the backboard. And as it turns out, the car that hit the teenage girl...Yep, 2 mexicans in it. Illegals...no insurance/license. In typical mexican fashion, I'm sure they'll sue the girl and win a bunch of money.

Cliffs: Dumb girl turns, get sideswiped, and hits innocent pedestrian on bike.

Now...as for the fridge. Looks like it's almost unanimous that I should beg. Well, as I was talking to my wife this morning, she informed me that whichever fridge I don't want, she's giving to her parents because their SPARE fridge is on the fritz. DAMNIT!! I'm fighting her on this and not sure I'll win to keep them both. Definantly going to measure, but I'm thinking that the top freezer model may have more room. I'll lager in cornies to conserve space. Unless I can stack cornies 2 high in the side by side....I'll have to measure.

Who's using a side by side? With a temp controller, does the fridge and freezer sides stay at the same temp? Maybe I can fit 2 kegs on the freezer side, and 3 or 4 on the fridge side?

Jester4176 said:

Who's using a side by side? With a temp controller, does the fridge and freezer sides stay at the same temp? Maybe I can fit 2 kegs on the freezer side, and 3 or 4 on the fridge side?

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I was wondering something similar - can you get two temp controllers and treat them both independently? That would be a nice option to have, but I'm quessing that probably won't work

I can't believe that I am reading this post! This kind of dilemma should not even be a reality. Listen, here! Man-up, get some nutz, and tell SWMBO that you are keeping both. Tell her that if she doesn't like it, you may even go buy a third fridge for your brewery.

Yeah!


That's what I would do . . .









































. . . maybe!

Is it worth a $50 not to argue about it?
http://houston.craigslist.org/hsh/218640340.html






BTW: I don't know your country of origin or status and you don't know mine. Not really relevant in a home brew thread.


I'm off the soap box now.

I've been fermenting in an unplugged fridge. Keeps the temp more stable. As yet, my palate isn't educated to the advantages of lagering. Plus it's a storage cabinet. And an old Mr Coffee will heat it in wintertime- with a waterbed thermostat to control it! So if you've got to send a fridge to Pappa's, maybe get his clunker back? Look at all the guys here trying to build coolers/warmers/conditioners etc from foam, when you'll have an insulated, sealed cabinet for free!

I would keep the top freezer and get rid of the side by side, they aren't worth keeping for homebrew use. The best fridge would be one without a freezer but they are hard to find cheap. If you need another fridge get another top freezer off craigslist and you will have more space...

In my side by side, which I use for standard food storage purposes, the freezer and fridge sections are separated by an insulated panel about 1.5 inches thick. Aside from the fact that the front-facing edge of the panel provides a sealing surface for the gasket of each door, it appears to serve no other structural or functional purpose. I believe it could be cut out except for a two or three inch perimeter to leave a door mating surface, and to otherwise open up the entire unit and make it one airspace. It might look ugly on the inside, but it might also give you more space than the other fridge. Just a thought.


BTW: Were I to climb up on my soap box, I would be situated alongside olllllo.

Cool, thanks for the replies all. Think I may stick with the top freezer unless I can cut the wall out of the side by side. Hmmm..... I'll post back with what the outcome is.

Keep them both . . .
1 in the garage, 1 in the basement . . . unless you dont have a basement . . . then hell if I know . . . pick your battles but keep an "I told ya so" in your pocket