GE side-by-side * temp control

I was able to score a barely used, recent model GE side-by-side standard size refrigerator. I would like to set this up for fermenting in the refrigerator and lagering in the freezer. Is it possible to install 2 controllers to accomplish this? I was speaking to a friend and he believes there is one compressor that powers the whole unit. I have not had a chance to look yet so I can't confirm if this is accurate or not.

Also, I was looking at a Ranco ETC 111000. Any comments/criticism on this unit? I am not familiar with Love's product line, so what would be a comparible love unit?

I am goig to gut all the glass shelving this weekend, build plywood shelves and remove the plastic liner and Ice dispenser this weekend to get it ready.

All help is appreciated.

More than likely the side by side has one compressor.

As far as the RANCO controller goes, I actually know something here. I have two of them. They work great. E-bay is a good place to buy them (from a seller, but you might find one to bid on as well). They are insanely easy to wire.

Looks like there is one compressor on this. I think I am going to wire the Ranco and set the freezer to run arouns 35. Then I will mess with the airflow settings to the fridge and see if I can maintain anything in the 60's while keeping the freezer at 35. If it's possible then problem solved. If I can't get those temps, maybe drilling a hole or two in the dividing wall and installing a small computer fan wired to another controller. Anyone think this will work? Any other ideas?

McSwiggin' said:

I think I am going to wire the Ranco and set the freezer to run arouns 35. Then I will mess with the airflow settings to the fridge and see if I can maintain anything in the 60's while keeping the freezer at 35. Anyone think this will work? Any other ideas?

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Have you figured out if this will work?

I was wanting to use the fridge side for ales and the freezer side for kegs.

In theory, it should work with the same premise as a son of a fermentation chiller. You could do it without an additional Ranco if you use the computer fan... wire it with a house thermostat and a cell phone charger for power (just like the plans linked above). You don't need the Ranco to control the load, as you are just turning a little fan on and off.

Should be totally doable.

If you do a search for this you will find a bunch of people asking about it and none posting back with results.

Quickly I think it can be done like this:

I hope it works because it's what i'm planning on doing with mine today. I'm going to use a dual zone temp controller to make the freezer colder for storing beer and lagering. Then i'm going to install a computer fan at the top where the original vent hole was to hopefully be able to control the temp of the fridge side. I figure since the hole is at the top and cold air falls the fridge side should stay much warmer than the freezer side unless the fan is on forcing cold air into that side.

I am waiting on parts to arrive, but I will definitely document this for you. My idea is similar to the above suggestions. I am planning on a ranco to control freezer to lagering temps and a computer fan to control fridge for ferm temps. I am thinking of rigging the fan through a product my company manufactures, a duct sox. Basically an insulated fabric duct that has sewn in baffles for difusing the air. The baffles are normally closed, but very sensitive and open with very slight air pressure, this will keep temps from migrating when the fans are not on. I am thinking of building a shelf in the middle of the fridge for two zones of temp (ale ferm & lager ferm).

picture the following flow:

Ranco #1 - controlling freezer temp
Ranco #2 - controlling computer fan to baffles in zone 1, bottom of fridge (lower ferm temps)
Ranco #3 - controlling computer fan to duct sox & baffles entending into zone 2, top of fridge (higher ferm temps)

This way I can ferment several different styles at once, crash cool if need be, slowly reduce temp if need be and still lager at the same time. I am building a command center out of a project box to house the rancos and power source for the fan. it will be mounted remote to the fridge.

I will try to take pics and post results as they come, but I have a rather hectic schedule through the end of July so it may be spotty at best.

That duct sock sounds interesting. Might be useful in my conditioning cellar. Got a link?

david_42 said:

That duct sock sounds interesting. Might be useful in my conditioning cellar. Got a link?

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The product is only available for commercial use and I am not 100% sure I will be able to use it myself. I have to talk to a few people at the corporate office to determine if it can actually happen. At any rate, if you want to check out the product, the link is here:

DuctSox Fabric Ductwork

The baffle design is something I developed with a friend and we have done a trial on a few different prototypes. We are also toying around with the idea of utilizing servos from an RC car to open and close the baffles on demand. We have tested a ptotype with some success but it still needs to be modified a bit more. Our biggest challenge is duplicating a power source and making sure the activation will jive with ranco. If I do have any degree of success on this, I will definitely share as much as possible with the HBT family as I think the idea will have numerous applications in various freezer and refrigeration devices. If I ultimately can't get any help from Ductsox on the ductwork, I will look into making it myself. I think fabric is the way to go since it is more versatile in configuring and routing.