Can you ferment ales in a compact fridge?

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emgesp1

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I want better fermentation temp control and I was wondering if all I need is a compact fridge and a digital temperature controller to achieve this?

Will a fridge be able to maintain a constant 68F with this equipment?
 
So, should I just stick the probe anywhere inside the fridge, or should I tape it to the fermenter?

Also, if I tape the probe on the fermenter, do I have to adjust the digital temp controller a few degrees lower than the fermentation temp, i.e. 68F, that I want?

I heard that the actual fermentation temp will be warmer than the ambient temp.
 
So, should I just stick the probe anywhere inside the fridge, or should I tape it to the fermenter?

Also, if I tape the probe on the fermenter, do I have to adjust the digital temp controller a few degrees lower than the fermentation temp, i.e. 68F, that I want?

I heard that the actual fermentation temp will be warmer than the ambient temp.

Closer the better.

Further away, the larger the adjustment, and you lower the adjustment as fermentation chills out.

You heard correctly.
 
Closer the better.

Further away, the larger the adjustment, and you lower the adjustment as fermentation chills out.

You heard correctly.

So, how accurate will the probe measure the fermentation temp if taped to the side of the fermenter?

Also, what do you mean I have to lower the setting when fermentation chills out? Wouldn't I want to bring the temp back up?
 
Personally, I just tape the probe to the fermenter, set it to the temperature I want to ferment at and call it a day.
 
If I knew that all I needed was a compact fridge and digital temp controller to achieve accurate fermentation control I would have invested in this a long time ago.

Good riddance tubs and bottles of ice.
 
If I knew that all I needed was a compact fridge and digital temp controller to achieve accurate fermentation control I would have invested in this a long time ago.

Good riddance tubs and bottles of ice.

Beware that most compact fridges have a compressor hump that makes it impossible to fit a full size fermentation vessel without modification. Lots of people here use those and build out a collar or second compartment. The reason the NuCool is *ahem* cool is that it uses Peltiers and has no compressor hump. All it takes is a little carving out the shelves on the doors to fit a fermenter.

I ended up buying two of them. This way I can have two different batches going with completely independent fermentation schedules:

7fc3ee9e180f__1256201820000.jpg
 
Beware that most compact fridges have a compressor hump that makes it impossible to fit a full size fermentation vessel without modification. Lots of people here use those and build out a collar or second compartment. The reason the NuCool is *ahem* cool is that it uses Peltiers and has no compressor hump. All it takes is a little carving out the shelves on the doors to fit a fermenter.

I ended up buying two of them. This way I can have two different batches going with completely independent fermentation schedules:

View attachment 13299

I am looking on the interweb and having a tough time tracking down the 2.8 cf model. Is this it at Target as a in store only? They don't given any info on the website.

http://www.target.com/dp/B001J0B5FY/ref=sc_qi_img_viewdetails?ie=UTF8&title=view full details

Edit: man people are thrashing this thing in the reviews at target
 
Beware that most compact fridges have a compressor hump that makes it impossible to fit a full size fermentation vessel without modification. Lots of people here use those and build out a collar or second compartment. The reason the NuCool is *ahem* cool is that it uses Peltiers and has no compressor hump. All it takes is a little carving out the shelves on the doors to fit a fermenter.

I ended up buying two of them. This way I can have two different batches going with completely independent fermentation schedules:

View attachment 13299

Would this one work?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9729853&findingMethod=rr
 
I am looking on the interweb and having a tough time tracking down the 2.8 cf model. Is this it at Target as a in store only? They don't given any info on the website.

http://www.target.com/dp/B001J0B5FY/ref=sc_qi_img_viewdetails?ie=UTF8&title=view full details

Edit: man people are thrashing this thing in the reviews at target

That looks like the 1.7 on the website. I believe the 2.8 is a Target in-store only item.

I can understand the thrashing if people are looking to get something ice cold quickly. It just won't do that very well. It works just fine for holding ale fermentation temps, though.
 
That looks like the 1.7 on the website. I believe the 2.8 is a Target in-store only item.

I can understand the thrashing if people are looking to get something ice cold quickly. It just won't do that very well. It works just fine for holding ale fermentation temps, though.

how does the cooling work since there is no compressor, what is doing the cooling?
 

I don't know. It all depends on how much clearance you get above the compressor hump. Look at the picture of the inside of that fridge:

0006763834034_AV1_500X500.jpg

See how half the bottom shelf is occupied by the compressor? You'd have to build a shelf and then there would have to be enough space above it to hold the fermenter. When I was shopping around, none of them had enough height internally. Only way to tell is to measure out how much space you need and then measure out a display model.
 
Reading this it seemed like this firdge works for holding bucket fermenters, but what about a 6.5 gallon carboy?
 
Lots of folks use those with great success. I'm just not very fond of lifting 50-60 lbs straight up.

It will be worth it if I can control the fermentation temp and it seems that most chest freezers will be able to hold one 6.5 gallon carboy without any modifications needed.
 
Reading this it seemed like this firdge works for holding bucket fermenters, but what about a 6.5 gallon carboy?

There are detailed internal dimensions given in that NuCool thread. Nobody has had a chance to confirm whether or not a 6.5 gallon carboy will fit.
 
It will be worth it if I can control the fermentation temp and it seems that most chest freezers will be able to hold one 6.5 gallon carboy without any modifications needed.

Yup. They're perfect for lots of people. I'm just sharing what I have experience with and why I prefer it.
 
So, how accurate will the probe measure the fermentation temp if taped to the side of the fermenter?

Also, what do you mean I have to lower the setting when fermentation chills out? Wouldn't I want to bring the temp back up?

Just to clarify, even though Evilgnome knows whats up...

Pretty accurate. There is still some outside influence cooling the probe a bit, and some insulation to the liquid, but hey, not bad.

I said lower the adjustment you are making, not lower the temperature. Bad choice of words on my part, but you would effectively be raising the temperature. I usually raise the temp throughout fermentation anyway.
 
What about a small chest freezer instead?

This is what I use. Works great for ales, lagers, and crash cooling.

Evilgnome is right, lifting a carboy above the thing is a pain. I use ale pails for my primary though, not nearly as bad. YMMV. I'm a tall guy, though I imagine a stepstool or small ladder would help with some leverage in case you are indeed as tall as a gnome.
 
So, I understand that the cooling is not as efficient as a compressor model but as far as energy consumption, do these suck less juice in given time frame, like 24hr as their compressor counterpart?

Yes. I have one right behind me right now, .5Amps, not bad.
 
So, I understand that the cooling is not as efficient as a compressor model but as far as energy consumption, do these suck less juice in given time frame, like 24hr as their compressor counterpart?

I have no idea. I figure it doesn't matter too much since we're not running the fridges full blast.
 
This is what I use. Works great for ales, lagers, and crash cooling.

Evilgnome is right, lifting a carboy above the thing is a pain. I use ale pails for my primary though, not nearly as bad. YMMV. I'm a tall guy, though I imagine a stepstool or small ladder would help with some leverage in case you are indeed as tall as a gnome.

Or have a bad back. ;)

(I'm 6'2", BTW)
 
I went to Target at lunch to check this out. It says it can hold 37F, I suppose if you wanted to cold crash your carboys at 32, that might be a problem.
 
So, I understand that the cooling is not as efficient as a compressor model but as far as energy consumption, do these suck less juice in given time frame, like 24hr as their compressor counterpart?

Peltier coolers are only about 5 - 10% efficient. So, if you're looking to go "green", don't buy a peltier cooler. Conversely, A/C compressors are about 50% efficient. ;)

The NuCool consumes 100 watts at full power. So, if run at 50% power year round, it will consume (50 / 1000) * 24 * 365 = 438 kWh. At 100% power, it will consume (100 / 1000) * 24 * 365 = 876 kWh.

In my area, that's somewhere between $28 - $55 a year (depending on usage). I can operate a full size (20+ cu ft) modern refrigerator for less than that.. :cross:
 
I went to Target at lunch to check this out. It says it can hold 37F, I suppose if you wanted to cold crash your carboys at 32, that might be a problem.

Ya, that was discussed in the other thread. It's good at maintaining temperature, not crash cooling. I believe the measured cooling rate is 1.5F per hour.
 
Peltier coolers are only about 5 - 10% efficient. So, if you're looking to go "green", don't buy a peltier cooler. Conversely, A/C compressors are about 50% efficient. ;)

The NuCool consumes 100 watts at full power. So, if run at 50% power year round, it will consume (50 / 1000) * 24 * 365 = 438 kWh. At 100% power, it will consume (100 / 1000) * 24 * 365 = 876 kWh.

In my area, that's somewhere between $28 - $55 a year (depending on usage). I can operate a full size (20+ cu ft) modern refrigerator for less than that.. :cross:

I can see on my peltier fridge right behind me, a 55W rating (its smaller than the nucool). I was under the impression this was more efficient than a compressor model. I dont see any flaws in your math, other than perhaps it runs at lower than 50%.

http://www.modern-wine-cellar.com/wine-refrigerator.html

"Thermoelectrics use less energy and because they don't cycle on and off they have smaller temperature fluctuations and more precise temperature control. However, compressor-based systems are more efficient at cooling and can withstand more adverse conditions. But, remember that most wine refrigerators whether thermoelectric or compressor are designed for moderate conditions."
 
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