Fermentation Chiller/Kegerator Temperature Control

Hey All,

When tearing apart my minifridge to convert it to a double kegerator, I noticed that the temperature control knob had control/power wires that were very easy to access. Has anyone used the existing temperature control mechanism along with an electric thermometer/thermostat to control the internal temp of a ferm chiller/kegerator without buying an override thermostat? It just looks like it would be so easy to rewire everything without having to buy a $50-$80 override thermostat. Has this been done before? If not, I may just have to give it a try myself, but I don't want to have to reinvent the wheel if I don't have to! Any help would be great!

Yes, it has.

Yes, people have wired thermostats into the existing wiring in the fridge... the reason people typically don't is more a matter of flexibility and reversability than because of any particular difficulty.

BUT I'm not entirely sure I understand the distinction you're making between "an electrical thermostat" as opposed to "an override thermostat", in your original post. What exactly do you consider to be the difference?