What is the best mini fridge for a fermentation chamber?

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Schnitzengiggle

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Right now I only need a fermentation chamber that will fit one bucket, I can expand it later if necessary,however, I am looking into a mini fridge w/temp controller. I live in Arizona and it is February, yesterdays temp was 89 degrees! my house has been in the upper 70's and I need a way to keep things cool. I am a noob to this and have just bottled my first brews almost a week ago (keeping those in my ice chest with a bottle of frozen water to keep em around 68-70 while they condition, while keeping a close eye on the temps in the coolers) Can anyone give me any suggestions on small/mini fridges that will work for this application? My home is small so space is an issue.
 
There are a few threads on this. I have heard Sanyo 4912 mentioned a lot. I have a Frigidaire 445 that barely holds a 6 gallon carboy. I mentioned this to someone in a post not too long ago, so like I said, do a search. you should find quite few threads on this question.
 
I believe Best Buy carries a 5.0 cu ft fridge that is close to what the Sanyo 4912 offered. The Sanyo has been discontinued for a while now...
 
Scour Craigslist for a cheap one... Heck, I found mine on a loading dock while I was at work and snagged it for free....
 
the cheapest one you can find ;-) if you can get like a 3cu foot one i am sure you could take the door inside off and fit a bucket. if that doesnt fit a little work can make it bigger. use a fan inside to circulate the air though so it will be more even in temp. dont be afraid of bending the freezer section down.
 
Thanks for all your information everybody, I think I may just get a chest freezer and use that as a fermentation chamber until I decide to make it a keezer, because I am definitely going the kegging route ASAP! I did find a Sanyo 4912? on craigslist here for $100, but can't invest in that if I'm gonna buy a chest freezer (which just seems to be a more logical option especially for any lagering). This forum is F***ing awesome...I Love it!!! So much info, yet so little time :(, Anyhow, I guess I just need to pick a freezer and wire her up, earlier I found some wiring diagrams but did not bookmark can anyone send me a link? Any thoughts on what to do if placing a chest freezer in a room with carpet??? Maybe a drip pan or something to protect the carpet? I dunno just thinking ahead, thanks again everone!
 

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