Help wiring a fermentation freezer

Hey guys, we are working on two new fermentation freezers to hold our new Brewhemoth conicals.

We have very similar Kenmore standing freezers to what deep six did here.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-new-fermentation-cabinets-66926/

However, we have a digital controller on our model and it appears the wiring is slightly different. Let me tell you what we are trying to do and hopefully we can figure out how to do it.

We are trying to make a heated and cooled fermentation chamber, being in upstate NY and needing to do both year round. The cooling is obvious, and we havent decided on the heating method yet, except we will simply have a relay controlled 120v outlet to which we can plug in a heating fan or wrap later.

Ideally the second of two outlets inside the freezer would be constantly on incase we wanted to add something else inside the freezer.

We have two freezers right now, and both are going to be controlled via a BrewTroller control board. We will have one 3-wire connector containing 12v+, 12+, and ground for 12v. One 12v wire will control the compressor for cooling, the other will control the 120v outlet for the heating device. We also will need an internal connection for the temperature probe. This requires a cable with 3 wires.

So the end result of modifying these freezers will be overriding the compressor so that a 12v signal operates the compressor and a second 12v signal enables the internal 120v outlet. Both of these wires are in the same 3pin MIC connector on the rear of the freezer. A standard CAT-5 connector on the rear connects the internal temperature probe to the external BrewTroller box. Inside, the freezer has an internal connector to easily disconnect the temperature probe.

I am almost finished building the BrewTroller control box for the freezers. I am having a hard time figuring out the wiring for the freezers. I have the wiring diagram for the freezer here, and its clear that if I splice a relay into the yellow wire then I can control the compressor and fan internally. The problem is, how do I get 120v inside the freezer, how do I get the 12v+ and ground inside the freezer to control the 120v outlet, and how do I get the 3 wires needed for the temp sensor inside?

When Deep Six did his he had the controller inside the freezer which meant that everything he needed was already inside and nothing new needed to be connected externally. He also said he was able to find an internal constant on 120v line, I was not able to find this wire while testing.

The bundles of wires are set in pretty well and I dont think I can sneak any new wires into the freezer via existing pathways. The only opening I can see is via the drain at the bottom of the freezer. I dont know that this is the best choice to run 120v wires and the temp sensor wires into but it is looking like the only option.

Here is a picture of the wiring diagram from the freezer, in red I have indicated where I plan on installing the relay to control the compressor.



If anyone has any ideas on how to get the temp sensor wires inside or how to wire the outlet internally I would love to know. I already have the outlets installed in the panels and everything ready to wire up.

Anyone out there? I have two fermentors that aren't doing much fermenting...

marco

If you are not wanting to poke around in the sidewalls to poke a hole you could go in from the side/bottom of the door (non-facing - if that's a word?).

Seems like if there's a compressor hump you could simply poke a hole through the side of that - there shouldn't be any coils in that.

I built a side-by side fridge, but really have no expertise in the wiring department, so will let someone else speak up for that side of it.

Cool project, would love pics.

I was talking about it with a friend, if it has a radiator like cooler that means that it does not have coils along its walls correct?

If thats true, then I should be able to drill right through the back wall without issues.

Can anyone confirm this? See the link to Deep Six's freezer on the first page to see the cooling radiator I am talking about.

(I have a Samsung freezer that's identical to Deep Six's Frigidaires, except I wired mine with a BCS-460 controller instead of Love controller.)

There aren't cooling lines inside the walls of these freezers, but there are heat radiating lines. If you let it run for a few minutes you will feel the outside of the side walls and top get get quite warm.

The safest and most convenient place to drill a hole for the temp sensor wires is through the floor. There is a wiring harness running through the floor on the right side, but you should be safe in the back left corner. That's where I drilled the hole for mine.



You don't want to risk plugging up the drain by running wires through it. Even at fermentation temps there will be condensation dripping off the cooling coils inside the freezer.

As for wiring, you will need to remove the yellow compressor/fan wire and orange defroster wire from the freezer's controller. Connect your relay between the black wire and the yellow wire such that it turns on the compressor and fan at the same time.



I got tricky with my wiring and used 3 separate relays, one each for compressor, fan, and heat. I also have 2 temp sensors, one for ambient air temp and one for fermentation temp. Here's how mine is wired...



For heating I used the freezer's original defrost heater and wiring along with a Brewer's Edge heating pad from William's Brewing glued low on the back wall. The BCS-460 turns the freezer's fan on while the heat is running and it distributes the heat quite nicely.

Good luck.

Is there any risk with condensation getting on the wires inside the freezer? I'm finally finishing up my keezer build and i wanted to wire in a fan that pulls the cold air off the bottom and shoots it into the coffin but I'm nervous about the wiring being inside the freezer. What do you guys think?

Toasted678 said:

Is there any risk with condensation getting on the wires inside the freezer? I'm finally finishing up my keezer build and i wanted to wire in a fan that pulls the cold air off the bottom and shoots it into the coffin but I'm nervous about the wiring being inside the freezer. What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

Put some heat shrink (ironic for a keezer) around the connections/splices and you'll be fine.