Anyone see the Haier 3.9 CF fridge at Target for $94

I see that target has this mini fridge on a pretty good sale this week. I am wondering if anyone has this and uses it for a fermentation chamber? It is is store only too, take a look at the local add on their website.

It has a freezer in the top so I am guessing that would need to be cut out and not sure if there is a hump where the compressor is that would not allow enough floor space.

Anyone have this model and use for beer?

humann_brewing said:

It has a freezer in the top so I am guessing that would need to be cut out and not sure if there is a hump where the compressor is that would not allow enough floor space.

Click to expand...

The freezer IS the cooling unit for the entire fridge. Cutting the freezer out is a good way to turn a $94 fridge into a $15 insulated box.

If you remove the door liner and replace it with a flat panel you might be able to get two kegs in there in front of the compressor hump.

Edit: actually, 3.9 cu ft seems a bit small. Most of the mini-fridge conversion I've seen are 4.2-4.9 cu ft. You may need to take a tape measure to target and do some measuring.

I just picked up on of these used in new condition for 35 bucks over the weekend. It will fit a bucket ferment easy. You need to remove the spacers above the freezer and bend it up maybe 1/2 inch at most.
But as they say, a picture is worth a 1000 words:

I think I would unscrew the evaporator from the inside top and attempt to turn it upside down to get more headroom. That could prove impossible to do without damaging the evaporator or badly kinking a line, but I'd still give it a look see for feasability.

Another option would be to build it out in front with an insulated collar. Might only need a few more inches if you remove the door panel.

I like how you've got all of that worked up and then ductape is the only thing keeping you from owning the first tippy-dump ferm chamber.

Hahaha,
Yup, that lower shelf is not quite secure at the moment. I wanted to try it out first and make sure it all worked as I wanted before I started anything permanent with it. At the moment, I can still return it to normal and sell it as a fridge.
I think I am going to replace that wire shelf with something a touch more substantial. I am thinking probably a small piece of plywood with a vertical support in the middle and either anchored with epoxy or a few screws.

I am probably going to bend up the freezer shelf a bit more to gain some clearance for the air lock. You could remove the inner door panel and that would free up enough room to slide the fermenter forward and then the airlock would clear the shelf. I would rather keep the door shelves though to store a six pack or 2.

Overall I am pretty happy with this as a fermentation chamber. No more bottles of ice, no messing with sheets of insulation, no buckets of water, etc.

Ever try fitting cornys in there?