first batch in my fermentation cabinet

Here is a pic of my first batch in my ferm cabinet. NB Amber. Holding steady at 62*.

Thanks for sharing. I'm currently building a cabinet. Why did you lag the spigot? Is it necessary to periodically open the door to vent the CO2 from the airlock?

I don't have a spigot on the bucket. I don't think you have to open the door to vent but I like to look in on it anyway.

Oh... sorry. Looks like that rag is insulating something.

What's the cubic feet size or external dimensions of your fridge/freezer? I posted pics of my controller elsewhere; haven't got the freezer yet.

Yeah, it's insulating the temp probe. It is a 3.7 cf fridge. I put a shelf on the compressor hump, bent down the freezer shelf and it's just big enough for a bucket.

If I ever to heat my cabinet up - it'll be a freezer with a two stage controler on it - what's the best way? A heat lamp? What kind of power? I suppose I could wrap the fermentor/carboy to protect it from the light...

Or would some kind of ceramic heater or aquarium heater be more suitable?

So I have my two stage controller built but struggling to find my cabinet. For simplicity I feel it should be either a fridge OR a freezer and not a combo otherwise the freezer is going to be in "competition" with the 65F fridge.
Anybody know how I can overcome this if that's all I can find? Can I just disconnect the freezer section? Are there two compressors - one for the freezer and one the fridge or just one for both?

Usually the freezer is the only cooling unit in the mini fridge. So the fridge gets cold only because it has the freezer in it.

If I got a fridge with a freezer above the probe in the fridge would shut the power off at the set point. Thus the freezer would also be shut off. Exactly at what temp is unknown. Its unlikely to be useable as a full on freezer, it might get cool enough to keep Wyeast or bottled beers or it may just be a empty space not really useful for anythjng.
But if I get the appliance cheap or free that wouldn't matter. As long as the controllable section is big enough for the fermenter.
So I think a comb wouldn't be problematic. Though I still have to find one.

TBaGZ said:

Usually the freezer is the only cooling unit in the mini fridge. So the fridge gets cold only because it has the freezer in it.

Click to expand...

I wasn't thinking of a mini fridge lillke a hotel fridge; it wouldn't be big enough. I was thinking of a fridge with a separate freezer, with two doors. But still, if it has two doors I guess the compartment with the probe is going to be held steady by the controller and the other will be at whatever temperature it gets to before the controller kicks on (or off) which may or may not be a useful temperature.