How To Heat a Refrigerator (WTF?)

[hennesse]

I have a refrigerator in my garage which I've outfitted with a Johnson Controls A19AAT overriding thermostat control. This works great for precisely controlling fermenter temperatures in the summer.

But now it's winter, and I need to heat my refrigerator when the ambient temperature in the garage falls below my "setpoint".

Any ideas on a simple but effective means to do this?

Thanks, Dave

 

[DanH]

 

[sfgoat]

I don't know if that controller has a heat option like the stc-100 but I used to just plug a hair dryer in the heat outlet and set it in the fridge. Worked great. Now I use an aquarium heater in a tub of water to keep my temps up during winter.

 

[RoundKid]

Incandescent light bulb. 100 watt.

 

[CGVT]

Those heaters probably won't do you much good with out a way to turn them on or off, will they.

I know with the digital Johnson controller you can open it up and reverse it so that it controls heat rather than cold, but I don't know how and don't know if the analogue works the same way.

If you get an STC-1000 (the E bay aquarium controller) for about 25-30 bucks total you can have heat and cool control. I have a Johnson controller on my Keezer and a STC-1000 in my ferm chamber. If I had know how easy and cheap it was to build the sTC-1000 I would have never bought the Johnson.

 

[ResumeMan]

Much ongoing discussion here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/how-do-you-heat-your-fermentation-chamber-poll-447985/

 

[DanH]

Those heaters probably won't do you much good with out a way to turn them on or off, will they.

Oops, I'm not familiar with the Johnson. (That sounds weird).

 

[RCCOLA]

I've heated a garage fridge in the winter only using a Johnson controller. Not the most efficient way but it can be done.

Leave the controller plugged in to the fridge and set to your desired temp.
Find the smallest possible heat source that will raise the fridge temp to your desired level and leave it on constantly.
The controller will turn the fridge on to keep it from getting too hot.

In my case my garage was 35F and I was fermenting a lager at 50F. I used a night light (5 watt bulb)with a flat extension cord closed in the fridge door. This worked out fine. I think it did get colder and I switched to a 15W bulb. For ales, a 20-40W in a utility light socket may be more appropriate.

 

[reefriot]

Ceramic reptile heating element. Works great doesnt produce light and is inexpensive to operate compared to a heater

 

[passedpawn]

Those heaters probably won't do you much good with out a way to turn them on or off, will they.

I know with the digital Johnson controller you can open it up and reverse it so that it controls heat rather than cold, but I don't know how and don't know if the analogue works the same way.

The A19 can be opened and the logic reversed to that it will work with a heater. I've done this. It's a simple as moving a wire from one relay terminal to another. In fact, I wired it a plug so I didn't have to open it up at all, and I could just choose which outlet I wanted to use.

 

[CGVT]

The A19 can be opened and the logic reversed to that it will work with a heater. I've done this. It's a simple as moving a wire from one relay terminal to another. In fact, I wired it a plug so I didn't have to open it up at all, and I could just choose which outlet I wanted to use.

Cool. I imagine that is what the OP is talking about. Once you have a way to turn it in or off automatically the source of heat is left only to the imagination.

 

[hennesse]

The A19 can be opened and the logic reversed to that it will work with a heater. I've done this. It's a simple as moving a wire from one relay terminal to another. In fact, I wired it a plug so I didn't have to open it up at all, and I could just choose which outlet I wanted to use.

My A19 only has two visible terminals ("2" and "COM"). Does yours have three visible terminals?

 

[passedpawn]

My A19 only has two visible terminals ("2" and "COM"). Does yours have three visible terminals?

Yes, I'm sure it did. I made that thing about 5 years ago, so I don't recall exactly. I've got another one still in the box, I'll take a look later.

Here the schematic of how I wired it:

 

[hennesse]

Yes, I'm sure it did. I made that thing about 5 years ago, so I don't recall exactly. I've got another one still in the box, I'll take a look later.

Now I see that they are about 100 different versions of A19's. The one I bought (A19AAT-2) only has an SPST switch. Bummer.

Well, it was summer then, and I wasn't thinking about the cold months.

Dave

 

[CGVT]

Now I see that they are about 100 different versions of A19's. The one I bought (A19AAT-2) only has an SPST switch. Bummer.

Well, it was summer then, and I wasn't thinking about the cold months.

Dave

If you want a cheap and effective way to make sure that you don't have the same problem next year, or even later this winter, get an STC-1000 and follow Misplaced Canuck's build thread. It is really simple, even if you are like me and don't know a lick about wiring...

 

[hennesse]

If you want a cheap and effective way to make sure that you don't have the same problem next year, or even later this winter, get an STC-1000 and follow Misplaced Canuck's build thread.

The STC-1000 seems like the way to go, but here's a possible problem:

I live in a rural area where we have fairly frequent momentary (a few seconds) power outages. After the power comes back on, does the STC-1000 resume normal operation, or does one need to press the "on" switch to restart it? Also, does it remember the settings, or does it return to the defaults?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[CGVT]

The STC-1000 seems like the way to go, but here's a possible problem:

I live in a rural area where we have fairly frequent momentary (a few seconds) power outages. After the power comes back on, does the STC-1000 resume normal operation, or does one need to press the "on" switch to restart it? Also, does it remember the settings, or does it return to the defaults?

Thanks,
Dave

I wasn't sure so I just went into my garage and unpluged mine and plugged it back in after a few minutes and it came back on set to the same temperature.

 

[hennesse]

I wasn't sure so I just went into my garage and unpluged mine and plugged it back in after a few minutes and it came back on set to the same temperature.

Great news on the power-out restart! The STC-1000 has lots of good reviews from homebrewers, and the Amazon reviews have no complaints about quality.

The only other option I've found is the Ranco ETC-211000-000 - best price I've found is $90 + shipping from Rebel Brewer. Ranco's been in business for 100 years, and it's a standard commercial quality item.

I'm going to cogitate about this a little. I'd rather have standard commercial quality than cheap Chinese sold on eBay quality. Figuring on a 10-year lifespan, the Ranco's only $7 a year more - the price of a Big Mac and yes, I'd like a large fries with that.

The actual heating element - the Lasko MyHeat has terrible quality reviews on Amazon. DOA or lasted 2 months. The reptile heat emitters also have terrible quality reviews. Both appear to be poor quality goods designed to be sold to poor people at Wal-Mart. Yeah, it's only $19.95, but you throw it away when it dies after a couple of months. Penny-wise, pound-foolish.

The paint-can heater? Wonderful idea, but not enough space in my tiny refrigerator / ferm chamber for one. Two six-gallon glass carboys take up all the available floor space.

Chromalox "Screw Base Units" - these are little heating elements with a light bulb base that are designed to be used in commercial/industrial electrical panels and switchgear to drive off moisture in cold weather. No light, so no skunking of beer, and no wasted photons. Still available today, but not very popular, since mechanical relays are not too prevalent anymore.

These are "heat emitters" in a very small form factor. Not fragile, like the reptile units. Industrial quality, they are designed to last for years and years and years.

I just snatched a new-old-stock 50-watt unit off eBay for $20. This should heat my tiny ferm chamber nicely. If not, 100-watt and 150-watt units are readily available. albeit at higher prices.

Sometimes that old technology is the best...

Dave

 

[glugglug]

Another option is a heat belt that wraps around the heater. I think it's called a brew belt. I know you already made your purchase.

 

[Doongie]

I recently had a problem with my beer freezing, and read a tip in another HBT thread that I can't find.

Most refrigerators have a switch that the door activates when closing, used for the internal lamp. Pull this switch out of the mounting hole, and tape it to the inside of the fridge out of the way. Be careful to not damage the mounting hole in case you ever want to remount the switch. Internal lamp stays on warming the fridge, compressor runs when necessary to keep it cooler (or when allowed according to an external single stage temp controller.

Bulb wattage can make a big difference, I had to remove one of two bulbs and it stays in the 40's easily.

 

[Pinhead]

I live northern Michigan and its cold here. I have the ST1000 set up in a chest freezer with a 80 watt flood light in it. Works good, light is seldom on when I open it to get a beer

 

[hennesse]

Another option is a heat belt that wraps around the heater. I think it's called a brew belt. I know you already made your purchase.

MoreBeer sells The FermWrap™ Heater for $30, and I'll bet other HBS places sell similar items.

I found a DIY version on Amazon:
Flex Watt Heat Tape - Flex Watt Heat Tape 11" Wide Tape (110V) (20 Watts per foot for $4.79/foot
--and--
Flex Watt Heat Tape - 6 Foot Flex Watt Cord With Attached Copper Clip Set for $4.79

The Amazon stuff is made by Calorique who makes floor and ceiling heating products. The MoreBeer product might also be made by them, but looks slightly different in the picture. Calorique's website shows pictures of warm, happy women and children, but not many pics of their actual products. (I guess cold, unhappy women and children don't really care what the stuff to be buried in their floor or ceiling would look like). If I were pursuing this approach, I'd call them and find out more.

I use 6.5 gallon carboys for primaries (two at a time) and Corny kegs for secondaries, so loading the vessels in the fridge and then getting the heat tape around it seemed like a pretty messy operation. Even just sticking the stuff in there loose seemed a little messy - when lugging those heavy carboys in and out, I don't want anything around that I can possibly damage.

Another approach I considered was to lay the heat trace tape on the false floor of the fridge - my false floor is covered with galvanized steel sheetmetal. The heat trace tape would be touching the bottom of the carboys and provide good heat transfer. Prone to damage though, but another layer of thin sheetmetal on top would protect it and make a decent radiator. But this wouldn't be so hot (pun intended) with the rubber bottoms of the Cornys. Might be an idea if you only use glass carboys though.

 

[fearwig]

I don't have a fridge yet (well, I do have one full of food), but I can brew most of the year because my basement stays around 55F and heating is so much easier than cooling. A water tub with an aquarium heater will run you about $20. You don't need one of the powerful ones. Some have inbuilt thermostats, but most are totally uncalibrated, so you have to temp the water and figure it out for yourself, or set up your own thermostat.

If you insist, you could probably set this up inside your fridge so you can use your existing temperature controls without having to modify everything else, and maybe it would improve power use. Either way, heating is cheaper than cooling--compressors are not as efficient as elements.