Mini fridge fermenter?

[mmlipps]

Seems like everyone on here is using chest freezers for fermenter chambers. I want to use a mini fridge but wondering what size is needed for a 6 gal carboy and air lock?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[petrolSpice]

It's hard to find a mini fridge that will work because most have hump at the bottom rear where the compressor goes, it really cuts down on space. I've seen people make them work, but only after a lot of hacking.

You could build a ferm chamber using a mini fridge like this: http://www.lewybrewing.com/2011/07/son-of-fermenter-build.html

Lots of good ideas here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/sh...tion-closets-chambers-here-118479/index2.html

I personally use a 5cu.ft chest freezer. It works well but lifting 5-6 gallons of beer out of it can be a pain.

 

[mmlipps]

I personally use a 5cu.ft chest freezer. It works well but lifting 5-6 gallons of beer out of it can be a pain.

So you can fit 6 gal carboy with airlock in the 5 cu ft chest freezer. I might explore this option on craigslist next since building a modified mini fridge won't work for me right now.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[petrolSpice]

It will fit my glass 6.5gal NB carboy with a blow off hose, barely. Doesn't quite fit with the airlock unless I bend it over. I use a blowoff hose most of the time anyways. The 5gal NB carboy fits a lot better. The better bottles are bit wider than the NB glass carboys and would probably fit even better. The hardest part of finding the freezer was finding one that was wide enough at the bottom to fit the carboy, height wasn't really the issue. I got mine for $80 on craigslist basically new. With an STC-1000 it makes a nice fermentation and cold crash chamber.

 

[Jawbox0]

A bucket or a 6.5 gallon bigmouth glass fermentor should be a good fit for most dorm sized fridges (>4 Cubic Feet).

Personally I use a 5 gallon pail with airlock in a Black and Decker 4.5cf mini fridge I picked up from WalMart. I'm able to put it in on top of the hump without modification although I do use a STC-1000 controller. My heating element goes in the empty space under the hump, and I've got room for a small box fan to circulate air.

 

[Paps]

I don't have the model # with me atm but i use a mini fridge/beer holder i got at sams club. It has a glass front and a blue light in it. I beleive it was designed to be a beer can holder for dorm students. It's lowest/warmest setting is around 55-f and holds my ale pail just fine. If i remember right it also held the 6.5 gallon glass carboy as well but can't say i entirely remember. Hope this helps.

 

[SlickTX]

I'm in the same boat, I need something to ferment ales in the low 60's during Texas summers where it is cost prohibitive to cool a house to that level. I'm starting to lean towards wine coolers instead of fridges.

 

[NTexBrewer]

I would not go with a wine cooler. They are over priced and would not give you the temperature control you need.

The best route to go is a small refrigerator or a chest freezer with a temperature controller.

I have a Sanyo SR-4912M mini fridge that fits a 6.5 gallon carboy no problem. I actually had to elevate it some from the floor of the fridge to allow the door to close.

I did a quick search and it looks like they do not make this model anymore but it is a 4-8/9 cu ft counter high refrigerator so it is a little bigger than most small fridges. It does not have an ice maker which is a plus and it is frost free.

I have a small fridge and a chest freezer and it is easier to get the beer in and out of the small fridge compared to the chest freezer. With the chest freezer it is easier to take samples.

 

[julioardz]

I ferment in this Frigidaire 4.4 Cu.Ft. compact fridge. I removed a few screws and pulled out the freezer compartment and it works great with 7.9G buckets and 10G Bayou Classic kettle. I use it with the Johnson digital temp controller for controlling fermentation temperature, cold crashing, and lagering. Here's what it looks like right now.

Yes, I ferment in my brew kettle sometimes, and no, there hasn't been any problem whatsoever doing that. I spray the inside of the fridge with sanitizer and keep it closed throughout most of the fermentation and conditioning. I just let the temp controller do its thing and trust that it will all be fine. This setup hasn't let me down in over a couple of years.

 

[iijakii]

Also a few options in https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/fermentation-mini-fridge-size-models-459363/#post5941836

 

[mmlipps]

I would not go with a wine cooler. They are over priced and would not give you the temperature control you need.

The best route to go is a small refrigerator or a chest freezer with a temperature controller.

I have a Sanyo SR-4912M mini fridge that fits a 6.5 gallon carboy no problem. I actually had to elevate it some from the floor of the fridge to allow the door to close.

I did a quick search and it looks like they do not make this model anymore but it is a 4-8/9 cu ft counter high refrigerator so it is a little bigger than most small fridges. It does not have an ice maker which is a plus and it is frost free.

I have a small fridge and a chest freezer and it is easier to get the beer in and out of the small fridge compared to the chest freezer. With the chest freezer it is easier to take samples.

I think I just found this fridge on craigslist!

What kind of airlock can you for on the 6.5 gal carboy in this fridge?



Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[NTexBrewer]

I think I just found this fridge on craigslist!

What kind of airlock can you for on the 6.5 gal carboy in this fridge?



Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I use the 3 part airlock. I also have room to use a blowoff if I need one.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I have an Emerson 4.4 cf mini-fridge that fits a 6.5g BB perfectly. Can use it with or without the airlock.

 

[lewybrewing]

It's hard to find a mini fridge that will work because most have hump at the bottom rear where the compressor goes, it really cuts down on space. I've seen people make them work, but only after a lot of hacking.

You could build a ferm chamber using a mini fridge like this: http://www.lewybrewing.com/2011/07/son-of-fermenter-build.html

Lots of good ideas here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/sh...tion-closets-chambers-here-118479/index2.html

I personally use a 5cu.ft chest freezer. It works well but lifting 5-6 gallons of beer out of it can be a pain.

Hey that top link is mine. Any questions you have?

 

[MrCrabby]

I ferment in this Frigidaire 4.4 Cu.Ft. compact fridge. I removed a few screws and pulled out the freezer compartment and it works great with 7.9G buckets and 10G Bayou Classic kettle. I use it with the Johnson digital temp controller for controlling fermentation temperature, cold crashing, and lagering. Here's what it looks like right now.

Hey, I found someone on CL selling that exact same fridge, and I want to know if it will fit a 6 gal better bottle with airlock? I can't find any info on the dimensions of the hump in the back, but it looks like I should at least be able to fit the bottle with a blow off tube.

 

[julioardz]

The way I use it, with the shelf on the bottom and no freezer compartment. I get a fermentation compartment that is 15.5" wide, 15.5" deep, and 19.5" tall. That works for 10 gallon Bayou Classic kettles and 7.9G buckets. That's all I have ever used to ferment. The kettle or bucket actually sit partly on that rear hump and the shelf the lines up with it.

Removing the bottom shelf and drawer and placing the fermenting vessel at the very bottom of the fridge allows for a fermenter that is 15.5" wide, 10.5" deep, and 27.5" tall. You loose about 5" of depth from the compressor hump. You can add maybe an 1.5-2" in depth by cutting out a portion of the inside door panel that holds the door bins.

Hope this helps. The measurements aren't precise, so give and take about 1/2". Sorry, I only had a tailor tape measure near by, but those are the measurements I got from the inside of this Frigidaire.

 

[MrCrabby]

The way I use it, with the shelf on the bottom and no freezer compartment. I get a fermentation compartment that is 15.5" wide, 15.5" deep, and 19.5" tall. That works for a 10 gallon Bayou Classic kettles and 7.9G buckets. That's all I have ever used to ferment. The kettle or bucket actually sit partly on that rear hump and the shelf the lines up with it.

Removing the bottom shelf and drawer and placing the fermenting vessel at the very bottom of the fridge allows for a fermenter that is 15.5" wide, 10.5" deep, and 27.5" tall. You loose about 5" of depth from the compressor hump. You can add maybe an 1.5-2" in depth by cutting out a portion of the inside door panel that holds the door bins.

Hope this helps. The measurements aren't precise, so give and take about 1/2". Sorry, I only had a tailor tape measure near by, but those are the measurements I got from the inside of this Frigidaire.

Thank you, that sounds like it will be a tight fit.

 

[snowtires]

$30 fridge, added collar and bend freezer down. will fit a carboy and a couple cornies

 

[redshift76]

Igloo mini fridge works well:

 

[Calypso]

Sorry to raise the dead, but redshift, what model fridge is that? And what is your temperature controller?

 

[cool77]

The temp controller is a stc-1000.