New fermentation porn!

I'm nearing completion of my new electric brewery and recently aquired these 3 True GDM-10 Comercial fridges. I'm bypassing the stock thermostats with a stc-1000+ equipped controller mounted directly to the fridge (the one on the right is done) and a outlet inside for a heater.

I also just received 2 new 14.5 gal conicals from Stout Tanks that would seem to be made for these fridges. the fridge on the left has 2 brew buckets which fit perfectly too.

I haven't had a chance to use any of these yet, but I'm very happy with the setup so far. The conicals have a thermowell built in that the stc probe fits in perfectly. Hope to get my first brew in within the next month.

Please feel free to share any comments or suggestions on this setup.

Matt

That looks awesome. Now you just need to build in a sliding platform (that can handle the full weight) so you can slide em in and out for filling/ cleaning.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I imagine those True fridges mad the fermenters inexpensive by comparison huh?

That looks awesome. Now you just need to build in a sliding platform (that can handle the full weight) so you can slide em in and out for filling/ cleaning.

Click to expand...

I've been considering that, something I'll have to look into. It would have to be low profile.

I imagine those True fridges mad the fermenters inexpensive by comparison huh?

Click to expand...

Actually, I got a great deal on the fridges! These fridges couldn't have worked out better so far. The stock thermostat is in the top of the unit and switches the power to the compressor. I was able to mount the controller box to the top of the fridge and run the power from the old thermostat to the STC-1000+ and back to the compressor. This means I only have to plug in the fridge and the STC is powered instead of plugging in the STC and plugging the fridge into the STC. This is cool because the fridge has a fan that is designed to run full time to keep the temp consistent and the lights still work any time. I also replaced the old thermostat with an outlet for a heater. I"m thinking about adding some LED lighting too!

The Stout Tank fermenters were very reasonable too I think, including shipping and rotating racking arms they were a little over $600 ea. They are VERY nice! They are Chinese built but seem to be good quality, nice welds and polished nicely. I can't wait to try these out!

I actually considered building and selling some of these fridges outfitted with the programmable STC-1000+ controller, but I don't know if there is enough interest locally for them. I can get them reasonably, but I have to drive a couple hours to get them. I could sell them for $500 or maybe less, if I could sell at least a half dozen or so. They are awesome, with 1/3 hp. compressors and glass doors on both sides. they cool very fast and have no problem getting down to freezing temps!

Dang that's sexy. You may be the first person to "pimp their rig!" If the cooler is plugged into the wall and the temp controller is plugged into the cooler, how does it regulate the temp?

JayDubWill said:

Dang that's sexy. You may be the first person to "pimp their rig!" If the cooler is plugged into the wall and the temp controller is plugged into the cooler, how does it regulate the temp?

Click to expand...

Controlling the compressor directly. Not turning the unit on and off.

RocketBrewer said:

I've been considering that, something I'll have to look into. It would have to be low profile.

Click to expand...

Look at slide rails for IT racks - servers, switches, etc. They have standard mounting options and are designed to handle the weight. And don't forget to include slide-out or fold-down legs for the fridges to keep them from toppling forward when you slide the shelves out.

I'm going to need some private time w/ these pics.

I got a chance to give one of these units a test run this weekend (water only ). I had hoped to control it by placing the stc-1000+ TC in the thermowell of the conical, but unfortunately the fridge was a little too powerful and the water temp would over shoot and the heat would want to come on (not very efficient). I was able to get it to control much better by taping the TC to the side of the conical with a little reflectix over it. This allows the temp of the fridge to affect the TC and change the fermenter temp more gradually without over shooting. This will also allow me to monitor the fermenter with the analog temp guage. Over all I'm very happy with the results and can't wait to ferment a batch of beer in it

RocketBrewer said:

I got a chance to give one of these units a test run this weekend (water only ). I had hoped to control it by placing the stc-1000+ TC in the thermowell of the conical, but unfortunately the fridge was a little too powerful and the water temp would over shoot and the heat would want to come on (not very efficient). I was able to get it to control much better by taping the TC to the side of the conical with a little reflectix over it. This allows the temp of the fridge to affect the TC and change the fermenter temp more gradually without over shooting. This will also allow me to monitor the fermenter with the analog temp guage. Over all I'm very happy with the results and can't wait to ferment a batch of beer in it

Click to expand...

My temp swings became much more flat & consistent when I started placing the probe inside of the fermenter.

I never tried insulating the probe after strapping it to the side of the carboy though...

Once you get to a stable temp keeping it there is simple. However, keeping the probe in the thermowell forces the fermenting beer at the very center to be the correct temp.

When you have that much thermal mass (5-10 gals), the fridge will think it needs to continue to work until the very center is the temp you desire.

I know I'll get bashed for this, but I personally use a small jar filled with water to regulate the temp. If I can keep that jar at specific temp, my fermenting wort should eventually equalize.

I realize I'm not measuring the actual temp of the wort (which should technically be a few degrees higher due to the exothermic reactions) but it hasn't seemed to have any negative impact and my fridge maintains a pretty constant temp.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

heckels said:

Once you get to a stable temp keeping it there is simple. However, keeping the probe in the thermowell forces the fermenting beer at the very center to be the correct temp.

When you have that much thermal mass (5-10 gals), the fridge will think it needs to continue to work until the very center is the temp you desire.

I know I'll get bashed for this, but I personally use a small jar filled with water to regulate the temp. If I can keep that jar at specific temp, my fermenting wort should eventually equalize.

I realize I'm not measuring the actual temp of the wort (which should technically be a few degrees higher due to the exothermic reactions) but it hasn't seemed to have any negative impact and my fridge maintains a pretty constant temp.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Click to expand...

This is the problem I was having. These fridges have 1/3hp compressors and cool very fast. It would get down to the 20's in just minutes. Taping the TC to the side with some insulation over it still allowed the fridge temp to affect it, stopping the compressor and allowing the "beer" to change more gradually. I checked the "beer" temp when I felt it was stable and it was within .1 deg.F of my set point.

As for using a separate bottle, I would probably just set the target temp a little lower than what I want to ferment at to start to account for the warmer fermentation.

Either way, you should have much better beer than not controlling temps at all.

Cheers!

Question - what do the 14 gallon Stouts measure across? Trying to determine if one would fit in my side by side ferm chamber.

Todd

NoH20 said:

Question - what do the 14 gallon Stouts measure across? Trying to determine if one would fit in my side by side ferm chamber.

Todd

Click to expand...

Todd,
The widest part (lid clamp) is just shy of 17". Somewhere between 16 7/8ths and 17. Hope this helps.

Drats!!! To wide for my fridge:-(

Appreciate the info!

Todd

Just in case anyone is interested, I believe the guy I got the commercial fridges from still has quite a few at a very reasonable price ($195 ea.). They were removed from Safeway stores all over No. California. They are True GDM-10 (10 cf) with 1/3hp compressors and work VERY well. They have glass doors on both sides but seem to be well insulated. I haven't had them running for a long period, so I can't attest to the cost of running yet but I think they will be reasonable (I plugged all 3 into the same 20A outlet at the same time without tripping the breaker). They aren't terribly tall inside and the Stout fermentor was the only 14+ gal conical I found that would fit, But I think they are a pretty nice fermentor for $600 too. The guy is located in Tracy, CA if anyone is interested and has an add on Sacramento CL.

Cheers,
Matt

How did you wire everything up? Any diagrams or pictures? I have a True GDM-07 that I want to the same thing to.

Any advice would help.

It wasn't too complicated. I don't know how yours is set up, but mine had a dial thermostat in the top of the fridge. I just pulled the access panel off just above it to get to the wiring. There are 2 wires going to the thermostat, one is hot and the other goes to the compressor (you'll have to figure out which is which). I cut these from the thermostat after marking one (they were both pink) so I'd know which went where if I wanted to put it back. I mounted my project box for the controller to the top of the fridge over this area with some small sheet metal screws. Then I drilled down through the box a hole big enough to pass a number of wires through (probably at least 3/8"). Be careful not to hit any wires. The wires from the thermostat go up through the hole. You will also need to tie into the neutral (white) wire in the same area for your controller and run it through the hole. I'll assume you know how to wire the stc (there are lots of wiring diagrams on this forum). The hot lead from the thermostat powers the stc and the other lead (from the thermostat) gets wired to the cooling side of the controller. I wired an outlet like this and made a small mount for it to replace the thermostat to power the small 200 watt heater I use. I also ran the wires for the thermisters for the controller up through the hole (just carefully run them around the edge of the access panel into the fridge. The only problem with setting the fridge up this way is that the re-circulation fan will still run all the time the fridge is plugged in (it's designed to do that, and you need it running when the compressor runs), even when you turn the controller off. The fan draws about 38 watts. If I get time tonight I will try to take some pics.

Any pictures would be great, but the general idea is more clear. I'm using STC-1000+ premade box made by smithabusa, a forum sponsor. I was hoping to plug and play and forget it, but unfortunately I need that fan running. The system turns on and off too much without it running all the time.

I will try to get some pictures, but it will likely be this weekend before I get a chance to open it up.

RocketBrewer said:

I'm bypassing the stock thermostats with a stc-1000+ equipped controller mounted directly to the fridge (the one on the right is done) and a outlet inside for a heater.

Click to expand...

Great setup. I found a True GDM on craigslist for $100... love it. I've got my STC1000 built into the base of the fridge with the cooling run going straight to the compressor and the heating run going to a red light in the fridge.

How do I bypass the thermostat? Everytime it gets to cold the whole STC1000 just turns off because the thermostat is controlling the power to the unit

You're tapped into the power coming FROM the thermostat. You need the constant power line going TO the thermostat to power your stc. The thermostat is just a switch and it's still trying to control the compressor.

RocketBrewer said:

You're tapped into the power coming FROM the thermostat. You need the constant power line going TO the thermostat to power your stc. The thermostat is just a switch and it's still trying to control the compressor.

Click to expand...

Yea I just don't know where it's located. I guess it's time to strip everything apart

I don't know where your thermostat is, mine was in the top of the fridge. That's why I mounted my controller on top. You just need to find a constant hot to get power from (both wires to my thermostat were pink). Sounds like you just tapped the lead from the thermostat to the compressor. You might try googling a wiring diagram for your model.

I finally got a little time to take a few pic's. I needed to convert my last controller to dual sensors any way. I'm only showing what I did with my fridge, I highly recommend that if you don't know much about electricity, that you find someone who does. Your fridge may be different than mine. As I said, I mounted my STC controller project box on the front edge of the cooler above the existing thermostat with a couple sheet metal screws. I drilled a large enough hole to pass all the wires I needed through it with some protective shrink wrap over it to keep the wires from getting chafed on the metal hole. Be very careful not to hit any wires with the drill. Here are pic's from above and below.



You can see where I cut the existing wires from the old thermostat. The wires were both pink, so I marked one with a black sharpie and cut in the center so that both sides were marked in case I wanted to put it back to original. The one with black was the one that went to the compressor (I wired it to the cooling circuit) and the other was the hot lead (it powers the stc as well as the heating and cooling circuits). The thermostat and probe can be removed entirely, but I decided to just carefully tuck it out of the way so I wouldn't damage or loose it.


You can see the red wire nut in this picture that is the neutral circuit I used for the STC. It had a crimp connector connecting some white wires to a black wire with thick rubber insulation. I just cut the wires and re-stripped them before connecting them (and my white neutral wires for the STC and the outlet for my heater) with a wire nut. You can also see the outlet that I mounted where the original thermostat was mounted (I made the mounting plate from some thin aluminum). The hot side was fed from the heat circuit of the STC. The neutral came from the connection I mentioned above.


Here is a picture of the outlet from below. You can also see the 2 sensor wires coming down from behind the cover.


I hope this is some help to you. Good luck.

Can't you buy the same size fermenter from blichmann for $600?

Looks awesome btw ��

blichmann conicals were a little too tall for these fridges. The stout tanks were just shy of $600 anyway and I've been pretty happy with them so far. The only thing I would have changed would be to have upgraded to the butterfly valves.

Thanks for the pictures! Based on your earlier text and another forum I was able to get it done. Thanks!

Sorry, I can't resist:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZFJptXz_mU[/ame]

Reminds me of when the president walks in and see the aliens for the first time...#independence day

Looks awesome bro!

Wolfbayte said:

Sorry, I can't resist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZFJptXz_mU

Click to expand...

Pretty funny. I was disappointed when the shirt didn't come off though.

aron2382 said:

Reminds me of when the president walks in and see the aliens for the first time...#independence day

Looks awesome bro!

Click to expand...

HAHAHA!
Thanks

RocketBrewer said:

blichmann conicals were a little too tall for these fridges. The stout tanks were just shy of $600 anyway and I've been pretty happy with them so far. The only thing I would have changed would be to have upgraded to the butterfly valves.

Click to expand...

btw another option is the 12.5 gallon stout conicals which are only about $370 shipped.... They do not have the thermoell but besides that they are an awesome value from stouts ebay store... they sell them for more directly on stouts website though.
I love my stout conical... ironically its much heavier duty that the ss brewtech and blichmann ones I have seen.

SleepyCreekBrews said:

Can't you buy the same size fermenter from blichmann for $600?

Looks awesome btw ��

Click to expand...

These are much nicer than Blichmanns imo since they're totally welded (no weldless nonsense) and polished. The Blichmanns don't have a very nice surface finish.

Are these the short or tall style 14.5 gallon fermenters? They look like the short ones.

They are the short ones. They were one of the only 14+ gal conicals I could find that fit my GDM-10's. They have worked out perfectly. The thermowell works out great with my STC-1000+ dual probe controllers. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to upgrade to butterfly valves when I ordered them. I just got my new valves last week (almost $170 for 4). They should be a huge improvement over the ball valves they came with.

RocketBrewer said:

They are the short ones. They were one of the only 14+ gal conicals I could find that fit my GDM-10's. They have worked out perfectly. The thermowell works out great with my STC-1000+ dual probe controllers. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to upgrade to butterfly valves when I ordered them. I just got my new valves last week (almost $170 for 4). They should be a huge improvement over the ball valves they came with.

Click to expand...

They look great. Stout is the way to go for me. I'm planning on getting the tall version with butterfly valves and extending the legs so I can put a sight glass on the dump for harvesting yeast. The problem is that I'll need a GDM-19, 23, or 26 to fit it. They all have 57" of usable height inside.

Are those 2 SS Brew Buckets on the left? Do they fit???

Yeah, they're brew buckets. They fit, but just barely. Not sure if they'd both fit in a GDM-10 that only had 1 door. The glass is recessed in the doors giving just a little extra clearance for the diameter of the top of the brew buckets.