Advice before I do something dumb

[Howhownow]

Looking for reasons why this may be a bad idea. Or, heck, even reasons that it may be a good one.
I am currently a 5gal brewer happily fermenting away my batches in various 5 gal carboys using a STC-1000 controlled wine fridge. It's a great size and I like being able to see the beer do it's thing without opening the door.
Anyway, recently purchased a house with a basement that I am working on converting to a redesigned 10 gal brewery. I have my trusty wine fridge, but it can handle one 5gal carboy, tops.
I could, of course, buy another wine fridge, or even a full size. Both can be had reasonably cheaply on Craigslist. What I think I would prefer instead is to build an extension UP from my current fridge. It cools through a cold plate that is mounted to the back wall, and the compressor is on the bottom. If I can confirm that the coolant lines run straight through the back wall, can anyone see a reason that I wouldn't take a jigsaw to the top of the fridge?
Plan is to cut out a square that will fit a computer fan I have sitting around, and wire that fan either to the same STC, or a second one (this seems a better option). Over that will sit pedestal raised a couple of inches for airflow that the carboy will subsequently sit on. Around all of that will be an insulated box with a hinged door. Going to run some kind of squishy insulation strip around the bottom of the box, and if necessary run 4 bolts up through the roof to secure the box with wing nuts.
I know people do this all the time from the front of small fridges (I can't due to a space constraint), and I think this fridge has plenty of power to cool both chambers (I regularly lager in it). There is a light in the top of the fridge... that'll have to go. Any other potential bogeys you guys see that I don't?

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Not a dumb idea. Lookup the cornstarch method on checking for lines in the walls. Even if this test passes, drill slowly, work slowly.

 

[cyanmonkey]

Only problem I could see is different temps between the top and bottom. Are you stacking two car boys on different shelves? You're relying on the temp of one carboy to control another so you need to ensure they're the same temp.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Some have had issue that the small unit does not have sufficient cooling power once the cooled volume is expanded. This will depend largely on your ambient temps.

Likely won't work in a hot garage in Texas, much better in a cool basement in Michigan.

Likely won't have enough power to cold crash regardless.

Easier and better solution IMO is to source a larger unit rather than putting time and money into a smaller one.

 

[Cyclman]

Not a dumb idea, but I would go with a chest freezer, not much more expensive, and you can fit way more beer in it. OTOH, I have minimal fabrication abilities, so, well...

 

[Howhownow]

So I opened up the top of the fridge this weekend (only two screws holding it in) and found basically just foam insulation. You can also see the wire that controls the light- it kicks on when the compressor cycles. Easy access might be a bit of luck as I can reroute that wire directly to the fan.
Also included a pic to show why I'm inclined to go the vertical route- the current fridge fits perfectly on the concrete pedestal. That and after getting that F)(%&@N# washer down the stairs... well, it's an experience I'd rather not revisit.

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[Firewalker11]

You may find that the cooling capacity is enough to freeze the single 5 gallon carboy but not enough thermal capacity to cool two carboys. Look at your total BTUs of cooling needed.

Worse case is you have to reassemble it for one carboy. Good luck with your build.

 

[mongoose33]

Also included a pic to show why I'm inclined to go the vertical route- the current fridge fits perfectly on the concrete pedestal. That and after getting that F)(%&@N# washer down the stairs... well, it's an experience I'd rather not revisit.

Aw, c'mon--the real reason you don't want to go to a different fridge is it won't fit on that nice concrete pedestal...

When faced with these kinds of decisions, I find it is sometimes helpful to ask myself: three months (or whenever) from now, what am I going to wish I'd done?

In my experience, short term convenience (I don't want to move a fridge downstairs) rarely trumps long-term utility.

BTW: my fermenter sits on my basement floor and I put a cardboard box over it to keep light away from it. Do you have any concerns about, or evidence of, either the light inside the wine cooler, or the transparent door, causing any light-related reactions with your beer?

 

[spittybug]

Remember, the upper chamber will be the warmer of the two. Moving air with the fan will help but not eliminate that fact. Cool down will be slower (suggest having one of the two chambers with already-cooled thermal mass in it for when you put in a full carboy in the other).

 

[Howhownow]

Remember, the upper chamber will be the warmer of the two. Moving air with the fan will help but not eliminate that fact. Cool down will be slower (suggest having one of the two chambers with already-cooled thermal mass in it for when you put in a full carboy in the other).

This is definitely true. I think if I ran the fan from its own temp controller I'll have better results.

@mongoose33 - Definitely right about long-term utility. I neglected to mention that at the top of those stairs is a landing with a 90 degree turn and two doors that will need the hinges taken off. Also, more importantly, I might as well go ahead and move a bed down there. If I bring in one more brewing related appliance SWMBO will banish me permanently to the basement. She's still coming 'round to the 7ft utility sink I brought home a few weeks ago. The old "but now I can just use this one for lagering!" argument I foresee not having much traction. That said, craigslisting for a suitable option now.

 

[molson1993]

Chest freezer all the way, I just picked one up off of OfferUp for $40 after contemplating to do a DIY chamber with a fridge, I bought the fridge for it and was like "man that's a nice fridge! It'd fit my beer nicely and i'd hate to tear it up" LOL! With that being said, the freezer was the single best investment thus far in my brewing obsession and the fridge fits beer nicely!

 

[Howhownow]

I was able to locate another (matching, might I add!) wine freezer for $40 bucks on CL. Hopefully I'll pick that up tonight. Only difference is that it has a digital thermostat. I'll be sure to test that for accuracy myself.

I am a big fan of the wine chiller as a ferm fridge. Readily available, perfectly sized for a carboy, easy to move around, cools quickly and efficiently, and I like being able to see the beer do its thing inside. I have noticed no ill effects from light either through the glass door, or through the mounted light. These are now in the basement, so risk should be even less.

 

[Howhownow]

Cleaned up and set up!
Juuuust fit between the original and the ceiling.
With all the other work still remaining with setting up the basement brewery, this was definitely the best way to go.