Another Fermentation build w/ the STC-1000 and a mini fridge

[Oceantendency]

With my new 7 gal SS Conical on it's way, I need something new over my 20 Gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck trashcan for fermenting my carboys in and something with more control. It would've been nicer to use all 2x4s instead of some of the 2x2s that I used, but didn't realize that til I was finishing the frame work. Also towards the end of the project, my Dad was in town/ bought me a nice circular saw, and gave some pointers on making the rest look better. It would've came out cleaner if I would have started with those pointers, oh well, learned all kinds of good info after doing the first one.
1- Frame work ( 4-2x4's, 4 2x2s, 1/4" plywood, and some other misc stuff)
2- Insulation (Thermasheath-3 R-6 1 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. Polyiso Rigid Foam Insulation Board) and a couple misc 2x2 boards.) Also had some bubble insulation wrap material for water heaters, which is the same stuff used for thermal carboy jackets sold in LBHS.
3- STC-1000 controller, RadioShack Project box (8x6x3), outlet, outlet cover, Husky medium-heavy utility power cord (16g+insulation).
4- Kenmore mini fridge.

 

[Oceantendency]

I tested last night, within a couple hours, temp went from 78*F down to 11.5*C (52.7*F); it'll go down further, but just wanted to test it out. I just need to tidy up a couple corners, weather stripping in the inside edges of the door frame and it'll be even better. Next test will be with a 6.5 gallon carboy over 24 hr period to make sure temps stay stable.

 

[IslandLizard]

I like the way you cut the fridge in half. Awesome! :rockin:

Are you planning on using a fan in the top corner to move the cold air? It seems a lot of cold air is being trapped in the fridge compartment, below the freezer plate.

Do you get a tight seal on that door without foam weather stripping?

 

[Oceantendency]

I like the way you cut the fridge in half. Awesome! :rockin:

Are you planning on using a fan in the top corner to move the cold air? It seems a lot of cold air is being trapped in the fridge compartment, below the freezer plate.

Do you get a tight seal on that door without foam weather stripping?

Thanks, that was actually mostly my dad's idea. I have a computer fan that I can and was going to install, the rewiring business got me thinking, well the pain meds for my torn ankle hasn't allowed me to think straight. For Now I have a small battery operated fan that I will use periodically. I sealed in most of the back, I should've taken more pics. You can tell in one of the pics how I framed the inside of the fridge with foam board then sealed the inlay with the bubble insulation wrap so it can "fall" into the chamber. The foam on the door is cut pretty good, but not perfectly straight and the middle upper and lower 2x2 frame doesn't seam perfectly, so I'd just need to tidy that up, also thinking of a small drape so that when I open the door I will still be able to see the temp on the conical without letting out too much of the cold air (I bought the LCD temp on the SS brew technologies 7 gal chronical); I will make some minor adjustments once the conical arrives.

 

[Oceantendency]

Oh and we used a Skill Saw with a heavy metal blade and my dremel with a cutting wheel to cut the mini fridge, We cut around the condenser plate, which we then cut the plastic on the inside, removed the square piece of insulation, and then bent back the now square bracket, drilled a few holes, tin snips to trim to fit. The square area around the condenser plate was measured out on the back of the chamber, cut with Dremel/Skill/and circular saw. We added the 2x4 bracket and 2 wooden swivel brackets to support the back, and then I silicone caulk sealed all the way around the fridge on the back of the fridge.

 

[Oceantendency]

So I added a battery operated fan as well as added insulation trim to the inside edges of the door frame, so that when the door shuts the insulation on the door and the insulation trimming mesh together and form a better overlapping seal. Temp dropped from 25.8*C to 10.1*C in less than 2 hrs.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

That's the way to slice that Bastard down to size!

I like it!