Avanti 5.0 Cu. Ft. Compact Refrigerators

[Baja_Brewer]

So when you go through the foam you just get down to the interior plastic?

Doesn't look like you'll bust anything moving the thermostat, right?

If you have the photos hosted elsewhere, go ahead and post them- then one of us can quote you and they'll show up!

 

[Eric_Leifermann]

Where exactly did you do this 2 inch hole? Is it dead center of the fridge or did you move back a little bit? You can always put new foam back into the top so you should be 100% sure before drilling anything.

 

[sslandry]

The hole for the tower is as center as I could get it and yes you the hit interior plastic after drilling through the foam. I decided to mount my CO2 tank on the back because I did not like the idea of having to pull out a keg to fool with the CO2. I could not see my gauges with 2 kegs in place and the CO2 tank on the back shelf. Drilled a hole in the floor of the back shelf for the gas lines and built a little shelf on the back. My inspection did not reveal any coils on the entire floor of the rear shelf. Not done yet.

 

[jpc]

Have you taken the existing temperature control off yet? If not, I have some advice...

First, take out the light bulb. There is a screw behind the bulb attaching it to the side. Then carefully pry out the little white insert that acts as the temperature control indicator; there is a screw behind holding it on. Those are the only two screws for the system. It took me a while to figure out the second screw behind the insert...

I'm replacing the existing control with a Love controller that I installed in the door. I haven't finished yet, but the wiring is stupid-simple; the white lead (used for the light) and the black will be used for the hot on the Love controller and the blue will be connected to the NO of the controller.

 

[sslandry]

I found the screws and just moved it up about 3 inches so the keg can fit in. Seems to be working fine. I may also bypass the switch for the light and connect a small CPU fan to the light wires to blow up some cold air into the tower. Has anyone tried this?

 

[Eric_Leifermann]

The fridge is back down to $165.99 with free shipping now!

 

[sslandry]

I paid $202 after tax at the American Appliance!

 

[Baja_Brewer]

Just pulled the trigger. $166 and its heading my way... now I need to decide- tower or no tower?

 

[Eric_Leifermann]

Hopefully its still this price tomorrow and i will be purchasing it as well.. Tower for sure.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

yeah, thats where I'm leaning. I'm wondering what two separate single towers would look like on it... just for a unique look. I haven't been able to turn up any images on google but I may not be using the right search terms.... But I realize that I have to drill two holes for that, so I run that risk too... I just think two towers side by side would be as neat as one two tap tower...

 

[mjohnson]

would a fermentation bucket fit in there?

 

[sslandry]

After building a riser for the front part of the floor to make it level with the back shelf you would only have 21 inches which is enough for a bucket, but but only with a few inches to spare. You would not be able to use a standard air lock. The fridge is plenty deep. I just measured it and the bucket.

 

[Eric_Leifermann]

Just bought the fridge can't wait for it to get here!

 

[mjohnson]

After building a riser for the front part of the floor to make it level with the back shelf you would only have 21 inches which is enough for a bucket, but but only with a few inches to spare. You would not be able to use a standard air lock. The fridge is plenty deep. I just measured it and the bucket.

Thanks a lot for the reply. Would there be enough room to shove a blowoff tube into the bucket and run it down the side? Or, maybe I should start fermenting in cornies. Would give me an excuse to start buying kegging equipment.

 

[jpc]

Thanks a lot for the reply. Would there be enough room to shove a blowoff tube into the bucket and run it down the side? Or, maybe I should start fermenting in cornies. Would give me an excuse to start buying kegging equipment.

I plan on using this unit as a lagering fridge. I will be fermenting in cornies, likely doing 8 gallon batches split into two different ones. I will also be using spunding valves to allow me to ferment under pressure and naturally carbonate.

 

[bmorgan]

6 gallon Better Bottle (11 3/8") and blowoff jar (6 1/2")
There's a little less than 10" from the top of carboy to the top of fridge.

There is no lateral space left. The carboy is touching the hump.

 

[Eric_Leifermann]

Do you plan on putting a tower on the fridge or just using it for lagering and cold crashing? If you do have a tower do you have pictures of the process and the final set up?

 

[bmorgan]

I'm keeping that option open, but don't have immediate plans for kegging. I use 1 liter bottles as that's the most I want in one sitting and don't entertain much. I prefer variety and don't want to tie up the fermenter for long. Hats off to those individuals who can knock out 5 gallons in short order.

 

[FunkMan44]

I'm looking into purchasing this same refrigerator for conversion, anyone have any idea where to find the schematics for it? I want to make sure there's enough room for me to run a 1/6 and a corny at the same time, in addition to the co2 tank.

 

[bmorgan]

There's a simplified one on page 11 here

 

[FunkMan44]

Yea I saw that, I was hoping to find one that showed the condenser coil locations

 

[Eric_Leifermann]

I emailed them several times like i posted before and all they would tell me is that there was indeed a condenser coil running along the top of the fridge some where. They said that the location changes with each fridge and that drilling through the top was not recommended. I asked for a schematic but never received one, all i got was a link to a pre-made kegerator.

 

[bmorgan]

The top is plastic and easily removed. Underneath is insulation which should be easy to dig around in.

 

[FunkMan44]

Yea I saw what you posted earlier, but then someone else posted that they checked the top and nothing heated up, so I was confused. Thanks for your help though, I appreciate all I can get, pretty noob at this

 

[bengineerd]

I received this fridge yesterday. Purchased on buy.com for $181, and then it dropped back down in price a day later. BAH!

Anyway, here are my impressions.

It's a big fridge! It will certainly fit 2 cornies and a CO2 tank. The light/thermostat unit might have to be moved though. I only own 1 corney, so this isn't an issue for me yet. It also fits my 6 gallon plastic carboy. Part of the carboy rests on the bottom door shelf, but if this becomes a problem the shelf can be easily cut away.

The door comes with some kind of plastic shrink wrap on it, presumably to protect the faux stainless finish. This stuff is a pain in the ass to get off! Did anyone else have this problem? How did you get the shrink wrap off?

The top is plastic comes off very easily. It is not glued down at all. Just unscrew the 3 screws in the back, then gently lift up the back and push the top towards the front of the unit. This will slide it off the notches that keep it attached in front.

Underneath the top is a lot of hard foam. I'm 99% certain that there is a heat coil running somewhere across the top. I can see the heat coil going out of the compressor and into the lower right side. As best I can tell, this coil snakes through the right side, crosses the top, and then snakes down the left side. The sides are metal, and they get quite hot when the compressor is running. My hope is that the vodka/cornstarch trick can be used on the sides to see where the coil is entering the top. I felt the sides with my hands, and it seems like the coil is entering the top right in the middle. For those building a tower, I wouldn't recommend drilling anything through the top until you locate that coil.

So, what is a good tool to use to gently extract the foam without breaking the heat coil?

 

[Frank-Likes-Beer]

Yeah, I still pull pieces of the protective film off every time I open the door. It's annoying to say the least.

 

[FunkMan44]

If the coil is entering the top at the center, wouldn't that lead us to believe that it wraps back and forth across the whole top, making it impossible to install a tap tower?

 

[skinydipper]

I saw this thread on Monday. Ordered one Monday night from buy.com (I had to go through Amazon to find it) for $165 and free shipping. My first keg is not ready yet, so I opted for the free 7 to 9 business day shipping. I got a shipping notice Tuesday morning and it arrived Wednesday evening just as I got home from work.

I took the shelves out and put two cornies in, the thermostat will need to be moved for two and it looks like the door will need some modification to close completely.

I'm not doing a tower, but will be running lines to my bar through the top. I'll be using picnic taps for the time being because my bar is not built yet. I'll be watching this thread to see if anyone finds the hot lines.

 

[bengineerd]

If the coil is entering the top at the center, wouldn't that lead us to believe that it wraps back and forth across the whole top, making it impossible to install a tap tower?

It doesn't seem to make sense for the coil to snake around on top. Heat can't be radiated away through the foam insulation. Makes more sense to snake around on the metal sides. At least, that's what I hope. At the very worst though, you just have to excavate the foam on top and find a spot where the coil isn't.

 

[FunkMan44]

It doesn't seem to make sense for the coil to snake around on top. Heat can't be radiated away through the foam insulation. Makes more sense to snake around on the metal sides. At least, that's what I hope. At the very worst though, you just have to excavate the foam on top and find a spot where the coil isn't.

The more I think about it, the more that makes sense. I'm hoping by the time I get mine, somebody's figured it out.