Best Fermentation Frig???

[ayoungrad]

I live in a small apartment and am looking to get a frig (or freezer) that will fit an ale pail with an air lock in place. I'd also consider one that would allow a pail and a 5 gallon carboy but only if it is still very compact.

I'd prefer one that can function out-of-the-box to adjust for brewing at ale temperatures (but I do listen to reason).

I'd also prefer one that is very quiet as it will be in my living room.

Any suggestions? Specific models?

 

[MalFet]

I really love my NuCool 2.8CF. It uses a peltier cooler instead of a standard compressor, so there's less noise and no compressor hump. It gets terrible reviews because it will only get a 40 degree drop from ambient, so people get pissed that it doesn't keep soda cold in a 100F garage. But for fermentations, it's perfect. In a 70F apartment, I can get it down to near freezing. It is basically the smallest fridge around that will hold an alepail or 6 gallon carboy.

Another positive is that you don't need to worry about duty cycles as much...you can turn it on and off with a controller and not need to worry about burning out the motor like with a regular fridge.

I saw that they were on clearance at Target a month or so ago, but I don't know how easy they are to find these days.

 

[SickTransitMundus]

I recommend a chest freezer. You'll get more usable space per cubic foot. I like Whirlpools mostly because their compressor shelf is small, giving me more room to fit fermentors. I have a 15 cu. ft. and a 5 cu. ft, each with analog temp controllers. Sounds like a 5 would fit your needs.

As for temperature, you're probably gonna have to get an aftermarket thermostat to do ale temperatures accurately.

 

[Malticulous]

If you want a to fit a bucket and a carboy you will need at least 7 cu. ft.
I have a 7.2 and it fits 2 buckets and a five gallon carboy. It's a very tight fit.

I basically ferment a half barrel at a time in there, but I can also get some gallon jugs and a Mr. Beer in it at the same time. It's not much bigger than the 5 cu. ft. models. I want a bigger one.

I use a Johnson analog controller with it. Even with a fridge you will want a temp controller. A wine cooler might work fine without one.

 

[ayoungrad]

I'll definitely have to look into these. The NuCool - does it have temp control or do you use a separate temp controller?

With the freezers - do they make a lot of noise?

Another related but not question... my wife hates the smell of fermentation. Is the smell decreased by using a frig or freezer compared with ambient fermentation?

 

[MalFet]

I'll definitely have to look into these. The NuCool - does it have temp control or do you use a separate temp controller?

The NuCool has a power dial, but nothing out there really has a proper, calibrated thermostat. Even the ones that allow you to set a specific temperature are then referring to ambient temperature. Your wort will be near ambient temperatures late in fermentation, but potentially quite a bit higher at high krausen. Some people have had success figuring out how to compensate, but it's a lot of work and I'm not sure I would be able to do it properly. In my opinion, you need a proper controller (Johnson, Ranco, Love, PID, arduino, etc.) for any kind of fridge (or chest freezer, or styrofoam ice box).

 

[ayoungrad]

With a brief look into it, it looks like there are 2 types? One that you plug the frig/freezer into and one that bypasses the frig/freezer temp control. Is this correct? Can you accurately regulate temps with the plug-in variety? I'm just trying to avoid having to solder or do much in the way of wiring.

I looked into NuCool - I only see the 1.7 on amazon. Maybe the 2.2 can be found somewhere else on the net.

 

[MalFet]

With a brief look into it, it looks like there are 2 types? One that you plug the frig/freezer into and one that bypasses the frig/freezer temp control. Is this correct? Can you accurately regulate temps with the plug-in variety? I'm just trying to avoid having to solder or do much in the way of wiring.

I looked into NuCool - I only see the 1.7 on amazon. Maybe the 2.2 can be found somewhere else on the net.

They both do essentially the same thing for most fridge designs, but if you get something weird you might need to use one or the other. They are equivalent in terms of accuracy.

I misspoke earlier...it's not 2.2cf it's 2.8. I'll edit my original post to avoid confusion. Amazon still doesn't have any, but they are showing up in a few other searches.

 

[ayoungrad]

I did find this on a few internet sites. Sounds almost too good to be true. Compact and quiet. I may have to give this a shot.

 

[ayoungrad]

Any thoughts on the smell of fermentation with it? i.e. if I were to keep it in my living room?

 

[ohdannyboy]

Its not a cheap solution .......but what I did is get another kegerator ......you can lager in it and mine fits 2 better bottles ......no lifting over freezer sides .......and if you have too much beer and not enough taps you have another option.

As to the smell....its fine as long as you don't open the door when she is around....

 

[MalFet]

I did find this on a few internet sites. Sounds almost too good to be true. Compact and quiet. I may have to give this a shot.

It's not silent, as some of the descriptions seem to imply. But, it's the quietest fridge I've seen. There's no motor or compressor, so all the noise comes from a fan like the ones you find in computers.

Any thoughts on the smell of fermentation with it? i.e. if I were to keep it in my living room?

Helps a ton. You won't get any smell except when you open up the fridge. Ideally, you shouldn't be doing that too often anyway.

 

[ayoungrad]

Thanks guys. I found a NuCool on Craigslist that I'm going to take a look at. If that doesn't work, I probably look into a wine frig. And I just ordered a Johnson controller.

How did you get rid of the shelf in the frig? I saw someone on here used a grinder tool (which I don't have). But, it looks like it is necessary to get rid of the shelf in order to fit an ale pail in there.

 

[MalFet]

Thanks guys. I found a NuCool on Craigslist that I'm going to take a look at. If that doesn't work, I probably look into a wine frig. And I just ordered a Johnson controller.

How did you get rid of the shelf in the frig? I saw someone on here used a grinder tool (which I don't have). But, it looks like it is necessary to get rid of the shelf in order to fit an ale pail in there.

Right...forgot to mention that, sorry. A grinder is the elegant way to do it, but I couldn't find the power cord for mine so I did it with a steak knife, of all things. It took a while and it probably isn't the prettiest solution, but it worked fine. I just sealed it up with some clear plastic packing tape after.

Edit: Also, I didn't take out the bottom shelf, just the middle one. From the looks of it, I worried that I'd lose some insulation if I took out the bottom one, so I've got my bucket sitting on the lowest rack level (which I have supported by a chunk of wood I had sitting around).

 

[ayoungrad]

Just picked up a NuCool. Very slightly damaged for $50. I decided to get a dremel and I carved out the shelves. Thanks for all the help.

 

[ayoungrad]

How do you deal with the cord for the temperature probe?

Right now I just have the door close on it.

It seems that the gap releases air (including aroma) this way. Have you guys cut a hole or path in the insulation? What's the best way to do this?

 

[MalFet]

How do you deal with the cord for the temperature probe?

Right now I just have the door close on it.

It seems that the gap releases air (including aroma) this way. Have you guys cut a hole or path in the insulation? What's the best way to do this?

Mine doesn't seem to cause much of a leak, but I've got very thin probe wires. Since there's no compressor coil, you should be able to drill a hole without much difficulty. Alternately (low tech solution) you could just cover the front of the fridge with a piece of fabric.