Broken refrigerator for a ferm chamber?

[Number2]

Hey folks,
I just saw on craigslist a broken refrigerator for 35 bucks. The seller claims it cools but not enough for food. I was contemplating buying it and using it with a temp controller to ferment.

My thought is that since it only needs to get as low as 60 degrees for my needs it may work. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Hammy71]

Chances are if its having trouble getting cold enough for food, that the compressor is shot or it has hardly any refrigerant. It may work for fermenting, but it will probably run an extra amount and cost you some cash. Plus, it might not have enough 'balls' to keep the temperatures down at the height of fermentation. Just somethings to think about.

 

[jamesharder]

It's probably a long shot, but it's possible that the fridge isn't staying cool enough for food due to coils freezing up and not properly defrosting. If that is the case it would be perfect for a fermentation chamber. How old is the fridge?

 

[CGVT]

I would probably pass and keep my eyes open. I got two working refrigerators for free. If you are patient, something will pop up, but you have to be ready to jump on it whan you see it

 

[BigRob]

Even if it was free, I'd still think long and hard about the costs of pickup and the likely near-term disposal of the fridge.