Can I take a broken mini-fridge and use it for a fermenter?

[spaceyaquarius]

I bought an old mini-fridge (date on it says 1999) from a guy on CraigsList. Of course it stopped working 2 weeks later and the guy had moved by then. Is there a way for me to DIY this useless thing into a fermenter?

The motor sounded like it was straining and just gave out. Now it makes no noise at all, does not cool, and I'm not even sure if there is any refrigerant left in the thing.

 

[HopinJim]

I've been doing exactly this with an old, broken down kegerator. I use 2-liter frozen bottles for cooling, and a brew belt for heating. I run it with an STC-1000 temp controller...I have a small fan plugged in for the cooling side, and the belt on the heat side and the temp probe is taped to the bucket with bubble wrap for insulation. Used it out in the garage during the hottest part of the summer and it worked fine with a twice-per-day bottle swap (2 bottles each, AM before leaving for work, PM after getting home). I was able to consistently maintain about 64 degrees F temp with this setup. Essentially just using the kegerator as a well-insulated box.

 

[spaceyaquarius]

Ok, so it just works better since you can control the inner temperature more than if it was just in the kitchen?

 

[augiedoggy]

I bought an old mini-fridge (date on it says 1999) from a guy on CraigsList. Of course it stopped working 2 weeks later and the guy had moved by then. Is there a way for me to DIY this useless thing into a fermenter?

The motor sounded like it was straining and just gave out. Now it makes no noise at all, does not cool, and I'm not even sure if there is any refrigerant left in the thing.

Did you by chance check the heat exchanger coil to see if it was plugged with dust as they often do which burns them out?

 

[spaceyaquarius]

I don't know crap about fridges.

 

[HopinJim]

Ok, so it just works better since you can control the inner temperature more than if it was just in the kitchen?

In the garage is my only option here. I COULD possibly put it in our dining room, but doubt that SWMBO would be pleased....

 

[spaceyaquarius]

Sounds like it may be a piece of trash at this point. If the refrigerant is gone, there's nowhere to buy any more even if the other parts were fixed/replaced. Amazon has some 4.4 cubic ft. models for around $115 now anyway.

 

[augiedoggy]

Sounds like it may be a piece of trash at this point. If the refrigerant is gone, there's nowhere to buy any more even if the other parts were fixed/replaced. Amazon has some 4.4 cubic ft. models for around $115 now anyway.

As long as it was made in the last 15-20 years it uses r134a which you can buy at any auto store or harbor freight..

 

[Newsman]

WalMart.com has an Igloo FR464 on sale for about $115. It does not have any coils in the "freezer" compartment, which is just a piece of formed plastic that slides into the thermostat on one side and a formed slot in the sidewall on the other. As best I can tell there are no refrigerant lines in the top either.

 

[augiedoggy]

Accidently double posted

 

[spaceyaquarius]

I wonder if a repair shop would fix it for less than $100? I hate to throw things away that can be fixed - but when was the last time anyone saw a repair shop?