danby fridge doubling as ferment. chamber

[DustinBrimer]

Has anybody tried using the Danby fridge as a fermentation chamber? The standard temp control will only get up to around 48°, so I would guess a modification to the thermostat would be needed...any thoughts or success stories?

Thanks guys!

Dustin

 

[wilceaser]

I use a Sanyo 5.0cf fridge (no freeser) and a fridgidair 4.2cf (with freezer modified) to ferment both hooked up to Ranco controllers.
I set the fridges to their coldest settrings then let the Ranco's do all the hard work.
Works great.

 

[DustinBrimer]

Awesome, is it a simple splice job with the ranco?

 

[wilceaser]

I just wired the rancos up with their own plugs and pluged the fridges in to that. Very easy. I just run the temp probs between the door and inside of the fridge.
The Gasket on the fridge door closes nicely.

 

[wilceaser]

I guess I should also say I use buckets to ferment in. I place the bottom shelf in the fridges and use a blow of tube due to the hieght of the fermenter.

 

[DustinBrimer]

Oh okay. I might as well ask since I've never used 1 before, how does the blow off work instead of using an airlock?

 

[Doed]

The blow off tube is a "fail safe" method used during the first couple of days of fermentation. It is a much larger diameter than a standard airlock. The larger diameter allows kraeusen to flow out of the fermentor if the fermentation gets crazy active. One end of the blow off tube goes in the fermentor vessel and the other end goes into a container filled with water creating a "giant" airlock.

I use one on every batch the first couple of days until I am sure the kraeusen is not going to fill the fermentor. I then switch to a standard airlock. I have only had one batch actually produce so much kraeusen that it flowed out the tube into the water container. YMMV

 

[DustinBrimer]

Ah that makes a lot of sense. Now I have to find a 6 gal. ferment vessel....so far everything I've seen is either too tall, too wide, or both. Lame.

 

[jwalker1140]

I have the danby 440bl as a fermentation chamber along with the 'ebay temperature controller' (search the threads) and it works great. I run the probe up through the drain plug in the back.

 

[DustinBrimer]

What do you use to ferment in in the danby? I'm having a hard time finding anything that will fit beyond a 5 gal. carboy

 

[jwalker1140]

I use the 6 gal PET carboys that morebeer sells. Fits perfectly, assuming you remove the door panel. I could probably fit my 6.5 gal bucket fit if I put a shim under the front of it to tilt the top back a bit. That's pretty ghetto though.

 

[DustinBrimer]

Sweet! I'll go looking for that next. Thanks everybody!