Fermentation Chamber with Mini Fridge?

[acarter5251]

I have a fairly small apartment, so I was thinking of making a fermentation chamber using a fairly compact mini fridge that would fit in my closet. I was also thinking about using an STC 1000 to control the temperature of the mini fridge.

If the fridge has a temperature knob, do I need to do anything to bypass this, or can I just crank it to as low of a temperature as possible and plug the fridge into my control box?

 

[billl]

You don't need to bypass the fridge control. Just set it as cold as it will go and let the external controller handle everything else.

And before you buy a fridge, double-check the internal dimensions to make sure you fermenter will fit. Many models won't work due to the large bump in the back.

 

[acarter5251]

Yeah. I'm only working with 1 or 2 gallon fermenters at the moment so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Probably gonna buy one used since I'm currently living in a college town and see a lot being sold at the ends of semesters

 

[jakis]

What do you mean by external controller ? I am thinking about getting a mini fridge for fermentation as well.

 

[acarter5251]

I made a controller using an STC1000 like shown here: http://brewprof.com/weekend-diy-homebrew-project-dual-stage-temperature-controller-stc-1000/