Fermenting Fridge Choices?

[Clint Yeastwood]

I bought a Braumeister, so now I have to think about fermentation. Problem: I sold my Frigidaire chest freezer a couple of years ago, thinking I would never need it again.

I am now looking around to see what's available. I don't plan to buy used, mainly because I don't have a trailer, and my pickup needs to be gone through after a long time sitting.

In the past, I had an old fridge a tenant abandoned, and I used a Johnson control on it. I also had the Frigidaire mentioned above, also with a Johnson control. Right now, I have a little Magic Chef fridge a 5-gallon bucket will just fit in, but a 6-gallon bucket will be right up against the ceiling, with no room for an airlock. Another type of fermenter might fit, but it has to be something that will handle hot wort.

Before I fool around and buy based on my antiquated notions formed almost 20 years ago, I thought I should find out if there are specific freezers or fridges people like these days. Also, is there any reason to avoid an upright job?

I will be doing 5-gallon batches. I don't see myself fermenting two things at once, but it could happen.

A presumably-Chinese company called Vissani sells an upright freezer/fridge at Home Depot. You can use it as a freezer or fridge, but not both at the same time. It appears to be big enough for a 6-gallon bucket.

Vissani Upright Freezer

For a little less, I can get a chest freezer made by the usual suspects.

 

[RM-MN]

Forget the airlock and put your 6 gallon bucket in the fridge you have. Just tape a piece of Saran Wrap (or similar) over the hole the airlock would normally be in. Leave one side without tape so the CO2 can escape. Spend the money you saved by not buying a different refrigerator on grain and make more beer.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Thanks for the help, but have you actually tried that? Bacteria are pretty sneaky.

I'm looking at old posts, and it appears there are a lot of airlock rebels now.

 

[palmtrees]

For fermentation, I don't see a need to get the freezer/fridge combo. I use a dorm fridge with an ink bird controller, and it can get my wort down to 42ish for a cold crash. That's all I need for fermentation! You might look at the dimensions of a Fermonster. I like them better than buckets, and they may be a little shorter to leave you space for an airlock or blowoff tube in your current setup.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Thanks. I am checking the Fermonster, and it looks like it's over an inch too tall.

I think I may take the Saran wrap suggestion, or just leave the lid loose. I have been reading up, and it looks like an airlock is not really needed.

 

[Knightshade]

Since you’re looking at a fermonster anyways, you might want to check this thread if you haven’t discovered it already.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...lete-closed-transfer-system-for-cheap.680992/

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks for the help, but have you actually tried that? Bacteria are pretty sneaky.

I'm looking at old posts, and it appears there are a lot of airlock rebels now.

Yes, I have one lid that was not drilled for an airlock and I use it regularly. Bacteria may be sneaky but they are not good as birds and can't fly against the flow of CO2 coming out of the bucket. Once the yeast get properly started the conditions inside the bucket are inhospitable to most bacteria anyway.

 

[Jack Arandir]

It's hard to beat a chest freezer -- it's just the right height and width for fermenters and kegs. Upright fridges always seem to have problems with shelves, bulges, etc.
Also, do you plan to keg? If so there's nothing better than a chest freezer. I spent years using my chest freezer as the fermentation chamber. It's so convenient.
Good luck and good beer!

 

[govner1]

I bought a Braumeister, so now I have to think about fermentation. Problem: I sold my Frigidaire chest freezer a couple of years ago, thinking I would never need it again.

I am now looking around to see what's available. I don't plan to buy used, mainly because I don't have a trailer, and my pickup needs to be gone through after a long time sitting.

In the past, I had an old fridge a tenant abandoned, and I used a Johnson control on it. I also had the Frigidaire mentioned above, also with a Johnson control. Right now, I have a little Magic Chef fridge a 5-gallon bucket will just fit in, but a 6-gallon bucket will be right up against the ceiling, with no room for an airlock. Another type of fermenter might fit, but it has to be something that will handle hot wort.

Before I fool around and buy based on my antiquated notions formed almost 20 years ago, I thought I should find out if there are specific freezers or fridges people like these days. Also, is there any reason to avoid an upright job?

I will be doing 5-gallon batches. I don't see myself fermenting two things at once, but it could happen.

A presumably-Chinese company called Vissani sells an upright freezer/fridge at Home Depot. You can use it as a freezer or fridge, but not both at the same time. It appears to be big enough for a 6-gallon bucket.

Vissani Upright Freezer

For a little less, I can get a chest freezer made by the usual suspects.

I bought a medium/large Haier dorm fridg, took off the door and built a cabinet with two doors that open on the side preventing the need to lift up and over. I will hold 5 5g carboys.
I also have a rancò dual controller and a small fan plus a ceramic bulb for heating when needed.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Regarding kegs, I drilled two holes in the top of my old chest freezer and installed beer towers. It worked fine, but the weight of the towers made it somewhat reluctant to stay open.

If you install towers toward the front, they push the lid closed, and if you put them too far back, they hit the wall when you open the chest.

I wanted to install taps on the front, but I was afraid I would drill through refrigerant lines.

I do plan to keg, but I want to start off with a Torpedo Megamouth keg in my spare fridge.

 

[brewbama]

I use a fridge I bought used over 30 yrs ago. If it ever fails I want one of those dorm size wine fridges with a glass door.

 

[YeastFeast]

Many threads on how to make your own. This was my project…

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/side-by-side-converted-to-single-chamber-fermenter.701445/

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Beautiful work.

Looks like there haven't been huge changes over the last 15 years.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

My $0.02
I ended up going with this guy. A couple small modifications and I can fit two buckets with airlocks. Rumor has it that people buy these to put food in too.

 

[NSMikeD]

look around. There is a thread here from a few days ago on this very subject and a user posted about flat airlocks.

Edit. Like this.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/p...RXmPL4_nR2Tfg7bQjSgZaQml2LlaKvOhoC0B0QAvD_BwE

 

[Deadalus]

Chest freezers are OK but it's hard on your back to lift a fermenter out. Some mini fridges and wine chillers can fit different types of fermentation vessels. I use both typws and a stainless steel blowoff tube as needed. For mini fridges, building the door out using a collar can also help to avoid hitting the freezer section.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Right now, it's looking like an upright freezer. My first brew after my layoff will be in a bucket, and I am ordering a Fermzilla All-Rounder to give me more fermenting options.

The freezer I am now looking at has internal dimensions of 16.1" x 17.1" x 49.2", so it should hold an All-Rounder or a CF5.

 

[pvtpublic]

I live in a college town, which means graduation time is prime time for dormitory fridge specials. If it's to small, I rip out the guts and build one.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I got home from Best Buy a while ago with a freezer in my Ford Explorer. I really need to get the Cummins back on the road so I don't have to think about what I can get in the car. I have put a Powermatic 66 table saw with 8-foot rails in an Explorer, as well as a 19" band saw. When I got the pickup, I thought those days were behind me, but apparently not.

I think this freezer is a fantastic choice. I haven't opened the box yet, but if the dimensions that were quoted are accurate, it ought to be pretty future-proof for my purposes. The bucket I have now will fit, the All-Rounder I ordered will work, and when I face reality and get a CF5, I will still be okay.

Verticals are easier to clean than chests, so that's a bonus.

This thing will be a single-purpose tool. I think that's best for a fermenting fridge. It's silly, trying to find ways to accommodate kegs or other things as well as fermenters. I'll just shut the freezer down between brews.

Now I just have to go over the inside with a measuring tape to make sure it will work.

Insignia 7-cu.ft. Upright Freezer

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

In case people need the info, this freezer has at least a 16" by 16" usable horizontal cross-section. Of course, there is a hump for the compressor, and the lowest shelf sits on it. The distance between that shelf and the top shelf, which is fastened in place, is about 36". It appears the top shelf, which contains the temperature control, can be removed easily, so you could get another 4" or so. I am not sure, but it looks like you can remove two screws and get the upper shelf out.

Of course, there are little horizontal shelf supports sticking out from the sides. but they don't run all the way from back to front, so unless you have a fermenter that is 16" wide all the way to the sides, rear, and front, the supports will not diminish the usable width in a meaningful way.

Basically, I think you should be able to count on 16" x 16" x 36", and you can probably turn the 36" into 40".

I don't know how much the bottom shelf will like the weight of a full fermenter, but if there is a problem, plywood and a little ingenuity should be able to fix it.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

In case people need the info, this freezer has at least a 16" by 16" usable horizontal cross-section. Of course, there is a hump for the compressor, and the lowest shelf sits on it. The distance between that shelf and the top shelf, which is fastened in place, is about 36". It appears the top shelf, which contains the temperature control, can be removed easily, so you could get another 4" or so. I am not sure, but it looks like you can remove two screws and get the upper shelf out.

Of course, there are little horizontal shelf supports sticking out from the sides. but they don't run all the way from back to front, so unless you have a fermenter that is 16" wide all the way to the sides, rear, and front, the supports will not diminish the usable width in a meaningful way.

Basically, I think you should be able to count on 16" x 16" x 36", and you can probably turn the 36" into 40".

I don't know how much the bottom shelf will like the weight of a full fermenter, but if there is a problem, plywood and a little ingenuity should be able to fix it.

Thanks for posting the inside dimensions, that helps a lot of folks considering the same idea. Price wise it looks good too.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I really can't find anything wrong with it. The price is bearable, the size is good, and I can move it around by myself.

I'm surprised how long it took me to figure out that this was the best choice. A chest would have been no good for tall fermenters. A fridge would have cost at least twice as much and included a freezer I didn't need. I think this baby is exactly what a small-scale brewer needs, as long as he only wants to ferment one beer at a time.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Wow. This is terrible news. It looks like I have to abandon the freezer. Look what the manual says.

WARNING: Please abandon the appliance according to local regulators for it
use flammable blowing gas and refrigerant.

It use flammable blowing gas! I not know it use that!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Photo of the fridge with a fermenting bucket in it, in case anyone needs an idea of the size.

 

[DonT]

Photo of the fridge with a fermenting bucket in it, in case anyone needs an idea of the size.

View attachment 809317

Looks interesting. If you could take a couple of measurements for me I would appreciate it... I'd like to know the distance, on the bottom inside, from the front edge at the door to the edge of the hump and the height and depth of the hump. Thanks!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Looks interesting. If you could take a couple of measurements for me I would appreciate it... I'd like to know the distance, on the bottom inside, from the front edge at the door to the edge of the hump and the height and depth of the hump. Thanks!

No problem. The hump is a little under 9" tall. The distance from the bottom of the hump to the inside of the door is around 10". The hump sticks out from the rear of the freezer about 6". It's not possible to give precise measurements for everything.

 

[YeastFeast]

Basically, I think you should be able to count on 16" x 16" x 36", and you can probably turn the 36" into 40".

I see you mentioned you may move to a CF5. That’s what I use. 16”x16”x36” isn’t going to cut it (depending on what attachments you use). I spent months looking at fridges and the ONLY one that would work was a side by side. Based on the attachments that face the front and those that I needed to attach to the top, I needed 20” of depth and 44.5” height.
Just wanted to make you and others aware. Bucket, yes…CF5, no.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Thanks for the info. What attachments are increasing the depth and height?

 

[YeastFeast]

Here’s a visual…but basically a dry hopper height wise and sight glass and a valve in the front. Hope that helps.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

In another thread, member Nokt says his CF5's limiting dimensions are 31.5" and 17.25". Is he doing something different?

Can anyone with a Spike 5gal Unitank share the dimensions?

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Okay, so it sounds like a CF5 will fit, but some attachments are impossible as they come from the factory. Is that right?

 

[YeastFeast]

Looks like Nokt from the other thread turned his to the side so the front attachments would fit. I have an (optional) sight glass so that adds more bunch more inches. Also, looks like he only has a blowoff on the top, I added Spikes all-in-one PRV and a dry hopper which needs a ton of vertical space. I make a lot of Hazy IPAs so use that quite a bit. Obviously it’s not required equipment though.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

So no pressure brewing without that big valve.

 

[YeastFeast]

So no pressure brewing without that big valve.

To pressure ferment, you need a spunding valve (to control the amount of pressure) and a pressure release valve (for safety). I guess technically you just need a spunding valve but if it were to get stuck and pressure builds you could create a bomb. I use Spikes all-in-one which does both.
https://spikebrewing.com/products/all-in-one-prv

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

It looks like the SS Brewtech conical is shorter, but something might have to be done about the big tube hanging off the side.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

On the Spike you could still pressure ferment but maybe not with the unit Spike sells. It's an easy build and looks close to the picture here. Remember though, for safety, have a pressure relief valve. That's the brass thing on the right. There's also an adjustable style. Spike conical is rated around 15 PSI.

If you decide to build one you could switch out the orientation of parts to minimize some height.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

It's funny, reading the ad copy on various sites. To read Spike's material, you would think every other valve was a scam, and at least one site makes fun of Spike's valve.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I built one for my CF10, used it a few times but I seem to use the blow-off tube the most. I'm not saying either way is best. I'll try out the valve on a few more batches. All told I have less than 50 bucks into mine so it's not a game changer is it doesn't get used on every batch. Many folks here use them on every brew.