Fridge or freezer for fermentation in Texas?

[Eskimo Spy]

I've searched for and read several threads on the question of fridge versus freezer for fermentation, but I started thinking about the big swings in temperature I get in Texas, along with the fact that it can get pretty hot and humid...

So, my question is, given my environment, would I be better served going with a chest freezer or a fridge? Which one would have less of a chance of mildewing? And on that subject, is there a way to deal with the mildew issue? Any other things to consider in making this decision based on my location? I will be using this mainly to ferment ales, and on rare occasion, lagers. No kegs will be used in this vessel, I'll be buying another device to do that.

Thanks for any input!

 

[jamesrm]

I would get a chest freezer if your working with volumes you can hoist in and out without causing a lot of circulation. They are much more efficient as the cool air stays in when you open the lid.

 

[runhard]

I have both and religiously use Damp-Rid. I don't know about the humidity in Ft. Worth but in the Central TX region humidity fluctuates from mid-80% down to low 60% during a normal summer day. Yep, I go through a lot of Damp-Rid. The fridge is easier to clean with a dilute bleach solution and it's almost entirely plastic on the inside so that facilitates cleaning if something blows out of the blow-off tube bucket such as my hefe or wit biers. My chest freezer was a little short for the fermenter so I built a collar. It's mostly metal on the inside and I've worried about the chlorine and the metal that is exposed from my accidentally scratching it. If you're going to have the upright fridge in the garage you can build a simple wall out of 1 or 2" extruded styrofoam. This wall will allow you to open the door without all of the cold air just dumping out in a matter of seconds. I know one guy who uses 3 pieces each about 1 ft tall stacked on top of each other. He says he can open the door and remove the top panel and just check on how things are progressing or if he need to service something he can remove the middle and bottom panel.

 

[runhard]

I would get a chest freezer if your working with volumes you can hoist in and out without causing a lot of circulation. They are much more efficient as the cool air stays in when you open the lid.

Good point on the weight. 10-13 gallons of beer is way too much for me to lift. One more thing about the chest freezer. Works great at maintaining temperatures and I added a small fan on the inside that gently stirs the air of the chest freezer. Removing trub is a little difficult in the chest freezer for one of my fermenters; having to reach all the way to the bottom to open the dump valve is a little difficult with the collar. The other fermenter is a 15 gallon Sankey keg and I can't easily remove any sediment so I just monitor the beer and remove from the keg as soon as the beer has reached FG. In the chest freezer you'll either need to push the beer with CO2 or use a pump to rack to your kegs. I've never used gravity in my upright fridge for racking to the kegs but it would likely work.

 

[david_42]

I use my old fridge/kegger for a fermenter now. I rarely have more than one beer fermenting at a time, so the ease of getting the fermenter in and out matters more. Plus, it is easier to clean than a chest freezer when a ferment goes crazy.

 

[Eskimo Spy]

I use my old fridge/kegger for a fermenter now. I rarely have more than one beer fermenting at a time, so the ease of getting the fermenter in and out matters more. Plus, it is easier to clean than a chest freezer when a ferment goes crazy.

I'm thinking of buying an old fridge, putting a Ranco on it, and a thermowell for a carboy. I want to use 6.5 gallon carboys for fermentation now, so I really don't want to have to lift that monster out of a chest freezer...

I'm the same as you, I'll only have one beer going at a time, so no need for a huge freezer.

So, any problems with the freezer side being so warm? Or does it simply not matter, given what you're using the fridge for? Do you have much of a mildew problem? I plan on mostly doing ales, so I'll be keeping the fridge at 60 - 65*. This also brings up another question I had; at what temp do you set your temp controller for to achieve the right temp using a thermowell, versus using the probe in the fridge? I would assume you set the temp for the actual temp you want to achieve, right?

 

[david_42]

I just put the temperature probe under the fermenter and set the temperature I want. Never used a thermowell. Mildew isn't a problem, just wipe down the interior before and after a fermentation. Since mine is in the utility room near a drain, I just hose it out.

 

[Brewin_Bob]

As far as your question goes, I would say look for a freezer. A chest freezer specifically. But if you find a deal too good to pass up on an upright freezer, pounce on it.

 

[Eskimo Spy]

I just scored a 9 cu. ft. chest freezer for $100 tonight. Since I transported it facing down in the back of the Subaru, I assume I don't want to plug it in for at least 24 hours, right? Thanks for the help.

 

[McKBrew]

I just scored a 9 cu. ft. chest freezer for $100 tonight. Since I transported it facing down in the back of the Subaru, I assume I don't want to plug it in for at least 24 hours, right? Thanks for the help.

I've never been able to find a clear answer on the minimum time an upright refrigerator/freezer should sit before plugging it in after hauling, but I always wait at at least a day.

 

[knarfks]

The newer fridges and freezers, I have been told, have a check valve, but a day certainly won't hurt anything. My old landlords moved my fridge in on its side in a truck 4 hours, then immediately plugged it in. The compressor would wake my room mate up. They told us it was our problem, it was still cold.

 

[Eskimo Spy]

It's a Frigidaire commercial chest freezer, and it's about 5 years old. I'm going to let it sit overnight with the lid open, then clean it up and plug it in tomorrow night. I don't have my Ranco temp controller yet, so it really doesn't matter when I plug it in.

 

[artyusmc]

post some pics and maybe make a keezer out of it.

 

[Carrion]

I have a 7 cubic foot chest freezer that I was using for fermentation. I scored an upright freezer off Craigs (13'or14') that I use now. The chest is for kegs. The chest freezer would not let me ferment 2 buckets or 1 bucket and a 6.5 glass carboy at the same time.

 

[billy2006]

I have looked at this issues quite a bit lately as I have the issue with humidity in my chest freezer. Two things I'm going to try.

1. Seal all seams inside with aquarium silicone to prevent rust.
2. use an eva-dry unit to try and keep the moisture down.
http://www.eva-dry.com/

I plan to have this in place this spring so I am ready for the summer humidity.

Billy.

 

[JesseRC]

I bought an upright freezer for ferementing in. I live SA, TX. It hardly turns on, after all its just bringing it down from 78 to about 65. In the winter it doesnt turn on at all. I have it in the pantry, no mildew. Most carboys and fermenter will fit fine in there. I think i can fit 4 buckets in there.

 

[LaneStreet]

Hey Guys, I am in Garland, TX and I have been looking to do the same thing. What temperature controller are you going to use? Does it have to be wired into the freezer or just plugged in?

 

[Sudz]

I bought an upright freezer for ferementing in. I live SA, TX. It hardly turns on, after all its just bringing it down from 78 to about 65. In the winter it doesnt turn on at all. I have it in the pantry, no mildew. Most carboys and fermenter will fit fine in there. I think i can fit 4 buckets in there.

In the winter, do you ever have a problem with the freezer dropping below your set point because the weather is colder outside?

Thanks,

 

[JesseRC]

In the winter, do you ever have a problem with the freezer dropping below your set point because the weather is colder outside?

Thanks,

In lower Texas, not at all. I mean really we are only in the 30's for like maybe a hour or 2 before sunrise. I keep it kinda cold in the keezer. I guess if you wanted to maintain it at 40 , there might be a few nights/days where it would go below the setpoint, my only worry would be freezing the beer, and its unlikely to happen in Texas.

 

[Shay]

In the winter, do you ever have a problem with the freezer dropping below your set point because the weather is colder outside?

Thanks,

I do in Dallas during the cold spells. I will bring my fermenter into the house from the freezer into the garage to let it warm some before putting it back in the freezer. You could always get a two-stage controller or two controllers.

 

[Sudz]

I do in Dallas during the cold spells. I will bring my fermenter into the house from the freezer into the garage to let it warm some before putting it back in the freezer. You could always get a two-stage controller or two controllers.

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I'm in OKC and I have just discovered my controller can't do cold and heat simultaneously at the same time. Was fairly certain the winter months would pull things down below temps that I'm currently using. Have considered running a 100 watt bulb inside the box during winter and just let the cooling control manage things but this is a tad wasteful...

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[biketx]

You might try putting the light on a timer so it does not run all of the time. Should solve the problem and save on the electricity too.

 

[Sudz]

You might try putting the light on a timer so it does not run all of the time. Should solve the problem and save on the electricity too.

Good idea. I'm looking at a simple temp control which may be able to turn on the light when temps drop below a roughy set threshold. If that doesn't work I'll give the timer a shot.

Thanks for the feedback...

 

[AnonyBrew]

I have looked at this issues quite a bit lately as I have the issue with humidity in my chest freezer. Two things I'm going to try.

1. Seal all seams inside with aquarium silicone to prevent rust.
2. use an eva-dry unit to try and keep the moisture down.
EVA-DRY | Damp In. Dry Out!

I plan to have this in place this spring so I am ready for the summer humidity.

Billy.

Does anyone have experience with this product? Does it work for a chest freezer in humid environments? or not?

 

[AnonyBrew]

I found out damp-rid is the same exact thing as ice melt and you can buy 50lb. bags of ice melt for $15.

Polar Expr 50LB IceMelt