BVilleggiante
Well-Known Member
I know you can use a refrigerator, but is a chest freezer also a viable option using a controller? Does it not work as well since it's trying to freeze and not just refrigerate?
Is it ok to temperature control with a chest freezer?
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trevor_b
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The temperature controller will override the chest freezers thermostat. So, yes.
BVilleggiante
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Well that's just awesome is all that is.
Yep, works great for me.
BVilleggiante
Well-Known Member
I just realized I should have been a bit more specific (though learning this was awesome), I'm looking to ferment in a chest freezer using a controller. Still ok?
BulldogBrewer
Well-Known Member
Yup. I've used my keezer as a fermentation chamber when I'm out of beer.
BVilleggiante
Well-Known Member
I have three freezers (one free, two from CL); two uprights for storing bottles, and one chest for fermentation. The uprights each have an ebay aquarium controller setup, and the fermenting chamber has a Johnson Controls A419.
I also have a mini-fridge with a JC A419 as another fermentation chamber.
They work great. :rockin:
I also have a mini-fridge with a JC A419 as another fermentation chamber.
They work great. :rockin:
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Yup, yup. Mine stays around 62 degrees all the time. It's like having a tiny room that the temp stays perfect in. Hmm...I think I'm drunk. It works like a champ.
Im a refrigeration tech and i can tell you that using a deep freezer for the purpose of refrigeration is perfectly fine. You are merely stopping the process short which is fine. I just converted a deep freezer that i bought into a refrgerator essentially, so i can ferment ales or lagers in and hopefully get into kegging. Its now a multi-purpose machine. I love it
TromboneGuy
Well-Known Member
Yup. The freezer doesn't want to "freeze". It wants to chill its interior until its thermostat tells it to stop. You're just using a temp controller to give you a wider target range than the freezer's thermostat.
Really, the only significant difference between a freezer and a refrigerator is where you set the thermostat.
Really, the only significant difference between a freezer and a refrigerator is where you set the thermostat.
optimatored
Well-Known Member
i have a Keezer with a temp controller... been working fine for over 2 years..
I have two. One for fermenting in, and another for lagering. They work great!
If you're going to ferment in the chest freezer, you might want to get some damp-rid or one of those ever-dry units. There will be condensation building up over time, which can lead to mold if you don't do something to remove the excess humidity. Don't get me wrong, I agree with everyone else they work great. Just get the moisture out.
As I said...Yep, works great for me. This is a Sanke fermented under pressure in a chest freezer. See the Love Controller to the right in the pic?
I completely agree with this statement! You will want something in there to suck up moisture or it will get very wet. I am planning on venting my spunding setup (or blow-off tubing) to outside the freezer for this reason. I use Eva-Dry right now and it still needs all the help it can get when it comes to a fermentation going on inside a sealed up chest freezer.
Rundownhouse
Well-Known Member
Something I don't get: I've got a huge, 1970's 22cf chest freezer I use for fermenting ales, then fermenting lagers, then lagering, then serving. During this cycle it goes through everything from 68F to 34F. I (clumsily) built a collar for it, sealed up everything as well as I could, and I've never once had condensation problems. Is condensation only a problem for some freezers? Do I have an evaporator in there and don't know it? Or did I stumble into the best insulating/sealing job ever?
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