Mini fridge fermentation chamber

[demagxc]

I just stared brewing a few weeks ago and quickly ran into some temperature control problems. I live in a small apartment and dont really have too much control over the temp (right now its in the mid 80s with all the windows open) so I decided to turn my old college mini fridge into a single carboy fermentation chamber.

I started with a 4 cubic foot Haier mini fridge.

Cut the shelves off the door and covered exposed insulation with foil tape.

I cut away the hump on the back that covers the compressor. Filled the void with foam insulation and covered in foil tape

In order to fit the carboy inside I had to unbolt the plate holding the compressor and set it back. Only two bolts hold it on now but no problems so far!

The thermostat thats in the fridge didnt allow me to keep the temperature warm enough for an ale so i had to use good old tape to fix the problem. I was able to tape the dial right before the fridge turned off and I am now able to keep the temperature around 65. Eventualy ill get a real temperature contoler so i can throw a lager in there.

I thought I would share my first homebrew diy project to see what you guys think.

 

[demagxc]

The images dont seem to be showing (at least on my computer) so here is the like to them

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79323891@N02/6954702792/in/photostream/

 

[demagxc]

Just added my ebay aquarium controller. bypassed the existing thermostat completely. The fridge plugs in to the outlet I wired in before the controller.

 

[Pugalicious]

Can't believe you didn't get any love for this! Nice work!

 

[taulpepper]

Cool build, haven't seen any one else actually cut out the compressor bump. I've been looking for a fridge that will hold a 6 gal better bottle for a while to deal with this.

 

[pannell77]

good work.

 

[Felixio]

I've been planning my fermentation chamber build, but I was thinking of building a collar for my fridge, instead of removing the hump, though I did like the concept.

How does the foil tape hold up in the fridge? Is it staying well? would you still recommend using it?

 

[MKBoitnott]

Hey OP, do you have the make and model for this particular fridge that you used?

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

Can't believe I didn't think off cutting out the hump... Nice work ! This is the solution I'm looking for. Make/model please...

Edit: I bet haier only makes one main 4 cu ft model, so nm

 

[demagxc]

Unfortunately i have no idea what the model number is. This fridge has since been modified once again with a second temperature controlled chamber off the side and it would be quite a pain in the a$$ to get behind it to check as its a beast to move lol.

I did end up pulling the foil tape. It didn't hold up well with the condensation and was holding a ton of water between it and the insulation. I ended up using rubber spray sealer to cover it all up. Doesn't look pretty but it works!

 

[philosofool]

This looks great, and I don't mean to second guess your work, but couldn't you have just cut out the ice tray shelf and put the fermenter on a small platform just above the hump? I'm looking into doing something like this in the spring when things start to warm up, but mine will need to be inside and my wife and I have a deal: I get to have as much fun brewing beer as possible so long as things inside stay nice and tidy. This implies that there cannot be any compressors hanging out the back of things.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

I have the same deal!

I ended up getting a 4.6 cuft model that fits a bucket with no modification required

 

[dyqik]

This looks great, and I don't mean to second guess your work, but couldn't you have just cut out the ice tray shelf and put the fermenter on a small platform just above the hump? I'm looking into doing something like this in the spring when things start to warm up, but mine will need to be inside and my wife and I have a deal: I get to have as much fun brewing beer as possible so long as things inside stay nice and tidy. This implies that there cannot be any compressors hanging out the back of things.

The ice tray shelf is also the cooling "element". You can release it from the sides and bend it back to flush with the back of the fridge, but it's riskiest bit of the whole job. I've done it on my kegorator, but if I could have avoided it, I would have. However, moving the compressor doesn't sound any easier or less risky...

 

[demagxc]

The ice tray shelf is also the cooling "element". You can release it from the sides and bend it back to flush with the back of the fridge, but it's riskiest bit of the whole job. I've done it on my kegorator, but if I could have avoided it, I would have. However, moving the compressor doesn't sound any easier or less risky...

Moving the compressor was rather rather easy. It was held to the frame by 4 bolts and all I had to do is unbolt it and slide it back. No bending or modifying any of the lines needed. It is now only held on by 2 of the 4 bolts. Looking back a collar would have been much cleaner looking. But when all you have is a razor knife and an adjustable wrench to work with, as I did when this was done, you can still get a carboy to fit in a mini fridge.

 

[kal]

Old thread, but I thought I'd point out something in case anyone else comes across this thread: Spraying foam up against the compressor really shouldn't be done as you're insulating it and it may overheat. Compressors can get very warm, especially as the unit ages and the cooling doesn't work as well.

Kal

 

[demagxc]

I agree that spreading foam you against the compressor is a bad idea. However, i used cardboard to create a mold between the compressor and the foam i sprayed. So far so good! It's been running non stop for a few years without any issues.

 

[kal]

Ah! Ok. That wasn't obvious by the pictures.

One thing I'd recommend for anyone else doing this is to keep the compressor clear and not reduce the amount of air space around the compressor compared to what the manufacturer originally included. Also make sure to use spray foam rated for sealing exhaust vents. Many brands are extremely flammable and/or will break down over time with exposure to heat. For example, the manufacturer of "Great Stuff" (a popular foam spray) says:

"GREAT STUFF(TM) should not be used around heaters, furnaces, fireplaces, recessed lighting fixtures or other applications where the foam may come in contact with heat-conducting surfaces."

Kal

 

[alexandra]

Ah! Ok. That wasn't obvious by the pictures.

One thing I'd recommend for anyone else doing this is to keep the compressor clear and not reduce the amount of air space around the compressor compared to what the manufacturer originally included. Also make sure to use spray foam rated for sealing exhaust vents. Many brands are extremely flammable and/or will break down over time with exposure to heat. For example, the manufacturer of "Great Stuff" (a popular foam spray) says:

"GREAT STUFF(TM) should not be used around heaters, furnaces, fireplaces, recessed lighting fixtures or other applications where the foam may come in contact with heat-conducting surfaces."

Kal

Thanks loads for pointing that out, kal.