Old fridge as fermenter

[djfriesen]

Hello all,

I have a dilemma: I have access to an older HotPoint upright fridge. It has 1 large door, with a metal-enclosed freezer unit in the top portion. I am planning to get a temp controller and convert the fridge to a fermentation chamber. The problem is, it has been closed and unplugged for some time and seems to have doubled as a culture grower. Will this pose a risk to sanitation? Can I bleach the crap out of the interior plastic to get rid of the nasties? I guess, at the point of fermentation, the carboy would be sealed and not really susceptible to infection, but I would want there to be no unwarranted risk.

Would I be better off to just try to find a different fridge? I don't mind cleaning it up, as it will be a free ferm chamber, minus the cost of the temp controller. Anyone have any insight or something I may be missing. I couldn't find anything on this specifically, but found an older thread where someone had removed the guts of a fridge and used it to cool a custom-built chamber. I would prefer to use the existing fridge, if sanitation is not a concern.

Any opinions would be appreciated.
Dan

 

[BargainFittings]

Just clean it up and use it. You will be fermenting in a closed environment so you will be fine.

Just don't do open fermentation

 

[djfriesen]

That makes sense. Even if the fridge doesn't work out, it's free. So I'm out nothing and can still use my temp controller on a different fridge. Thanks for the reply.

 

[chemman14]

The fridge I used to use was COVERED in mold, grossness, etc. I spent about 30 minutes wiping it all down and while not completely spotless it was pretty clean. Never had an issue and I now use that fridge as my kegerator and purchased a chest freezer for fermentation

 

[subliminalurge]

Blast it with a power washer, then bleach the crap out of it for a day or two.

If that took care of the mold problem in the damp, leaky basement in my first house, surely it'll work for a fridge.

 

[djfriesen]

Ya, I was gonna hit it with a heated pressure washer as there is some gross stuff in the crevices of the sealing strips. Figured that would take pretty good care of it. Thanks guys, that was just the help I needed.