Ppl with wine fridges look

[Nimand]

So I just bought a wine fridge for my fermenter. I have restaurant style fridge thermometer in there. I have the fridge set at 65 but the thermometer is reading 50. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[nameless]

It could be a number of things. What fridge do you have?

 

[Nimand]

Im not sure all the info. Got it off Craigslist. Its an Avanti. Also I dont have a bucket in it yet but empty with the thermometer in all day it was at like 55 when set to 65.

 

[amandabab]

what the dial says and what the actual temp is are 2 different things.

If it will hold a steady temp you want, (whatever the dial says)
your good to go.

 

[Nimand]

well the digital display has held 65 but like i said its reading 55 on thermometer i put in...guess ill just wait and see what happens when i put a bucket o beer in there

 

[peaktopview]

as said above, as long as it holds a steady temp, your good to go. i would maybe grab another thermometer just to verify the one in the fridge is accurate (put them both in there and see if they read the same or close too each other). then figure out what fridge settings hit different temps. same concept as using an oven thermometer and not trusting the setting (have had ovens in the past set at 350 and are only at 320). you may find out that you need to set it to 75 to have it hold at 65.

 

[HopSong]

Empty fridges and freezers do not hold constant temps. The mass of food, or in this case, beer significantly keeps the mass at a more constant temperature.

As a for instance. Putting your FV in a big bucket filled with water keeps the temp swings of the beer at a pretty darn consistent temp. Out of the bucket, you are subject to the big swings of temp during the day.

 

[nameless]

Temperature controls like this aren't exact. Besides not being calibrated well, there is a lag between the cold air circulating and the temperature of the thermometer itself. And like a few people pointed out, the items you put in the fridge retain their temperature better than air. For example, if your fridge is empty and you open the door for five minutes, you let all the air out and it will get warm, whereas if you have items in there that retain the temperature, it would remain cooler. Apply that to a thermometer now. If it's just sitting in the air it will tend to be warmer than if it's next to a keg or in water or something that would maintain a more constant temperature.

 

[veritas524]

I have a magic chef wine fridge and hate it. It wont drop below 48 degrees and fluxuates constantly.