JefeTheVol
Well-Known Member
I had an old Sanyo mini-fridge I had in the attic that was just a teensy bit too small to fit a fermenter inside. I could fit a 5 gallon carboy inside just barely but it would not fit a 6.5 gallon carboy or my 7 gallon bucket. Luckily, my friend had a Sanyo that was the next size up and I asked him if he would trade me. Because he only keeps the mini-fridge for Gatorades, he was game. It turns out, you can fit just as many Gatorades in the smaller one as the larger one (if they are all standing up of course).
So, today, I went over to my friends house and made the swap. I brought it home and realized that the depths of the two mini-fridges were very similar but the height of the new one was much larger. My first thought was that I could build a wooden box on the bottom of the fridge to set the fermenter on top of the compressor "hump" in the back of the fridge. But I then saw the problem. The freezer box was in the way and it takes up at least 5 inches of headspace. I looked around and saw that the mounts could be removed, but as you can see in the photo, the coolant line for the fridge runs through the freezer box, compared to the sides of the freezer box as in some fridges. If I started f*@king with the coolant line and pinch it, pierce it, pull it, or look at it funny, I might as well put the fridge up on Craigslist as a Redneck Garden Ornament.
So then I took a look at the door. I had already planned on removing the plastic liner/shelving unit in order to give me a little more room in the fridge or no fermenter would fit inside. So I removed the gasket and the liner and found that the entire inside of the door is full of foam insulation, as if it was expanding foam and not just a sheet/role of fiberglass insulation. So now I decided to do some measurements.
I measured how much clearance I would need for 6.5 gallon carboy and marked that on the inside of the door insulation. Next I put my fermentation bucket's lid on and put that in the fridge and marked where the bucket begins to get wider (a few inches below the lid).
What I ended up with was a giant T (fitting for a Tennessee grad) carved into the insulation and huge pile of insulation chunks all over my floor. I only used two tools for the cutting, a utility knife expanded to 3 inches and soup spoon. I just cut my outline and scooped the insulation out. It took about 30 minutes. The reason for the T Design was to conserve the maximum amount of insulation in the fridge.
Next I cut the plastic shelves out of the door and replaced the gasket. Tested it, perfect! Good seal all around with both the carboy's and the bucket.
Here is the chamber with the bucket fermentor inside.
Next project: The temp control unit. The digital thermostat should be here in a few days
So, today, I went over to my friends house and made the swap. I brought it home and realized that the depths of the two mini-fridges were very similar but the height of the new one was much larger. My first thought was that I could build a wooden box on the bottom of the fridge to set the fermenter on top of the compressor "hump" in the back of the fridge. But I then saw the problem. The freezer box was in the way and it takes up at least 5 inches of headspace. I looked around and saw that the mounts could be removed, but as you can see in the photo, the coolant line for the fridge runs through the freezer box, compared to the sides of the freezer box as in some fridges. If I started f*@king with the coolant line and pinch it, pierce it, pull it, or look at it funny, I might as well put the fridge up on Craigslist as a Redneck Garden Ornament.
So then I took a look at the door. I had already planned on removing the plastic liner/shelving unit in order to give me a little more room in the fridge or no fermenter would fit inside. So I removed the gasket and the liner and found that the entire inside of the door is full of foam insulation, as if it was expanding foam and not just a sheet/role of fiberglass insulation. So now I decided to do some measurements.
I measured how much clearance I would need for 6.5 gallon carboy and marked that on the inside of the door insulation. Next I put my fermentation bucket's lid on and put that in the fridge and marked where the bucket begins to get wider (a few inches below the lid).
What I ended up with was a giant T (fitting for a Tennessee grad) carved into the insulation and huge pile of insulation chunks all over my floor. I only used two tools for the cutting, a utility knife expanded to 3 inches and soup spoon. I just cut my outline and scooped the insulation out. It took about 30 minutes. The reason for the T Design was to conserve the maximum amount of insulation in the fridge.
Next I cut the plastic shelves out of the door and replaced the gasket. Tested it, perfect! Good seal all around with both the carboy's and the bucket.
Here is the chamber with the bucket fermentor inside.
Next project: The temp control unit. The digital thermostat should be here in a few days
