Scored a free mini fridge - what would you do?

[Beerwildered]

I scored a free Magic Chef 4.4 mini fridge. It’s nasty on the inside, but it’s nothing a little bit of elbow grease, hot PBW, and Star San won’t fix.

I’m fairly certain that I want to make a fermentation chamber to lager in corny kegs - but before I get to building, I’m curious: what would YOU do?

(I already have a kegerator...so I’m good on that front)

Photo below is the same model, but not the same unit.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I have the same one, I just keep beer in it and hops in the lil freezer part. I hope someone chimes in with details to make it into a ferm chamber.

 

[Soulshine2]

I scored a free Magic Chef 4.4 mini fridge. It’s nasty on the inside, but it’s nothing a little bit of elbow grease, hot PBW, and Star San won’t fix.

I’m fairly certain that I want to make a fermentation chamber to lager in corny kegs - but before I get to building, I’m curious: what would YOU do?

(I already have a kegerator...so I’m good on that front)

Photo below is the same model, but not the same unit.

View attachment 607481

probably just another dedicated beer fridge ...Every one of those I look at hoping to make a ferm chamber out of, the bottom always has the step inside because of the compressor . My carboy wont fit in those.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I was able to score two without freezers. I cut the interior door panels off using an oscilating tool (a really nifty tool, btw). It will fit my 6.5g fermonsters on the floor. For fermentation buckets, I built a little platform out of 2x4s that sits level with the hump. Add in an Inkbird temperature controller (because the stock thermostats won't hold a steady temperature at all), and you are in business.

 

[mongoose33]

Here's what I did with mine; some people will bend the freezer compartment down to create more height to the space, but if you kink the lines the fridge is toast. Since mine wouldn't accommodate an airlock, I did this. BTW, both the refrigerator and heat mat are plugged into an Inkbird controller.

I got lucky with mine; if I offset the fermenter and put it on a board, it JUST fits with the door closed; many people will cut the plastic molded shelf protrusions off the front door to create room, cover with cardboard or duct tape or whatever.

Here's a closeup of what I did with the wires and tubing; you can run the wires between the fridge and gasket on the hinge side and it'll work, but I wanted something cleaner. There are no lines in the front top so drilling a couple holes and getting some rubber grommets at the home store was all it took.

This is an older pic; I've since replaced the silicone tubing (it's 5/16" ID IIRC) and took out the grommet; the tubing fits the hole perfectly.

I also now only use a single jar as a blowoff jar. One neat thing about it is I can monitor fermentation via bubbling without opening the fridge to look.

You can also terminate the tube in a jar filled with star-san on the inside if you don't want to fool with holes like I did.

The drilled stopper has a piece of rigid plastic in it that I cut from a bottle filling wand.

 

[Beerwildered]

It took me a while to get around to it, but I finally converted this mini fridge into a glycol chiller.

As you can see, it does the job - glycol temps at 15F and I’m lagering in my conical! Amazing!!

Thanks all!

 

[mongoose33]

It took me a while to get around to it, but I finally converted this mini fridge into a glycol chiller.

As you can see, it does the job - glycol temps at 15F and I’m lagering in my conical! Amazing!!

Thanks all!


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Looks great. Just be aware that as you crash it, assuming you do, that you run the risk of beercicles on your cooling coil if the temp of the glycol is too low. I keep my glycol at 28 degrees which is about as low as you can go before you start to create frozen beer conditions.

 

[Beerwildered]

Looks great. Just be aware that as you crash it, assuming you do, that you run the risk of beercicles on your cooling coil if the temp of the glycol is too low. I keep my glycol at 28 degrees which is about as low as you can go before you start to create frozen beer conditions.

Doh! Good call. I’ve raised the temp. Thanks.