should i invest in chest freezer

[choffon]

im looking at getting something for fermenting beer since i live in florida and getting anything down to 70 is dam near impossible without help. i was wondering if a chest freezer with temp control is a good idea or if a reg refridge with temp control would suffice

 

[Kaz]

A regular fridge with a temp control can do it. It will also save you from having to lift 5 gallons of wort up out of a chest freezer. I took an old mini-fridge and built an insulated box around it and have been able to fit 4 fermenters in it at a time.

 

[Nateo]

I recently bought a chest freezer. It was $179 at Lowes. That plus a controller was about $240, which is less than most fridges. Also, I can (barely) fit two buckets in it. It'd be hard to fit two buckets in a standard fridge.

If you're using a temp controller on a fridge, the temp controller will make the freezer basically unusable, so that's something to keep in mind if you go with a fridge.

 

[emjay]

Either one works, but keep in mind it needs to fit a fermentor. Chest freezers can often hold the same size fermentor with significantly less cubic feet (unless you can find a big enough thermoelectric fridge that doesn't have a compressor hump), and can also be found much more easily and (usually) more cheaply on craigslist and similar sites.

But either works, as long as it fits.

 

[PoorBoy]

I use the second bathroom in my apt. 6" water, ice from my ice maker every afternoon and a shirt over the carboy keep me around 68 ish.

 

[Nateo]

I use the second bathroom in my apt. 6" water, ice from my ice maker every afternoon and a shirt over the carboy keep me around 68 ish.

I've found the high 60's to be too high for ales, at least to my taste. I try to ferment everything in the high 50's/low 60's. I make a lot of Belgians and Saisons that way and I like how they turn out. YMMV and so forth.

 

[choffon]

Space isn't a problem for me and I have a spare fridge that I don't use that's y I was asking but eventually I want a chest freezer

 

[kaz4121]

Either will do but I would recommend a chest freezer with controller. I don't know this for certain, but from observing my converted keezer and upstairs fridge, my keezer only turns on a few times a day, leading me to believe that it is using much less energy than my fridge. This may not actually be the case, but I know my electricty bill only increased by $20 last year since getting my keezer.

 

[choffon]

Yea my plans are def to get a cheap chest freezer off of CL but fridge will do for now

 

[Homercidal]

Having dealt with both uprights and chests, I prefer the chest. You have to be able to lift your fermenter in and out is the big thing.

YOu can even just run a fridge without temp controller if you really want. You may have to adjust the thermostat (pull it out and turn a screw) in order to get it in the general temp range you want. They are normally set to run cooler, and may not be able to stay up in the low 60s.

 

[Zixxer10R]

im looking at getting something for fermenting beer since i live in florida and getting anything down to 70 is dam near impossible without help. i was wondering if a chest freezer with temp control is a good idea or if a reg refridge with temp control would suffice

Yes.