Sibe By Side kegerator/fermenting chamber conversion

[rtrevino]

By leaving the defrost board in place it will control the evaporator fan and the defrost functions. I am not completely sure but I believe that the board monitors when the compressor receives the signal to turn on and then takes over and turns on each function as it is needed in the whole cooling and defrosting process. You are just eliminating the factory thermostats and putting another in their place. Does that make sense?

 

[twd000]

By leaving the defrost board in place it will control the evaporator fan and the defrost functions. I am not completely sure but I believe that the board monitors when the compressor receives the signal to turn on and then takes over and turns on each function as it is needed in the whole cooling and defrosting process. You are just eliminating the factory thermostats and putting another in their place. Does that make sense?

yeah I got ya. I didn't think it would be that simple. I assumed the factory thermistors were converting the temperature to voltage internally and sending that signal to the compressor, fan, heater, etc. But I guess the line voltage output from the TSS2 is similar enough to the factory thermistor signals that the board basically doesn't "know" they're been replaced.

 

[twd000]

So did you use the 120 V AC version of the Love TSS2, or the 12 or 24 V DC TSS2? Is ask because you need 120 VAC for the PC fan, but it seems that if you're just replacing the factory thermostats, you want to output some low voltage DC signal from that stage of the Love TSS2

 

[mistercameron]

yeah I got ya. I didn't think it would be that simple. I assumed the factory thermistors were converting the temperature to voltage internally and sending that signal to the compressor, fan, heater, etc. But I guess the line voltage output from the TSS2 is similar enough to the factory thermistor signals that the board basically doesn't "know" they're been replaced.

Is it that the thermistor sends a specific voltage, or does the manual dial act as the equivalent of a manual switch? Just by the looks of it and what these temp controllers do, my guess is that they close the circuit to the board when temps rise above the set point.

I have 2 eBay controllers on order and will simply replace the thermostats and not go the pc fan route unless I have to. Also, I will add a ceramic heater to the fridge side since we are now headed to colder weather.

 

[mistercameron]

So did you use the 120 V AC version of the Love TSS2, or the 12 or 24 V DC TSS2? Is ask because you need 120 VAC for the PC fan, but it seems that if you're just replacing the factory thermostats, you want to output some low voltage DC signal from that stage of the Love TSS2

You can get 110vac fans if you search for them.

 

[rtrevino]

So did you use the 120 V AC version of the Love TSS2, or the 12 or 24 V DC TSS2? Is ask because you need 120 VAC for the PC fan, but it seems that if you're just replacing the factory thermostats, you want to output some low voltage DC signal from that stage of the Love TSS2

If you have the schematic for the refrigerator it should indicate the voltage going from the thermistors to the board or show a transformer that would indicate a drop in voltage. But I would take a voltage reading on the thermistors just to make sure. On my unit it was all 120 so I just went the 120 route with everything; a 120 VAC TSS2 and a 120 VAC PC fan. I would bet that it will be 120 on yours as well.

 

[mistercameron]

Got some work done today. I trimed out the door so that I could fit all three kegs in the left side, plumed in the co2 lines and fixed them in place, and insulated the door with expanding foam. The last thing to do is get the fittings to finish up the beer lines, add a second regulator so that I can pressurize and serve at the same time and tiddy up the wiring on the right side.

This is looking into the space that use to be where the ice would come through the door.

I just cut out part of my ice maker. Did you end up cutting out the whole ice/water dispenser area, or just that roughly 4x10" recess where the water, wires, and ice equipment fit?

 

[rtrevino]

I cut the whole thing out but it's not necessary. I would start out with as little as possible and then work your way up if necessary.

 

[twd000]

has anyone figured out a way to separate the two halves of the door-sandwich? The freezer door seems like it is made with an outer slab with the textured sheet metal, then an inner molded plastic panel that makes the door shelves. I have removed the gasket but I don;t see any fasteners between the two parts - is the sandwich just glued together?

 

[mistercameron]

has anyone figured out a way to separate the two halves of the door-sandwich? The freezer door seems like it is made with an outer slab with the textured sheet metal, then an inner molded plastic panel that makes the door shelves. I have removed the gasket but I don;t see any fasteners between the two parts - is the sandwich just glued together?

I just cut into mine this week. The inside plastic shell is glued to the insulating foam. It's messy and a bit of a pain. I used a dremmel for some of the thicker plastic but a box cutter did a better job overall... And much quicker.

 

[twd000]

How many kegs did you fit on the freezer side? I'm taking measurements and it looks like I can fit 2 with plenty of extra space but not a third. I haven't cut any of the parts out of the door (yet). Do you have a compressor hump? How many cubic feet is your fridge model?

 

[mistercameron]

I have 2 ball locks in there but there is room for 3: 1 on the bottom and 2 up top

 

[rtrevino]

Like mistercammeron said. 3 total. With a little trimming of the ice chute from the inside door panel 2 kegs fit on the upper half and one the floor of the freezer. I think someone did the build and fit 4 by maximizing the top space and building a short shelf for the floor so that 2 kegs will fit. I havent done it yet but up its on my to do/try list.

 

[mistercameron]

Like mistercammeron said. 3 total. With a little trimming of the ice chute from the inside door panel 2 kegs fit on the upper half and one the floor of the freezer. I think someone did the build and fit 4 by maximizing the top space and building a short shelf for the floor so that 2 kegs will fit. I havent done it yet but up its on my to do/try list.

I hadn't seen the 4 setup but I'm tempted to try it out later. I just measures from the top of the hump to the ceiling... 52 inches. You might be able to get another inch or two if the depth allows you to move the platform lower. Either way, my kegs are about 26in to the top of the ball lock coupler. Very tight.

 

[mikeal]

I hadn't seen the 4 setup but I'm tempted to try it out later. I just measures from the top of the hump to the ceiling... 52 inches. You might be able to get another inch or two if the depth allows you to move the platform lower. Either way, my kegs are about 26in to the top of the ball lock coupler. Very tight.

I was able to get four pin locks in mine by removing the door panel and all of the ice making equipment. It is a tad tight, but not too bad.

 

[tdrury]

Hey all, this is my first post (I don't know why it took so long), but I recently have been gifted with a side by side fridge, and I have been reading through all of the super helpful builds that have been done already. I have a few questions though, before I get started on mine. I know this thread is super old, but if someone could help me out that would be great.

1. Is it necessary to add a heating element to the fridge side? (I live in SoCal so the weather isn't too extreme, but the fridge IS outside)

2. Do the Love or Auber controls come with the temp probes or would I need to purchase those separately?

3. Are your side-by-sides still up and running, or does the rewiring and stress limit their life?

Any help would be very greatly appreciated. I'm super excited to start this process, but want to have a bit of a better idea before I start wiring and cutting stuff

 

[twd000]

Hey all, this is my first post (I don't know why it took so long), but I recently have been gifted with a side by side fridge, and I have been reading through all of the super helpful builds that have been done already. I have a few questions though, before I get started on mine. I know this thread is super old, but if someone could help me out that would be great.

1. Is it necessary to add a heating element to the fridge side? (I live in SoCal so the weather isn't too extreme, but the fridge IS outside)

2. Do the Love or Auber controls come with the temp probes or would I need to purchase those separately?

3. Are your side-by-sides still up and running, or does the rewiring and stress limit their life?

Any help would be very greatly appreciated. I'm super excited to start this process, but want to have a bit of a better idea before I start wiring and cutting stuff

1. I use a halogen light bulb on the fridge side of my setup. May or may not be necessary, but cheap insurance during fermentation when you're trying to control to very tight temperature range

2. Don't know about Love or Auber, but the STC-1000 comes with temp probes.

3. Mine is still up and running after 2 years. It's a bit of a Rube Goldberg contraption getting the kegs and lines stuffed into the freezer side, but I figured out a way to make it work, and I love having the footprint of a single beer fridge instead of two.

 

[Nail]

Hey all, this is my first post (I don't know why it took so long), but I recently have been gifted with a side by side fridge, and I have been reading through all of the super helpful builds that have been done already. I have a few questions though, before I get started on mine. I know this thread is super old, but if someone could help me out that would be great.

1. Is it necessary to add a heating element to the fridge side? (I live in SoCal so the weather isn't too extreme, but the fridge IS outside)

2. Do the Love or Auber controls come with the temp probes or would I need to purchase those separately?

3. Are your side-by-sides still up and running, or does the rewiring and stress limit their life?

Any help would be very greatly appreciated. I'm super excited to start this process, but want to have a bit of a better idea before I start wiring and cutting stuff

I added an heat source also. I use a reptile tank heater to wrap the fermenting carboy in. http://www.reptilebasics.com/heat-tape

I believe the Auber controls come with a temp prob. I know the STC does as that is what I used. They work great. I don't know if the models differ but the ones I got control both heating and cooling.

Mine is running great after 3-4 years. I think it might actually take stress off the compressor as it does not have to get as cold in the freezer side as it once did. It also much easier to turn off if I am not using it.

 

[tdrury]

Has anybody used a space heater for the heating element? What would be the cons of using that instead of a bulb, reptile heater, or fermwrap?

 

[tdrury]

Sorry for all of the questions, but I have another one. I started to dissemble the fridge to get to the thermostats and noticed that there is only one thermostat (which controls the freezer?) and then a little dial to open or close the damper door between the fridge and freezer. Is this normal? It looked like most of the builds on here had two separate thermostats. Does this mean I just need one Love/STC-1000 controller?

 

[tdrury]

Ok . . . One last question (for right now ). I know it's a long shot, but does anybody have a wiring diagram for a GE TFX25JR side-by-side fridge or know where I could find it? I cannot find it anywhere

 

[bogusman]

Sorry for all of the questions, but I have another one. I started to dissemble the fridge to get to the thermostats and noticed that there is only one thermostat (which controls the freezer?) and then a little dial to open or close the damper door between the fridge and freezer. Is this normal? It looked like most of the builds on here had two separate thermostats. Does this mean I just need one Love/STC-1000 controller?

This describes how my fridge is too. From perusing the manual and the wiring diagram for mine, I believe the thermostat actually controls only the compressor on/off based on temp in the *fridge side*; there seems to be only one thermostat and it resides in the fridge side. The freezer dial only adjusts the damper opening size, manually. I can make the compressor turn on by adjusting the fridge knob; adjusting the freezer knob seems to only open the damper, mechanically with a rod... that knob is not wired at all. My fridge claims to be a Whirlpool model ED25TQX0000 built in 1997. In the hopes that perhaps your fridge is a variation of mine, I attached a scan of the wiring diagram to this post. Hope it helps.

(Edit - from looking at the manual, it seems that for mine there *was* a variation in which the function of the knobs was reversed... the freezer knob had the thermostat, and the fridge knob opened the damper.)

Since I believe I have only a single existing thermostat in my fridge, I will wire in one STC-1000 to replace the existing thermostat on the fridge side; I will also wire into this STC the PC fan I'm waiting on, so when the fridge wants cold the compressor/evaporator/whatever will turn on, and also the fan will push cold air from the freezer into the fridge side. I think I then add a second STC with the probe in the freezer, wired into the fridge the same way as the first (i.e. piggybacked in parallel with the fridge STC?) but *not* switching the fan on/off so the cold air stays in the freezer.

 

[mikeal]

Since I believe I have only a single existing thermostat in my fridge, I will wire in one STC-1000 to replace the existing thermostat on the fridge side; I will also wire into this STC the PC fan I'm waiting on, so when the fridge wants cold the compressor/evaporator/whatever will turn on, and also the fan will push cold air from the freezer into the fridge side. I think I then add a second STC with the probe in the freezer, wired into the fridge the same way as the first (i.e. piggybacked in parallel with the fridge STC?) but *not* switching the fan on/off so the cold air stays in the freezer.

I wired mine with two temp controllers. The one for the freezer side replaced the stock thermostat and the fridge side just controls the fan. I didn't hook the fridge temp controller to the compressor because that would cool the freezer side too. The fan just pulls cool air from the freezer side and if the freezer gets too warm then the it's temp controller kicks on.

 

[lcf]

Instead of using the TSS2 or another digital controller, could I simply replace the original thermostats with ones that have the appropriate range I'm looking for? For example, this one:

https://www.grainger.com/content/catoffer?offerId=2T7AB

Is my thinking right in this? Is the thermostat the only thing that keeps my unit from operating in the range I want it to? If so, do I just replace both thermos with the appropriate ones for my application?