Side-by-side Fridge/Freezer for Ale Fermentation

[SteveH aka shetc]

Hi Gang,

Did a fair amount of research but couldn't find clear answers. I'm about to get a neighbor's old side-by-side fridge/freezer, which I want to use strictly as a fermentation chamber for ale. I also have a Johnson A419 digital thermostat controller. Question 1: If I put the fermenter in the fridge compartment, and I plug the side-by-side into to the controller, do I place the controller in the fridge section with the fermenter? Question 2: If I want to take the wall out between the freezer and fridge compartments, how do I tell if this is a safe thing to do?

Thanks!

Steve

 

[bleme]

I picked up a side-by-side for fermenting, but it didn't last long. The freezer side was pretty useless during fermentation. In between batches when I needed extra space for something or another I would stick it in the fridge or freezer, then have to move it when I was ready to ferment again.

I ended up being given a small chest freezer. It works much better for a fermentor and I turned the side-by-side into a kegerator. That way I can use both sides.

I know on mine, the divider can't be removed.