Side by Side Kegerator/ Fermenter 2.0

[Flanman]

Let us talk Kegerator/ Fermenters. I have an old trusty Kezzer I have used for years but my taste for lagers has thrown a wrench into my ale production. So in the spirit of home brewing I started to look at the problem as a solution. That solution is I need another way to serve up to three kegs and ferment while also having dedicated space for lagering. Enter the side by side. I have toyed with the idea before but i need to give credit where credit is due. I have used a lot of info from HBT and previous builds listed below so thanks for those who helped pave the way for me.

Forbein11
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=161176

rtrevino
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=243671

drkwoods
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=276954

My GF upgraded her appliances to SS. After I was voluntold to help move the old ones out ( ALL OF THEM) she decieded to "sell" me the old side by side at a "discounted rate". Its an old analog, single thermostat, POS whirpool. Which fits the bill.

Here is the build plan:
Freezer side controller by a single STC-1000 and used for serving 3 kegs
Fridge side divided into two seperate fermentation chambers each having its own fan and heat bulb controlled by an STC-1000. The fans will be of variable speed control so I can tune how much CFM is being pulled from the freezer side so I do not outrun its BTU's.
I plan on leaving the adaptive defrost board intact as I have seen from previous builds it quickly gets complicated if you mess with it.

I live in Alaska so my problem has been massive temp swings during fermentation. So keeping a little heat inside would help a lot. And since I do not plan to lager in this unit I dont need to much of a massive Dt between the two sides. The plan is to utilize the dryer vents which auto close with the fans to prevent air exchange when the STC-1000 has not called for it.

Let me know your thoughts and suggestions. Last night I started to remove all the plastic from the freezer door in preperation for mounting the sheet metal and controller.:rockin:

View attachment Wiring.pdf

 

[Flanman]

Finally getting back to doing a little work on the fermentation / Kegerator. I was on night shifts so I did a little “government work” to wrap up the inside sheet metal work on the freezer side door. These were some scraps someone was going to throw away so I made use.
You can see that the bottom piece looks a little weird. That is because I attempted to cut it at home with a pair of straight sheers which turned out to be a really stupid idea. The top piece I trimmed out at work where I had to proper tools. It will get riveted on once the STC-1000 mounting is completed in the freezer door. Once they are both mounted my plan is to reattach the door seal with some Gorilla Brand construction adhesive. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Or know of anything better than that?
The plan with the serving plate will be to use diamond plate on the outside with the taps..backed up by 1/2 inch plywood with 3/4 foam insulation attached to it.

 

[Flanman]

Got a little more done with the Kegerator. I have finished building the carboy stand and keg stands for the freezer side. Originally my plan was to use three controllers to control the spaces (having the independent fermenation chambers. I think that now my goal is to just leave the fermentation side common. Since I have the dedicated lager keezer now I will just do ales here.
The stand are easily removed from the fridge so that I can put in my 14 gallon chronical fermenter (whenever I get it). Hence my decision to keep it a common space. On the freezer side I should be able to fit 4 kegs but it will be tight. I only intend to serve from 3 at a time but incase that changes I would like the flexability.
I punched a bunch of holes to help with air flow. My plan is still to use resistive heat lamps to heat the fermentation space. They will be wired into water proof light boxes which i plan to install on the right side of the fermenter. Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions.

 

[Flanman]

Just wanted to update the progress made on the fermentation and kegerator. I changed the plan a little by using the Brewers Edge Mats over the ceramic bulbs (Using 2 on the fermenation side). Finished wiring up the controls with a temporary contactor ( Freeby from work). I was testing it last night and I can maintain 45F above ambient in the garage on the fermentation side with no issues bringing the kegerator down to freezing. So far it is a it is working better than expected with the temp DP from the two sides without over working the compressor. I have also not noticed any issues with the defrost controls. Next I will be doing a wet test with an ale to see how well it works. Stay tuned.