Temperature fluctuation w/ fridge & controller

[thf24]

Hi all, first time poster. I just recently got into brewing. I'm having a great time with it, but I've run into my first question I haven't been able to find my own answer to. When I switched over from Mr. Beer to a 5-gallon setup, I went ahead and got myself a Magic Chef 4.3 cu. ft. mini fridge and a controller since there's not a storage spot in my house that's both cool and convenient. I had to remove the door panel and original insulation to fit a carboy, necessitating the installation of my own makeshift insulation (thick cardboard for now). I'm currently getting swings of +/- 2 degrees or so over a 5 to 10 minute period around the cycle of the controller (i.e. controller set to 67, kicks in at 68.5, gets up to 69 before the temp starts dropping, cuts off at 67, and gets down to 65 before it levels out, all between 5 and 10 minutes). I was just wondering if this is acceptable, or if this degree of fast temperature swing could negatively affect the beer and I should work on my insulation and/or fridge workings a little more. Thanks!

 

[brnooewb]

I would definitely try to insulate your fridge some more not only to help out your beer but to also help the compressor on your fridge. Is your temperature probe just hanging out in the fridge or taped to the side of your fermenter?


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[Natdavis777]

Second getting some better insulation. If you get some expansion foam from the window dept at your local hardware store, you can hit
around all the exposed joints on your door to help seal it up.


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