Upright Freezer - Shelves not adjustable... how do I store carboys?

[gatomalo]

In Texas it was only a matter of time before my house was too warm to store/ferment my beer. I finally scored a $50 upright freezer and have it set up with a temp controller.

Problem - Once I got it home I discovered that the shelves are not adjustable, in fact the shelves are made using capillary tubes and are integral to the freezing process. The are 4 shelves with 14" of clearance.

I've got a standard glass carboy and my fermentation buckets that require close to 23" of clearance with the airlock (removing the airlock and replacing with blowoff tube doesn't help here).

Can I store my carboys/buckets on their side? I think there are obvious concerns here.

Perhaps I can switch to fermenting in a rectangular beverage container? Something like this... Walmart | Coleman-5-Gallon-Water-Carrier-Blue

Or this?

Thanks for the help!

 

[bja]

Sell the freezer and buy one with removable shelves.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Speaking from my own personal experience...

I did the same as you and got a cheap used upright freezer and wanted to ferment in it. So I took some wire cutters and clipped all of the small wires that made up the wire tacks on the shelves (a large pain in the butt, very messy and I cut up my hands pretty good in the process). Once I got the wire shelves cut up, I carefully bent the cooling tubes upward, being really careful not to kink any of the tubes, until I was able to get my carboy in there. Voila! It worked! It looked awful, but it worked!

I now wish that I had not horribly disfigured that freezer and had saved it for storing hops and yeast slants instead.

So my advice to you would be to keep that freezer intact and look for a chest freezer to ferment in.

 

[troy2000]

If you can fit either of those containers into the freezer, go for it. Will you have room to rig a blow-off or airlock?

 

[gatomalo]

Thanks for the replies.

Before I make any major mods I'm going to keep my eye out for a more accommodating unit.

Lando,- I actually bent one of the shelves downward to give me enough clearance. Unfortunately it never worked correctly - frost build-up on the tubes and never cooled correctly. I carefully bent it back into position and well cooling just fine now. Now if I can get a properly functioning controller (#2 on the way).

Are there any drawbacks to using a non-cylindrical vessel?

Really I'm weighing controlled temp fermentation vs using glass/plastic carboys on their side. And at this time of year in TX its a matter of brewing or not brewing.

 

[bja]

Don't use glass carboys on their side. That just sounds like a disaster in the making.

 

[gatomalo]

Don't use glass carboys on their side. That just sounds like a disaster in the making.

Yeah... I agree there. I am curious if there are any success stories with "alternative storage" for fermentation.

 

[gatomalo]

So far my Dortmunder has been fermenting very nicely in the Aqua-Tainer (blowoff tube uses the vent hole). I pitched and stowed the brew at midnight a few days ago, and at 9am the next morning it was bubbling away.

I've since discovered a lot of folks around here successfully bent the shelves. I've tried a couple times now, and the freezer simply won't freeze. Almost as if the refrigerant is unable to travel thru the coils unless they are laying horizontal.

At one point, I noticed that the controller was showing 19C when set at 11C and the sides were extremely hot to the touch. I found that one of the shelves was not properly set in place and instead resting on top of the shelf support. Once I corrected that, I'm cooling again.

I'd love to be able to rack to my glass carboy. Am I missing something with bending the shelves? I've noticed no pinched lines...

 

[LandoLincoln]

So far my Dortmunder has been fermenting very nicely in the Aqua-Tainer (blowoff tube uses the vent hole). I pitched and stowed the brew at midnight a few days ago, and at 9am the next morning it was bubbling away.

I've since discovered a lot of folks around here successfully bent the shelves. I've tried a couple times now, and the freezer simply won't freeze. Almost as if the refrigerant is unable to travel thru the coils unless they are laying horizontal.

At one point, I noticed that the controller was showing 19C when set at 11C and the sides were extremely hot to the touch. I found that one of the shelves was not properly set in place and instead resting on top of the shelf support. Once I corrected that, I'm cooling again.

I'd love to be able to rack to my glass carboy. Am I missing something with bending the shelves? I've noticed no pinched lines...

If the lines aren't pinched, then no, I have no idea why it's not working. But please stop bending the shelves back and forth. You're gonna break it.

 

[Yater]

What about fermenting in 1/4 barrel short kegs? They are 13-7/8” high

 

[NathPowe]

Speaking from my own personal experience...

I did the same as you and got a cheap used upright freezer and wanted to ferment in it. So I took some wire cutters and clipped all of the small wires that made up the wire tacks on the shelves (a large pain in the butt, very messy and I cut up my hands pretty good in the process). Once I got the wire shelves cut up, I carefully bent the cooling tubes upward, being really careful not to kink any of the tubes, until I was able to get my carboy in there. Voila! It worked! It looked awful, but it worked!

I did the exact same thing with a freezer that a friend gave to me. It's not pretty, but it works really well. Guess it really comes down to whether or not you wanna mangle the thing. I didn't mind since it was a free score.

Good luck with the project.

 

[gatomalo]

What about fermenting in 1/4 barrel short kegs? They are 13-7/8” high

Based on my quick google search, that definitely looks like it could work. I have been bottling my beer, so I'll need to learn myself on fermenting in the keg. Any good sources to find these short kegs?

I saw a post the other day where someone was fermenting in the kettle they boiled the wort. I'm assuming it was a BIAB deal. Otherwise I'd could try to rig up a way to create a seal atop the kettle.

bja - I agree... I prefer to make little to no modifications to the freezer

 

[Yater]

I have found all my kegs on used sites like kijiji or Craigs list. If you do a search for keg fermenting there is a lot of information and you can go as simple as using the orange carboy caps. The kegs are well known as pony kegs

 

[fixitoscar]

you need to circulate the air in there. pick up a cheap plug in fan and zip tie it to the top coil. Have it run on the same plug as the freezer. When the freezer kicks on the fan will blow. I aim my fan at the second set of coils.

 

[gatomalo]

Yeah, that's a good idea thanks. I noticed a lot of condensation and dripping throughout the freezer when I checked on things the other day. 'm fermenting fine now so I'm not going to bother w my setup too much. When I go to diacetyl rest I'm gunna defrost, dry, check the seals, add a fan along w some damp rid. I've got my Scotch Ale aging/bottled in there too and they are sweaty.

We had a couple of really humid/stormy days here in DFW lately. My curiosity with the progress has likely allowed moisture to enter.

Since these freezers don't have defrost cycles, is this something I'm just going to have to put up with?

An unforseen brightside from slowly acquiring brewing equipment on our covered patio is that my better half is warming up to the idea of an outdoor kitchen. Counter Space + Grill + Smoker + Keezer + Fermenter + Brew Stand all in one contained and finished area... I can dream right?

 

[fixitoscar]

the more you open it the more condensation you will get. Once its not in use I leave the door open for a couple of days to dry it out.

 

[gatomalo]

you need to circulate the air in there. pick up a cheap plug in fan and zip tie it to the top coil. Have it run on the same plug as the freezer. When the freezer kicks on the fan will blow. I aim my fan at the second set of coils.

so i got to thinking about this. assuming condensation is inevitable... how do you keep from damaging electronics, or worse from shorting out and causing bigger problems?

 

[fixitoscar]

The inside of a freezer is designed to drain out safely when you need to defrost it. excess condensation drains out of the bottom of mine. Mine has never got that bad for me. I get the most when I set my controller to 42 and use it as a fridge to hold my beer. I'll put a plastic bag over my beer so the condensation drips past it. I have no problems with my el cheapo desk fan or my ferm wrap heater when I use it.

 

[gatomalo]

Well everything seems to be going just fine now... Thanks for the suggestions.

Yater - I found a short keg that just barely clears the shelf. Turns out to be one of those old golden gate kegs with the bung in the side. I'll have to see which port is the easiest to access for racking, measurements, etc. Initially I thought the center but it doesn't give much room to play around there.

Here's also a close up of the port. Time to break out the tools...

 

[Stealthcruiser]

If it were me, I would make a support for that lower shelf, full span, front to back, for some peace of mind with that keg full sitting on there......

You would still have room for some bottles on the bottom, either side of the support.


Edit: If the inside is plastic, I would make a provision to "spread" the load, so as not to focus it in one place on the plastic liner.

 

[gatomalo]

Good thinking. I was cleaning it yesterday and had a tough time w it full in the sink. I'd hate to lose precious liquid!

I'm still having a rough time w getting that lock ring off. I may be better off leaving em be before I damage them and can't get it back together. Parts for this style keg seem to be hard to come by or expensive. I'll have to jockey the keg in a better position to access via the bung.