Hello everyone, I was hoping you could help me shine light on what i am looking for. I will be purchasing two Sabco Fermenters, there dimensions are 20″diameter x 26″ tall.
So im looking for front door access refrigerators that can hold one of these suckers, i have heard of dual refrigerators but am leery as i will want to have a temperature probe inside my fermenter that i will plug the unit into. (two door fridge may only have one plug in).
I have looked at kegerators (the mini fridges to serve beer, just without the faucets etc.) that way they will each have there own plug in so i can stack one on top of the other (to save space) and control two different batches independently. That way i can use two Ranco Digital Temperature Controller. and since they already have a hole drilled in the top thats where i can feed in the temp probe using a bung of sorts.
Looking for a fridge big enough to hold the Sabco Fermenter, and small enough to save space (to hopefully put two in the same location as a standard home fridge) has been a frustrating google, ebay, crags list search.
So, If anyone has a Sabco Fermenter, or the likes, or has any idea of how to help me get something like i am looking for set up, let me know, pics are always nice too so i can get a better idea. =)
I’m assuming you have a pump for filling the fermenters? I’m trying to picture you lifting a full one in to place in the top fridge.
So when you say you have looked at kegerators, no luck? I think you can save some money by not getting the kegerator, but getting the kind of fridge that they make them out of - you don’t need the tower and stuff that comes with those, and drilling a hole in the top or the door for the temp probe will be easy.
Oh ya i have pumps, so i can leave them in there until they are empty, but then also dont have to bend over and pull out an empty keg.
The kegerators seem ok, but i can usually only find dimensions of the outside, now they do fit kegs, but the sabco fermenters are taller and have a wider diameter, so im not sure if there will be that much give room.
Yes i was looking at some kgerators that were just the base build,( pretty much mini fridge with wheels and drilled top) same price as a mini fridge, but that way there already had the hole on top drilled, and i know at least can fit a keg.
I would worry about the height too - there needs to be enough clearance to attach/remove fittings while they are in place. Honestly, I would be leaning towards building my own temp controlled chambers for these. Or just spend the $$ and get some jacketed fermenters. But I don’t have anything that nice, I ferment in carboys.
Haha, i’ve looked at the morebeer jacketed conical fermenters, they do look nice, and your right i need enough height to attach blowoff hose, and then a hose to push co2 in if needed to help transfer, not much room, but some leeway.
I would consider a front loading refrigerator for a Sabco. You could install casters and wheel the fermenter into the fridge via a ramp. I have a Blichmann conical that I plan to do the same with. The alternative plan is a hoist to load the fermenter into a top loading converted chest freezer which would also work.
Pumping the beer is also a consideration but I’m leaning toward a gravity transfer.
I built this for my 12.2 gallon conical, it would work for your keg fermenter if you put it on a small stand. With a small $100 window AC I can ferment at under 60F in the summer when my garage is over 100F. the box is just plywood with 2 inches of styrofoam insulation and 5/8" bubble wrap. total cost wa under $200 and one afternoon in the garage.
I don’t know if this will help you any but I ferment in Sanke kegs very similar to the Sabco fermentors. My Sanke fermentors obviously don’t have any “features”. When ready to fill I place them in large plastic bins with wheels (Lowe’s). The nice thing is that they then become mobile and can be moved around the “brewery” while full. I think you would be much better off building some sort of fermentation room than trying to make them “fit” a fridge/freezer. One option if you are set on going that way is too get a large chest freezer and place a chain hoist on a track above it. You could easily lower and raise full fermentors in and out as you need.
Well im still in the process of building a refrigerator, tore out the guts of an old fridge and building a nice wood frame with foam etc… although i did find this http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/beer/dkc645bls.shtml Now im not sure if this will fit the sabco fermenter, but im thinking it might, only thing is i DONT want to pay for everything it comes with =).
Sears sells a “freezerless” refrigerator which I use for by bbb conical. To get it to fit, I had to remove the door and replaced it with lightweight plastic panels (inexpensive corrugated plastic panels used for outdoor signs, got at Lowe’s or HD) with strip magnets around the edges.
This pic doesn’t show the panels. I originally used plexiglas, but it is heavy, the magnet strips don’t adhere well to it, and it deflects (warps) slightly if the temp is cold inside.
I have a Sabco clone fermenter which I made from a Sanke keg. I installed a SS ball valve that can be turned down to the bottom of the fermenter or turned up to collect clear beer. I’ve welded a ball lock on the top to hold my blow off tube and/or to add 2 psi in order to push the clear beer out the drain valve and up into my corney kegs. There is no need to move the keg in order to transfer beer. Why cloud up the joint.
All this is done in my spare kegerator (everyone needs 2). The fit is tight and it has a small foot print. I use a Ranco controller and a thermowell connected to the keg. My Ranco is outside the fridge and I just shut the door on the wire with absolutely no problem or temp loss.
