With the warm weather that we have enjoyed lately, I realized that I was going to need something better than an Immersion Pro I want to continue to ferment in my garage during the warm months. I have been looking for a deal on a used large wine refrigerator for a while, but none have appeared, so I started looking at 5 cu. ft. chest freezers a few days ago. Best Buy has their Insignia brand 5 cu. ft. chest freezer on sale for $124.99. That is dirt cheap for a new freezer. The freezer cost me $132.49 with tax. Plus, it is light enough for one person to lift.
I use the old fridge I bought used as a newlywed 30 yrs ago. I know it will die some day (soon?) and have been looking at various options. I like the small wine fridges with glass front but so do the manufacturers ($$$).
That is what I used for my fermentation chamber in my last brew house. It was a large Haier wine refrigerator that I picked up locally for $50.00. The built-in non-digital thermostat was of little use, so I bypassed it with a jumper wire and controlled the unit with a Johnson Controls A419. I started looking for a used large wine refrigerator last summer and finally gave up. I am not paying $500 for the same basic refrigeration unit that sells with a different interior and door for half of that price. At that price point, I will spend extra and go glycol.
I ferment in a 5 cu. ft. chest freezer controlled with a Johnson A419 controller.
One problem is putting the FV into and out of the freezer. The best solution I have found is fermenting in plastic pales because they have a handle that makes it easy to lift with my arm and shoulder rather than bending over and using the lower back.
PS. I brew 3 gallon batches. So, they are lighter than 5 gallons.
Getting the fermenter in and out of the freezer is probably the biggest downside for me…I used carboy netting products (the straps that slide around the whole carboy) back when I was using glass carboys, and those helped a lot. I’ve switched to stainless steel now, which at least have handles near the top. Still not the easiest!
That is what made me hesitant to use a freezer for a fermentation chamber, but the prices for new wine refrigerators that are a large enough to hold fermentation vessel are ridiculous compared compared to same-size all-refrigerator refrigerators. The advantage that wine refrigerators have over all-refrigerator refrigerators is that one does not need to perform surgery on the door. A lot of wine refrigerators also have curved doors. In my humble opinion, the best choice for a refrigerator-based fermentation chamber is the Edgestar BR2001 conversion refrigerator. Wayfair usually sells the black version of this refrigerator under $320.00.
The Edgestar, I think, is what I have. It’s a kegerator conversion they sell at Walmart or something like that. Cheap, but I spent more on it that I’d like to, even if I bought it used. Still works for sticking an SS Brewtech brew bucket in there. A friend of mine has two 5 cu ft chest freezers for fermenting. I think he often complains about lifting his brew bucket in and out of the freezer.
But, Mark, you’re brewing 3 gallon batches, right? Shouldn’t be a problem in that case.
Look for a free fridge. Mine died 2 months ago and when I checked new fridges to replace it, nope, not happening. I waited it out and I did find one. My 14 gallon conical fits easily in it. Yea, it is mostly likely 20 years old or more, but they built them pretty good back then.
I built a super-insulated fermentation chamber for my fermenter. I converted a used $5 window air conditioner into a glycol chiller. All on the cheap. The ss conical with cooling coil was pricey, but the entire system works like a dream.
Having that kind of technical knowledge definitely pays off. I certainly don’t have that kind of knowledge.
Have you considered posting your build instructions or links to the processes you used so others can build something similar?
I installed a rachet hoist suspended from the ceiling to lift the fermenter into the chest freezer and it works pretty well for my 10 gallon batches in a Kegmenter (my chest freezer is set atop a set of dollies to roll around easier). But most recently I have gone to a small dorm fridge, immersible DC pump with a glycol reservoir and the wrap style cooling jacket. It works really well, even in summer conditions. I had the fridge and wasn’t using it, so I thought I would try to put it to good use.