Mini Fridge

Systems, Gear, & DIY
1

I would like to get a second fermentation chamber so I can try my hand at mead.

Is there a mini fridge available that can hold a 5 gallon corny keg right out of the box, without my having to modify the door or mess around with the freezer coils?

If not, I’ll just buy the smallest chest freezer available.

2

I was looking into this a few months ago and was unable to find anything that would work. The biggest issue is that most do not have a flat bottoms because that is where the compressor lives. Normally it juts out creating a shelf and then height becomes an issue.

3

Even with the shelf, you should have room for a corny keg.  Maybe not for a fermenter, though.

I’ve got an old Sanyo.  I don’t know what’s on the market today that works, but there must be something.

Take an empty corny with you to a big box store and see what fits.

4

I have a 10 cu. ft. Magic Chef refrigerator that easily fits my 6.5 gallon wide mouth glass carboy or my 5 gallon carboy with 3-piece or “S” airlock.  They’re around $350 new, but I found a new one at a flea market for $100.  Use it for fermenting with a Johnson controller.  I found the little mini fridges are not big enough to hold them.  It has a freezer on top, but I don’t use it.

5

I made a kegerator with this Danby All Refrigerator mini fridge.  $189 special order at Walmart.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Danby-Designer-4.4-cu.ft.-All-Refrigerator/40487632?action=product_interest
I fitted two cornys by modifying the door but one fits easy.  The chill plate is on the back wall so there’s 4 inches of space above the top of the handle of the corny.  (total inside height is 29")  It seems well built.

6

Thanks for the responses.  Best Buy has a 5.1 cubic foot chest freezer on sale right now for $150, so I’ll probably go with that.

I think it will accommodate one of my larger fermentors as well so I can use it to get a second batch of beer going if my main freezer is occupied.

7

I found a 7.1 cu ft. chest freezer at my local Costco for $189.  I picked up two… turned one into a keezer and the other is my fermentation chamber.  I can fit 4 corny’s in the keezer with room for the CO2 bottle on the compressor shelf.

8

Yeah, the 7 cubic foot models aren’t much more expensive.

I just don’t have have room for another large freezer in the basement (I already have an 8 cubic foot model down there along with a kegerator).