Ryano2 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Hi Guys, I know this has been done to death, I had a quick search on the forums but couldn't find an answer. I am only a beginner brewer but I am looking to make a fermenter fridge. I have the STC1000 wired and a heating belt ready to go, but I am struggling to find a fridge that will work for me. Does anyone know any current fridges that would fit the 23 litre fermenter. I don't want to buy a fridge and find it's too small, I am looking at a bar fridge or something that would fit one fermenter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 There's a Westinghouse bar fridge that is fridge only. That will fit a fermenter nicely. Generally the bar fridges with a freezer at the top aren't big enough. I have one of the Westinghouse ones, but it took a long time to find one at a good price on Gumtree. Just try and find a cheap fridge only on Gumtree and take your FV along. That's what I did. This one. Westinghouse WRM1300WC 130L Bar Fridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryano2 Posted August 21, 2017 Author Share Posted August 21, 2017 Legend thanks mate. I'll keep an eye out for one this size. I've just seen one on gumtree and emailed the bloke. Does the 23L fermenter fit in with the airlock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 I'm not sure, but probably not. I don't use an airlock. I've just put a bit of duct tape over the hole. And as mentioned in another thread I have one of those blue water containers from Bunnings. No hole in the lid. Just take along your FV and see if it fits. By the way the Coopers FV with extra bit on will just about fit in this fridge. It's a bloody tight fit, but I think it will....... just. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImaginativeName Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 I have a project coming up, spotted a couple of weeks ago, a bloke built a cabinet out of insulated panels that joined up to a bar fridge. A great solution for those of us on a smaller budget. I'll probably build a cabinet big enough for at least three fermenters, I do mostly ales, I figure the fridge isn't going to have to work very hard to maintain 20 degrees Celsius. Cheers JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryano2 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 So I picked up a WRM1300WC. Do you happen to have any photo's of your set up??? I'm wondering what the best plan of attack is for this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 You were lucky, it took me months to find one. Mine isn't exactly set up quite right at the moment. The heater isn't in place how I'd like it. I hope to fix it up next week. However what I've done is extended the length of the sensor cable on the STC 1000. I've read it's OK to do that. Then I've fed it in the drain. hole at the back. STC 1000 is sat on top of the fridge. For the heater I've got a reptile heater cord. This one I bought a while ago and it was quite reasonable. They seem to have gone up in price a lot since. Anyhow I've fed that in through the drain hole too, with the plug of the heater down by the bottom of the fridge. That's plugged into the STC controller via an extension cable. The heater cable will be fixed to the side of the fridge with plastic suckers that we have to put up Christmas lights. If I have time later I'll take a couple of pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryano2 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 Nice one. Sounds good. How did you fit the fermenter with the small shelf at the bottom. I am fermenting at the moment so I didn't have a chance to try to squeeze it in. Are you using the typical S airlock or something else? I have a heat belt coming that I will hopefully fix to the walls in a similar fashion to you. Seems to be similar to the reptile heat cord. Just need to get them through the drain hole. How hard was it to get them through? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Nice one. Sounds good. How did you fit the fermenter with the small shelf at the bottom. I am fermenting at the moment so I didn't have a chance to try to squeeze it in. Are you using the typical S airlock or something else? I have a heat belt coming that I will hopefully fix to the walls in a similar fashion to you. Seems to be similar to the reptile heat cord. Just need to get them through the drain hole. How hard was it to get them through? Sorry I'm in a rush to get to work. Here's mine. No airlock. Heater belt is just there temporarily. Not sure how you'll get that heater in through the drain hole. Only thing I can think of is cut the plug off & fit a new plug. suckers to hold reptile heater. They don't want to stick so I'm going glue them. reptile heater and sensor cable. I poked a tent peg through the hole. And then one at a time taped the sensor cable and the reptile heater to it to pull it through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 If it won't fit with the airlock in then just get rid of the airlock and grommet. Tape over the lid hole with gaffer tape and simply don't fully tighten the lid onto the fermenter. I started doing this when the airlock grommet perished and I couldn't be bothered buying another one. This also allowed me to put a shelf in the brew fridge above the fermenter which has come in quite useful. That was 3 or 4 years ago, have had no problems at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryano2 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 Nice one, looking good. How does that fermenter go without an airlock? doesn't the pressure build up when brewing? Yeah I'll need to cut the cable of the heater and rejoin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Nice one' date=' looking good. How does that fermenter go without an airlock? doesn't the pressure build up when brewing? Yeah I'll need to cut the cable of the heater and rejoin. [/quote'] As mentioned in another thread. Just tighten the lid and then ease off a quarter of a turn. If you are going to cut the plug off you might as well extend the cable of the heat belt so it's long enough to plug in where you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryano2 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 If it won't fit with the airlock in then just get rid of the airlock and grommet. Tape over the lid hole with gaffer tape and simply don't fully tighten the lid onto the fermenter. Didn't think of that, thought it would introduce an infection or not have anywhere for the gas to go. How do you know when it's started fermenting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Ryano ... you're not the Ryano I know are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryano2 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 Don't think so mate. Don't know anyone that home brews?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Didn't think of that' date=' thought it would introduce an infection or not have anywhere for the gas to go. How do you know when it's started fermenting?[/quote']My lid is see through which helps, but you can usually see foam building up through the side anyway. Gas escapes due to the lid not being completely airtight. It's tight enough to stop shit getting in, but just loose enough to allow gas to escape. As an aside, my airlock and/or lid were never airtight. The airlock bubbled on only one batch out of however many it was used for before the grommet perished. I learned a long time ago to ignore the thing anyway so this was never a concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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