Upgrading!!

[GregT5]

I have finally joined the 21st century & purchased a fridge for brewing - $1.36 on Ebay [biggrin]

 

I have a mate who is a sparkie so will get a thermostat installed for precise temp control.

 

I am really looking forward to my future brews[cool]

 

 

[RoyG]

Way to go[biggrin]. Gotta love eBay. A brew fridge is my next step. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

[JackBlack]

Advice from a qualified fridgie...

Make sure it is transported upright, if it is laid down the oil will leave the compressor and most likely cause a failure on start up.

[GregT5]

Thanks for the tip Jack.

 

I was planning on carting it upright as my trailer has a loading rack to tie it to.

 

I got lucky with this one, it was in the country which I think discouraged others from the city to bid on it. It's only about 30 mins away from me.

 

I will have to purchase either a heat belt/pad or maybe mount a light inside a terracotta pot. Apparently the globe warms the terracotta but doesnt light up the fermenter. Will wait & see what the sparkie says.

[scottb12]

That's interesting about the terracotta pot. I have a 15 Watt light bulb in my fridge connected to a thermostat. I have a piece of plywood above the bulb which keeps it fairly dark.

[Mike - Hoosier Daddy]

This is interesting. Can any fridge be used? I ask simply because I have an extra fridge in the garage.

[Matty A]

This is interesting. Can any fridge be used? I ask simply because I have an extra fridge in the garage.

 

It sure can. You can hook up an old fridge and a heating source (like a heatpad) mounted in the fridge to a temperature controller such as a tempmate which you can then regulate the temperature to a dime.

 

You can brew using lager yeast in summer and ale yeast in the winter.

[Guest]

That's interesting about the terracotta pot. I have a 15 Watt light bulb in my fridge connected to a thermostat. I have a piece of plywood above the bulb which keeps it fairly dark.

I have a 60w globe in a milo tin in the crisper drawer. The draw is then covered with a towel to keep the light out and it is in a milo tin in case there is any water that may gather at the bottomm

 

For temp control you really can't go past one of THESE for less than $16 delivered to your door.

 

Any fridge can be used but even better would be an "upright" freezer. Also be sure to reinforce the shelf (which I am yet to do).

[JackBlack]

I wouldn't think you'd really need to have any form of heating in the fridge? The temp would sit fairly steady as it is obviously well insulated and there would be a small amount of heat created by the brewing process, as it is a chemical reaction after all. Unless it is kept outside and dealing with extremely cold temps (as I would say so if you live in kapunda). Another idea is to install a reversing valve into the refrigeration pipework essentially turning the fridge into a reverse cycle, but that involves quite a bit more work. *rant*

 

Just ensure the thermostat you use is setup correctly ie. that the differential is not set too high/low, this will cause either a large temp gap (+/-4) or the fridge will continuosly cycle between heating and cooling. I'd suggest a 1 to 2 degree differntial. Also suggest using a quality thermostat and controller. Reccommend a HEVAC HTC-3 and sensor (approx $160). This is costly but is also the industry standard for air conditioning. Another thought is a Dixell digital thermotsat (approx $60) but I am unsure if that has the temperature range you'd be after. Of course you could just use an old analog style thermostat (cheapest option), just steer clear of the mercury type switches as they tend to stick in their older years.

 

Another thought is to install the sensor in a glass of water within the fridge. This way it'll be sensing liquid temp not air temperature, in the long run it'll hold a steadier temp and also save you on power costs.

 

Any Q's i'd be glad to help and if need to purchase anything from suppliers here in Adeliade hit me up as we get very large discount (60% off of list price).[bandit]

[GregT5]

Thanx for the info Richard. You hit the nail on the head, yes it will be living just outside the back door under the verandah as we already have 2 fridges inside. At the moment I use frozen 2L bottles on warm/hot days to keep the wort temp at around 22 deg & havent had to worry too much about low night temps.

 

I will let the sparkie know about the sensor in the water idea (if he doesnt know about it) & keep you in mind with your offer of discounts if I can't get "mates rates" elsewhere. Thanx.

[Mike - Hoosier Daddy]

This is interesting. Can any fridge be used? I ask simply because I have an extra fridge in the garage.

 

It sure can. You can hook up an old fridge and a heating source (like a heatpad) mounted in the fridge to a temperature controller such as a tempmate which you can then regulate the temperature to a dime.

 

You can brew using lager yeast in summer and ale yeast in the winter.

 

Thanks for the info...Im going to look more into this!

[Guest]

I wouldn't think you'd really need to have any form of heating in the fridge? The temp would sit fairly steady as it is obviously well insulated and there would be a small amount of heat created by the brewing process, as it is a chemical reaction after all. Unless it is kept outside and dealing with extremely cold temps (as I would say so if you live in kapunda). Another idea is to install a reversing valve into the refrigeration pipework essentially turning the fridge into a reverse cycle, but that involves quite a bit more work. *rant*

 

Just ensure the thermostat you use is setup correctly ie. that the differential is not set too high/low, this will cause either a large temp gap (+/-4) or the fridge will continuosly cycle between heating and cooling. I'd suggest a 1 to 2 degree differntial. Also suggest using a quality thermostat and controller. Reccommend a HEVAC HTC-3 and sensor (approx $160). This is costly but is also the industry standard for air conditioning. Another thought is a Dixell digital thermotsat (approx $60) but I am unsure if that has the temperature range you'd be after. Of course you could just use an old analog style thermostat (cheapest option), just steer clear of the mercury type switches as they tend to stick in their older years.

 

Another thought is to install the sensor in a glass of water within the fridge. This way it'll be sensing liquid temp not air temperature, in the long run it'll hold a steadier temp and also save you on power costs.

 

Any Q's i'd be glad to help and if need to purchase anything from suppliers here in Adeliade hit me up as we get very large discount (60% off of list price).[bandit]

 

well I am sorry I disagree with most of what you say here. Do you even have a fridge for fermenting?... do you really know what you are talking about???

My temps do in fact drop so my heating (light bulb), which IS required, retains it at a nice steady ~20C with .5 degree diff. Yes only half a degree diff!!.... and without switching on and off all the time. In fact it probably goes on about 1 or maybe 2 times in a 24 hour period.

 

The link I provided gives you a temp controller for less than $16 delivered (I have 2 now) and work for both heating and cooling. Spend about another $25-$30 and you will have a fully functional temp controller with temp probe and everything you need. Look around for a cheap fridge or freezer which you can even find these days for nothing and you have a perfectly working temperture controlled environment.

 

Shield your temp probe with styrofoam (found almost everywhere for packaging) wrap a layer of bubble wrap and shield with a piece of carboard, strap this to your FV as you want the reading of the wort, not a glass of water or ambient temps, and Bob's your father's brother.

 

I will post pics when I get home from work and take some.

 

Ummm with 60% off price lists???... I suspect you maybe work for this said company and am trying to get someone to spend their $$$ there for something more expensive and an overkill for what they actually require.

 

imo, Spend $30 and with a few things laying around the home you'll have everything you need and no different than a professional job.

[DaveM12]

Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster.

 

In regards to having your probe in water (or styrofoam), what you need is something with sufficient thermal mass to regulate the temperature fluctuations.

 

At work we have a lot (and I mean a lot) of drying ovens and fridges all that are required to be calibrated to a traceable standard. As a monitor we used beakers of sand with a calibrated thermometer placed in the center. The sand basically works like the water with the added advantage of not evaporating.

 

Just remember to set this all up well in advance of using the fridge as the thermal mass (water/sand/lump of whatever) requires time to stabalise at the set temperature. I'd set it all up, and wait at least a day, more likely two before I started to use a fridge in this manner.

 

 

[Guest]

Sand and water are 2 different masses and both retain temperature at different rates. You actually want the temperature to fluctuate to respond to the change of wort temp. You need to measure the temp of the wort the best way you can and this temp reading needs to change as the wort temp changes. If you use sand, when the temp of the wort changes there will be a lag time before both mediums reach the same temp again therefore, not providing as accurate response.

 

By shielding the probe and having it hard up against the wall of the FV, shortfall from putting it in the wort, is more accurate than the suggestions I see here.

 

PS. my probe is not in Styrofoam, it is shielded by Styrofoam, bubble wrap and cardboard. There is a difference.

[Guest]

Here is a new STC1000 yet to be wired up.

 

 

Here is my current one wired and ready to go

 

 

Rear view

 

 

and

 

 

Here is the probe positioned about half way up the wort

 

 

Here is a nice Coopers APA [love] hopped lightly with a bit of Citra and ready to be kegged tomorrow. Note the probe is on the side strapped nice and snug from ambient temp. The towel at the bottom shields the light that I use for heat from the beer. The light is in a Milo tin because Milo is my secret ingredient that gives you energy to go and go and go.... nah it's in there in case of any condensation or leaks that might cause a hazard and yes, I know, I am yet to reinforce the shelf. [pinched]

 

 

STC1000 = $16

2 x female plugs (don't know correct terminology sorry) = $18

1 extension cord to provide wiring and mains power = $0 (compliments of work)

1 x jiffy box = $5.90 from Craftbrewer

3 x wire joiners from sparky mate = $0

The light (heating source) was an old lamp I was no longer using.

 

Total = $39.90 for temp controller

+ $100 for fridge = All for less than $140

 

[Muddy Waters]

Nice one Bill [biggrin]

[TrueBrew]

That is seriously AWESOME! As an ambient temp guy this is the kinda setup that makes me envious of the fridge brewers. I want one of those babies Bill. Would you consider making one and mailing it? You name the price and pm me if so. I'd go out and buy a fridge if I had one of those. Inspirational. Big thumbs up.

 

BTW how do you run the lead to the light in the milo tin? Did you drill a hole in the fridge or something?

[Muddy Waters]

I'd recommend a small terracotta pot over a milo tin mainly for the fact that it retains a lot heat and will save (a little) electricity.

[GregT5]

Thanks for the post Bill. My mate said he could get a thermostat at the "right price". Your photos are a big help. I will get it set up how you've done it I think as it looks like a great setup.

[Guest]

That is seriously AWESOME! As an ambient temp guy this is the kinda setup that makes me envious of the fridge brewers. I want one of those babies Bill. Would you consider making one and mailing it? You name the price and pm me if so. I'd go out and buy a fridge if I had one of those. Inspirational. Big thumbs up.

 

BTW how do you run the lead to the light in the milo tin? Did you drill a hole in the fridge or something?

 

Sorry but due to the fact that I am not a sparky, I am reluctant to build them for other people. However, I am more than happy to talk someone through the process and have an excellent, easy to follow, wiring diagram. Honestly it is so easy to make but if you do it yourself you should check your wiring at least 3-4 times when you've finished as it really tickles if you get 240v going through you. I haven't done much with electrics and if I can do it, anyone else could. However, if in doubt you should get a sparky just to check. You could always wire one up then post a pick of the wiring here and we can check for you.

 

Yes I drilled a small hole in the back of the fridge. I know of other people who run it between the seal of the door but I just wanted it out of the way and the hole really is so minute the fridge doesn't lose any temp.

 

As Muddy Waters said, a terracotta pot would be better than a milo tin and if I had one laying somewhere around the house I would use it, but for what it is worth I really can't be bothered now.

 

GregT5, I don't understand why you want a thermostat. With a temp controller it is all in one and this particular one is now around $15.50.

 

I really recommend getting an old fridge and doing something like this. All I need to do is just set the temp I want and that is where I will ferment. It makes life so much easier that's for sure.

 

Like I said, if you want to get one of these I can help talk you through the wiring etc. I can't help with any other product as I won't know.

 

Happy brewing [w00t]

[GregT5]

Bill, sorry to cause confusion. I meant temp controller, thinking thermostat would be the same thing. Your setup is what we are going to do.

 

Greg

[Muddy Waters]

I have mine setup the same as Bill's (except I'm a TempMate man myself and a slightly bigger jiffy box) and I can wholeheartedly say that setting up a brewing fridge with the temp controller of your choice is one of the best things you can do for your beer.

[JackBlack]

well I am sorry I disagree with most of what you say here. Do you even have a fridge for fermenting?... do you really know what you are talking about???

My temps do in fact drop so my heating (light bulb), which IS required, retains it at a nice steady ~20C with .5 degree diff. Yes only half a degree diff!!.... and without switching on and off all the time. In fact it probably goes on about 1 or maybe 2 times in a 24 hour period.

 

The link I provided gives you a temp controller for less than $16 delivered (I have 2 now) and work for both heating and cooling. Spend about another $25-$30 and you will have a fully functional temp controller with temp probe and everything you need. Look around for a cheap fridge or freezer which you can even find these days for nothing and you have a perfectly working temperture controlled environment.

 

Shield your temp probe with styrofoam (found almost everywhere for packaging) wrap a layer of bubble wrap and shield with a piece of carboard, strap this to your FV as you want the reading of the wort, not a glass of water or ambient temps, and Bob's your father's brother.

 

I will post pics when I get home from work and take some.

 

Ummm with 60% off price lists???... I suspect you maybe work for this said company and am trying to get someone to spend their $$$ there for something more expensive and an overkill for what they actually require.

 

imo, Spend $30 and with a few things laying around the home you'll have everything you need and no different than a professional job.

 

Bill, I don't appreciate you making assumptions that I work for a parts supply company as I don't. I was just being nice and offering the same discounts that I can get within the trade.

In regards to the pricing, if you want to use cheap quality, chinese made crap, that's fine. The products I was discussing were QUALITY AUSTRALIAN made products that are industry standard.

Of course you'd need a heater, you live in Tasmania.

The setup you have may work well but it will still be drawing unneeded and excessive power. All refrigeration and A/c systems work on a spacial temp, not product temp (except blast chillers). I'll let you figure that one out.

 

 

[Guest]

JackBlack:

I apologize for assuming you may work for this company. It just seemed too obvious and I had seen all this before. No doubt if you can get that sort of discount and only intend on helping a fellow homebrewer, then by all means that is pretty good.

 

I still think the items you have suggested are a bit over the top and what experience have you had with this product to announce that it is not a quality product?... personally I think for this price then it is pretty hard to go wrong. I know a lot of people who have purchased the product I linked to and have had no problems and to be honest, even if they did for that sort of price is more than likely is only about the postage costs of another. You could even buy 3 or 4 for the price of one. However, if you want a product that is "quality and Australian" then you really can't go past a TempMate for $74.50 or a FridgeMate for only $47.50.

(**I have no affiliation to CraftBrewer they just sell a good product and are a very respectable business**)

 

A fridge or freezer setup in the way I have shown only draws minimal power and in fact that small that it is not even worth the mention. The fridge or the heat source (light in my case) are rarely on. The fridge provides good enough insulation to maintain a fairly consistent temperature once the required temp is achieved.

[Tipsy Mcstaga]

Billk,

Thanks for the inspiration!!