200 bottles ... help! Gonna buy a standup freezer and temp controller

I'll endorse purely on the fact that it is exactly what I need and want. I was looking at that model as well, so let me know how it all works out.

I really just want a display fridge with glass doors from craigslist. My garage doesn't get sunlight so no worries there, and then I can just sit in there and smile like a creep while I look at my beer.

But seriously, I have heard good things....

 

I read somewhere on here that the right temp controller will essential cut the circuit and shut it off if it fails. So it would just slowly warm your beer up.

 

I have that controller on a 1950's fridge I got off Craigslist. Very cool beer storage <$100.

 

I recommend this

http://shop.mikesupply.com/Delfield-2-Door-Refrigerator-Model-6051-S-6051-S.htm

Along with the temp controller. Allows for some room to grow.

 

FYI - That's pretty much the same setup I went with, and I'm terribly happy with it. Found a used upright fridge instead of a freezer off CL to save a little cash. About 1/2 way down page 1 on this thread is some detail around my setup:

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/beer-cellar-fridge-help.16365/

 

The JC A419 is what I have and i love it. I bought the cheaper version and wired and extension cord into it on my own. That was not hard. If I recall correctly there is a jumper than can be adjusted so that if it fails to get a temperature reading you can set the circuit to be open or closed to your preference. I think that leaves you to only worry about user error and a false temperature reading. On the user error TAPE the probe line into the freezer and then have it in a small plastic container filled with water. I used a small playdough container and made a hole for the probe in the lid. The reason you tape the line into the freezer is so that you NEVER set the probe outside of the freezer while moving bottles around for fear of forgetting to put it back in to the freezer. Doing that would leave you with many bottles of ice beer.

 

I went with a Kenmore freezerless refrigerator from Sears.
http://www.sears.com/kenmore-16.7-cu-ft-freezerless-refrigerator/p-04660722000P

And a Johnson Control Digitial Thermostat.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00368D6JA/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

So even if the thermostat fails, all I get is cold beer instead of frozen beer. I keep it around 52 degrees. The Kenmore is good, but only the top shelf can hold bombers, unless I remove a shelf and the bottom shelf on the door holds champagne size bottles like my Speedway Stout, Marshal Zhukov.

 

I couldn't suggest why my gut feels this way, but might it be easier on a refrigerator compressor to run at cellar temperatures than it would be for a cold freezer compressor to run at cellar temperatures?

 

You boss lets you keep that in your office? That's pretty cool.

That's pretty cool. What do you do that your boss lets you keep it in your office?

 

Can your boss hire me, and is there room for a 2nd fridge next to yours? that is an awesome set up. I keep some of my bottles here at work also, but not nearly as many or as large of a set up as that... I am jealous!

 

I know this is old and you've gone ahead with your setup, but I wanted to reiterate that, with all the PIDs I've worked with, if it fails electronically it will just shut off. The danger comes from the temperature probe (don't know what you're using, I just have a thermocouple) coming out of the system, so that it always reads "hot" and the thing stays on.

The way to rectify that is to set your system to its lowest setting, or to make damn sure that your probe won't move. The system I built is actually at work and for heating, it's putting out like 600W and if it were constantly on could really screw some shit up. But we haven't had any issues so far.

 

It really depends on how far you're willing to go with the "if something got screwed up". I think that the compressor on a fridge is more than capable of chilling the whole thing down to freezing if it were told to, but you'd need a whole bunch of different things to fail for that to happen (your PID, the fridge's built-in PID, probably some other parts of the system too). I mean, have you ever even heard of someone's fridge going bonkers and freezing their milk? I haven't. Your system (provided I'm understanding it correctly) basically needs that to happen TWICE, so the odds are infinitesimal squared. I wouldn't worry about it.

One nice thing about my wine fridge is that the cooling unit is a Peltier cooler and it actually can't get cold enough to freeze anything (unless, of course, the ambient temperature is close to freezing, in which case I've got bigger problems). The downside is that if it gets too hot in my apartment it can't get down to 55.

 

Is there a good keyword to reduce the listings to just freezerless fridges? That things is suhweet!