1. You need Untappd for Business. Get a demo, get a $25 gift card. It's that easy.
    Dismiss Notice

Fridge Modification for Temp Controller

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Jesse14, Mar 25, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Jesse14

    Jesse14 Initiate (0) Jul 21, 2011 Massachusetts

    My friend just got an old fridge given to him. We want use it for controlled fermentation. I searched some old threads and it seems like a lot of people like the Johnson A419 and a fermwrap combo. I often miss the obvious so I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question. How you do mount the controller and get the probe to the carboy? I figured the controller would get mounted outside of the fridge somewhere and you would have to drill a hole through it to pass the probe through. Is there a location on the fridge to drill through easily without trashing it? I feel like I am missing some obvious piece to this set-up.
     
    #1 Jesse14, Mar 25, 2013
  2. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,819) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    Drilling through a fridge is like walking through a minefield . . . you might make it or you might not. Depending on the model, there may be condenser or evaporator lines running in the sides, one wrong drill hole and the fridge is a goner. The safest place to drill is the door and probably the top or bottom. If you are a real sleuth, you can trace which way the lines are most likely to go and try and drill around them.

    But it can be simplified: The probe can easily go through the door seal (I do this on a fridge and chest freezer). The seal closes behind it and almost no loss of cool air. Time invested: about 10 seconds. If you are industrious, you may want to snake the probe up the drain line if you have automatic defrost. You can find this by looking underneath the fridge, finding the drain pan and the tube that drains moisture out of the interior.

    If you are really careful . . . you can go through the sides or back. Lots of DIY'ers have done this with good results. The failures are in the Hall-of-Shame.
     
    #2 PortLargo, Mar 25, 2013
  3. Jesse14

    Jesse14 Initiate (0) Jul 21, 2011 Massachusetts

    I'm a card carrying member of the Hall-of-Shame for other reasons...no need to add another. I think I'll try for the drain line first. If no luck, then just go through the door seal it that works good enough. Thanks for the help.
     
    #3 Jesse14, Mar 25, 2013
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.