My chest freezer beer cellar

Job well done, sir. But I see you are from Illinois. Do you not have access to a basement?

 

Might I ask how much the whole setup cost and how do you have the humidifier and external temp control wired up. Thanks

 

I did something similar. Upright freezer purchased for $40 on craigslist. Rented U-haul to pick up 10 miles from house: $51. Purchased Johnson Controls external temperature control on amazon.com for $60 shipped.








I apologize for not having The Lost Abbey Cable Car in my "cellar".

 

Attempt #2.

 

How hard is it to wire up the external control?

 

Is there an advantage of using a freezer vs. refrigerator? The one I can think of is that if the fridge has a freezer that is wasted, but I wasn't sure if there were other advantages.

 

Yes, a freezer is all usable space. Bring a couple bottles when you're checking out the unit so you can see what fits on each shelf.

From what I've read and seen with my temp/humidity monitor, the humidity level is also higher in a freezer set to 50° rather than a fridge which is intended to keep food dry. This is good for prevening corks from being dried out.

Don't hesitate. This can all be done easily for less than $200. Check craigslist for upright freezers or chest freezers. Setting up the external temperature control is a breeze.

 

real easy. i drilled a hole in my freezer and slip the temp monitor in, then sealed with silicone. keeps it in place as if it slips out the freezer will go into freezer mode.

 

Nice setup! Are those pink waxes Eclipse Pappy?

 

Im looking to do something similar...questions on the temp controller: No holes drilled? Wire just "pinched" in the lid?

 

i use the pinch method. I read that drilling through the wall could be bad. You could hit a coil if you dont know where to drill. pinch method works well. the one thing that concerns me is humidity. Ive never controlled it. its sits around 65%. Is that bad for the beer? never heard it being an issue.

 

i drilled through the top of the side, coils were a worry for sure. it worked as i have not had any issues

 

Thanks @cwehr13 for this thread! Just completed mine

 

The chest freezer was $150 at a local Menards (Fridgedaire 7.0 cu ft).

Temp controller:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/johnson-controls-a419-digital-temp-controller.html
$79.99 (can probably find cheaper)

Super easy to set up. As with other posts/threads
1) freezer plug goes into A419 temp controller, temp controller plug goes into wall
2) set the temp <set mine at 53> and differential <set mine at 3>
3) tape the probe to a bottle in the freezer
4) fill the freezer up with beer to level out the temp

Cheers!

 

You guys can start a business making these. I know I would pay since I have no clue what in the world I am doing

 

so I've got a spare fridge in my basement - it's old, with no freezer compartment. I've got my beer cellared in a storage room but something like this seems more consistent. I've tinkered with the idea of using it for a 'cellar', but my main concern is cost - what do you think something like that would tack on to my energy bill?

 

I bought a medium sized fridge for 175 and got a temp control unit for 20. question, can i add a humidifier in the fridge to help with the humidity? is there any other way?