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Author Topic: Refrigerator selection help  (Read 1588 times)

Offline chumley

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Refrigerator selection help
« on: October 06, 2014, 03:47:50 pm »
I am slowly coming to grips that my old 1950s refrigerator has bitten the dust and I need to replace it.

I am hoping someone here has already done the research for me on fridges, and can point me in the right direction.  All I am looking for in a fridge is that it is big enough to hold two 6.5 gallon buckets or carboys (e.g., better bottles) primary fermentors.  I have a Ranco controller for keeping the temperature at 50°F. I don't need anything else.  Do they make such a thing?

Offline troybinso

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Re: Refrigerator selection help
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2014, 04:00:08 pm »
Have you considered a chest freezer? I know that it is hard to get things in and out of it, but it is easy to find the right sized one for you brewing needs.

Offline rodmanxxx

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Re: Refrigerator selection help
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2014, 09:59:54 am »
+1 chest freezer. There are plenty of them around. I spent a good deal of time searching for the right sized mini fridge to build into my bar, I needed the door on the front, not the top. I had to settle for a fridge that I could barely squeeze two 5 gallon kegs into after cutting off the door paneling. It works, but I wish I could have done a chest freezer.
It's all fun and games until somebody loses a liver.

Offline chumley

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Re: Refrigerator selection help
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2014, 02:02:35 pm »
Thanks.  I see there are a lot of different sizes in chest freezers.  Now I have to measure my fermentors and see what will work.

Offline Stevie

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Re: Refrigerator selection help
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2014, 02:40:06 pm »
Thanks.  I see there are a lot of different sizes in chest freezers.  Now I have to measure my fermentors and see what will work.


There is a thread somewhere on HBT that lists a lot of common freezer and what they can hold with and without collars. Worth a search.

Offline 69franx

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Re: Refrigerator selection help
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2014, 04:43:23 pm »
That HBT thread is very detailed and helpful. It has sketches of layouts with all different sizes if fermenters, kegs, and gas cylinders


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Frank L.
Fermenting: Nothing (ugh!)
Conditioning: Nothing (UGH!)
In keg: Nothing (Double UGH!)
In the works:  House IPA, Dark Mild, Ballantine Ale clone(still trying to work this one into the schedule)

Offline chumley

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Re: Refrigerator selection help
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2014, 04:43:50 pm »
Thanks, Steve.  That is just what I was looking for.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/sizing-your-chest-freezer-corny-kegs-75449/

I know my old fridge, which held two 6.5 gallon better bottles, also held three cornies.  So I will be looking for the three cornie freezer.