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Author Topic: Garage beer fridge  (Read 710 times)

Offline BeerSeq

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Garage beer fridge
« on: December 27, 2021, 09:39:46 pm »
Hey yall,

I currently have a chest freezer that I use for fermentation temperature control as well as for storing and serving kegs. Given the temperature differential of these two activities, I cannot do both of these things at the same time. Despite kegging most of my beers, I do still bottle on occasion, and lack cold bottle storage space.

Given my predicament, I am interested in finding an ideal garage refrigerator to store my beer bottles and, on rare occasions, serve as a backup fermentation fridge. i could see myself getting perhaps a deli fridge or other vertical fridge of sorts with removable shelves (to accommodate a 6.5 gal carboy). live in Southern California and it gets quite hot in my garage during the summer (100F+), so whatever I get has to be 'garage safe' in order to accommodate these temperatures.

Do any of yall know of any good refrigerator models that could fit these requirements? Thanks!

Offline redrocker652002

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Re: Garage beer fridge
« Reply #1 on: December 27, 2021, 11:42:28 pm »
I am by no means an expert, but I would get on Craigslist and see what is out there. 

Offline BrewBama

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
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Garage beer fridge
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2021, 05:12:39 am »
Ensure you get a ‘garage ready’ fridge or install a ‘garage kit’ to one not garage ready.  The environment can cause refrigerators to struggle so mfrs have developed these kits to help. You’ll want to ensure you can get a kit for the make/model of the refrigerator if it is not ‘garage ready’ before buying it.

Depending on budget, a newer purpose built unit will most likely be more efficient than an older retrofitted unit. …but they can get expensive.

In a hot garage your fridge has to work overtime to try to keep things cool, and after running up your electricity bill it's likely going to break down! - Garage ready refrigerators typically come with better insulation to handle wide temperature swings, and use different thermostat and compressor designs as well.

Bier bewusst genießen

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« Last Edit: December 28, 2021, 06:24:12 am by BrewBama »

Offline redrocker652002

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Re: Garage beer fridge
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2021, 05:37:51 am »
And there you go.  I learned something on this one.  I did not know there was a difference in fridges based on where they would be kept or used.  That is a great piece of info to have.  Thank you.  RR