Can this be used for a fermenting cooler?

[LGHT]

New to brewing and getting my gear in order. Decided to go with a dedicated fermenter that I can use to store beer when not fermenting and something that looks nice enough so the wife will let me keep it in the dinning room.

Any thoughts on this? Seems like it's big enough to fit my 6 gal glass carboys and I'm sure I can get it for a little lower since the shelves are bad and I don't need them anyway.

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/app/d/wine-cooler-under-counter-12/6323418863.html

 

[iijakii]

Would you be able to get a carboy in there? Seems pretty damn narrow. You should be able to score all kinds of fridges or chest freezers on Craigslist that are better for the $250 listed.

 

[jheinikel]

At that price, you could buy a used cheat freezer with a temp controller. Just a thought.

 

[LGHT]

Would you be able to get a carboy in there? Seems pretty damn narrow. You should be able to score all kinds of fridges or chest freezers on Craigslist that are better for the $250 listed.

It's 12" wide and the carboy is around 10.5.

At that price, you could buy a used cheat freezer with a temp controller. Just a thought.

I know, but the wife would only let me put a freezer in the garage and in order for me to do that I would have to clean it out first.... However something nice and all purdy could go in the dinning room as it's a fermentor / beverage cooler

 

[VTX1300]

I bought a new 7 cubic foot chest freezer at B.B. for half that and will hold 2 carboys easily. Just add a temp control and you are good.

 

[kh54s10]

I second the chest freezer option. I have a 7 cu.ft. and controller for less than that. My Better bottles look to be 11 inches. Make sure you have the full 12 inches at the opening.

Don't tell them that you don't need the shelves and offer $100. $250 seems awfully high for the condition.

 

[mongoose33]

I bought a used 4.4 cu ft refrigerator to use as a ferm chamber. $60. That wine cooler strikes me as very expensive for what it is.

Will it work? Yes, as long as you can fit your fermenter in there AND it will go low enough for you. I've read about some wine coolers that won't go below about 50 degrees, which isn't that helpful if you ever want to cold-crash your beer.

My little one will take a full fermenter to 32 degrees and lower. In my case, the fermenter wouldn't fit w/ an airlock on it; I run a silicone tube from inside to outside and into canning jars to capture CO2 and provide an airlock.

 

[jeff62217]

I bought a $50 fridge from craigslist, top freezer, bottom ref. - Installed a 30 dollar inkbird 308 plug and play temp controller, drilled one hole for the inkbird temp probe + RTV siliconed around the wire. Took out all the shelving and installed some cut wood from home depot with bottom support to be able to fit two fermenters in there. Total under $140.

I use the top freezer for bulk hop storage.

 

[RM-MN]

It's 12" wide and the carboy is around 10.5.



I know, but the wife would only let me put a freezer in the garage and in order for me to do that I would have to clean it out first.... However something nice and all purdy could go in the dinning room as it's a fermentor / beverage cooler

DON'T DO IT!! Your wife will see the possibilities and have it full of wine before you can make your first batch of beer and you will still be without a fermentation chamber.

Take the time to clean out the garage. If you make a beer that has a distinctive odor during fermentation your wife will ban you to the garage anyway. Do a search on here for "rhino farts" so you know what is possible.:rockin:

 

[LGHT]

Ok I guess everyone is agreed that it's over priced to get a fancy cooler to ferment so I'll just get a small cooler / freezer for the garage and save up for a fancy kegerator for the living room. Since we just bought our new house the wife is putting her foot down on letting my hobbies be taken from the garage to the house. She's already banned my large humidor from the house into our closet