fermentation chamber suggestions

[jefferym09]

Hi there,

So im sick of having unstable fermentation temperatures, so i wanna get a mini fridge to use as a fermentation chamber. i need it to fit my 6.5 gallon carboy. its roughly 26 inches tall with the blow off tube attached and around 10 inches wide.

I know plenty of people use mini fridges for this purpose, so if anyone has the right dimensions of would be looking for i would appreciate the input. I also was wondering what other bits of equipment i would need for temperature control.

Thanks!

 

[ScottG58]

I used a $50 Craigslist freezer and a wire-it-yourself Ranco controler.

 

[MaxStout]

There's a nice chart with specs for many freezers.

 

[SeeMont]

+1 for the freezer or look for a fridge, that is the easiest. Myself, I picked up a free small fridge and set it on a base and then built a larger box around it. relocated the door. I used a STC 1000 controller. I have a total of about $50 dollars in mine. I do wish mine was bigger.

 

[acidrain]

I used a Gatorade display fridge. It has a glass door and no freezer, so it doesn't have a large portion of the space used up with something I don't need. Got it for $100 off craigslist.
Honestly, mini fridges usually don't have the room for a full size carboy. You could get a dorm-room sized fridge... those are about 1/2 way between mini and full size.

 

[jefferym09]

my only problem is every fridge i look at is the right size, but they all have that lip on the inside, its covering for the mechanics of the fridge. with that there, i cant fit the carboy inside. but i suppose i can just make a shelf out of plywood so the carboy can sit on top of the lip.