Freezer Shopping

[DrewschBag]

I am looking to get a larger freezer in which to do my primary fermentation. I currently have the smallest chest freezer on the market which works great for one beer at a time but I would like to have more flexibility. The problem is that no one lists internal dimensions of their freezers specifically other than cubic feet. Also they ALL seem to have a large hump in the bottom that ruins space. I am looking on craigslist for a deal, but I'm worried that an old freezer might not hold up to the constant on and off of the temperature controller. What is everyone out there using?

 

[milldoggy]

I wanted an upright freezer for space and ease of use, so if that is what you want, here is some info.

Look for something 19 cf or larger and make sure the shelves are removable. Bring a tape measure with you and measure the width. 19 might be a tad tight. Some freezers send the coolent through the shelves. I think mine was 21cf or 23 and it holds 4 carboys or 1 tengallon barrel and 2 carboys. You will have to build a shelve system, I used 2x4s for the sides and some wood for horizental supprts, then one of the metal shelves to hold the carboys.

I live in pa near philly, but I searched for freezers in the rural areas around because hunters tend to buy larger freezers. So if you near an area with deer hunters, adjust your search. I drove almost 2 hours for mine, but it was exactly the size I wanted.

 

[DrewschBag]

do you have issues with temperature differences between the top and bottom of a stand-up freezer?

 

[milldoggy]

Huge difference when I had wooden shelf. Now that I use a wire shelf. Not much. I typically put the active fermenting beer on the bottom, and rotate last batch that is done active fermentation to the top shelf. So if the top is a tad higher, not a big deal. I do 10g batches, so this rotation works well for me.