Want to lager, not sure if I want to spend $$$s on Glycol...suggestions?

[mannye]

I picked up a side by side on craigslist for $1 and converted it with an inkbird, old johnson controller, 110ac fan, and gravity 4" dryer damper to do lagers, ales and even hot stuff (like saisons and kveiks) with a heating mat...total cost $101 approximately since i bought all the other stuff new...
I can fit my stir plate, 4L flask and 8 gal kegmenter on one side...and maybe even a 3 gal carboy too and a few glasses in the door..
And the cold side holds my serving (3-4 kegs eventually, just 2 right now), previously a freezer.
My energy bills are pretty affordable (since a side by side is more efficient than running two separate compressors, and lifting things into it is easier too...

pretty cool! Can you put a picture up? I would love to check it out. I’m about to move some stuff around and I hope to make enough space for a full sized fridge.

 

[bkboiler]

I can try to get a pic tonight
...second keg is added but i havent mounted the 2nd tap yet...have blackboard paint as well, planning to let my kids "decorate" it with their sidewalk chalk...
I use the top of the fridge for storage, but need to elevate the bins somehow so i do not impact the efficiency...
I havent had time to brew so i am just slowly upgrading things in my downtime...
Added a gas line to my brewery last weekend and did about 1/4 of the H2O plumbing work last night...

 

[deuc224]

I didn't want to spend the $$$ on a glycol, but after turning over the options for a few weeks, I just pre-ordered the MoreBeer Icemaster 2. While expensive, I am sure it's going to do the job. I may run with the Fermzilla conical instead of a Spike CF-5, as the Fermzilla has a all-covering insultation bag as an option, so better to drop to and hold lagering temps.

God choice man, its why i just said F$^$ it and got the max4, might as well just get it over with.

 

[bkboiler]

Fridge pictures as promised...
left side kept at 41F by johnson controller single stage (plug fridge into it).
Right side kept at ferm temp by inkbird dual stage...aluminum taped heating mat to back wall (plugs into hot side of inkbird). The cold side of the ferm chamber side is plugged into an ac 110V 120mm hobby fan which screws onto that 4" dryer "damper"....i just cut away the "paasive damper" that resided in that location previously..
Works beautifully and didnt cost much $ upfront or to run it either...

 

[jdauria]

That’s the beauty of the chest freezer. Assuming you have the room, of course. Many people just don’t have space for a big freezer.

But if you do, it can be used to lager, ferment when it’s too hot, serve as a Keezer, you name it. I think the OPsaid he has a garage this can go into but his wife isn’t enamored of the idea of adding more stuff.

the other alternative is to cool the room itself but that is way more expensive.

Yeah, chest freezers are nice, but it's a struggle for me to lift kegs up and over one, especially after getting hit by a car and breaking vertebrates in my back. Beside the small mini-fridge and cooling jacket that I use for fermenting ales and some lagers, I also have a stand up freezer that I converted to a kegerator, plus a fridge that I use to cold crash in and can lager in that also when needed...especially now where summer is here and I need to chill the wort overnight to get it down to lager temps before pitching yeast the next morning.