My Brewing Fridge

[DC]

Hi all, I have finally completed my Brewing Fridge tonight after a couple of months sourcing the fridge and buying a TC10 and finally buying my 60W tube heater today. Managed to cadge a big section of 5mm mesh fencing off the old bloke next door. And set about cutting it up with my father in-law’s angle grinder (enjoyed that bit ). Then measured up and cut a few blocks of wood to support the wire mesh at the front of the fridge. Then installed the tube heater after carefully drilling through the back of the fridge. Going to test it out tomorrow and see if everything works okay! Took a few photo’s for you lot to have a look at (I know you lot like your brew pron!)

Tube Heater in place


Wooden support blocks in place


Wire mesh in place


FV in place to show final setup


Cheers DC

[Gazzababbo]

She's a beauty DC!

One question, where is the probe for the TC10? It looks as if it stuffed down the drain at the back of the fridge. Where do you plan to put it when it's in operation?

Hope the tests go as planned tomorrow, good luck.

[DC]

Hi Gazzababbo, Yes the TC10 probe cable is currently running through the drain hole at the rear of the fridge, but I might drill a small hole next to where the tube heater cable goes through the fridga and run it through there. As for the TC10 probe ! I am unsure of where would be the best to place it put it Hoping some one on here with brewing fridge experience can advise me of the best place to site it.

Cheers DC

[Gazzababbo]

I thought the probe was coming in from the side and the end was dropped down into the drain. I see it's the other way round.

I tried to encapsulate the probe in something that would try to emulate the temperature change inside the FV. I didn't want to immerse the probe in any liquid for fear or leaks into the probe but I'm probably being a bit paranoid. Anyway here's a post with pics of the probe set in the Scooby Doo frozie tank.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26719

[grmills]

I would be nervous of the wooden blocks being knocked and the FV falling out, particularly when lifting the FV in. Suggest stapling (fencing staples that is, not Staples staples) the mesh fencing to the wood to add a bit of stability.

[casbar]

looks good. I run my probe into the fridge from the side and then I cable tied it to the reamaining shelves so it is dangling down. Where did you get your tube heater from?

[DC]

Hi Casbar, I got my Tube Heater from http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/sear ... &x=24&y=12. I am thinking of maybe getting a waterproof gland and putting the probe through the FV lid but not into the wort.

Cheers

[Hogarth]

Nice work on the fridge, DC.

As regards where to put the probe, I did an experiment recently when my latest batch was fermenting. First I stuck the probe in the beer itself. Then I pressed the probe directly to the side of the plastic fermenter and covered it with a foam mat. The reading from the probe in the beer was about 0.4°C higher than from the external probe. If you do it this way, an external probe will certainly register the exothermic (? is that the word?) heat of the wort, especially in an enclosed space like a fridge.

[casbar]

Thanks for the linky, looks just the job

[StrangeBrew]

I use an ATC-800 and site the probe on the side wall of the fridge, works for me.

The wood supports have been fixed in place with 'No Nails'.