Fridgemate setup (Long rave & pics)

[geoffclifton]

Got my Fridgemate on Monday and it's brilliant. Dick Smith has a black zippy box UB1 (H 5001) $3.95 which is perfect and looks smart.

A couple of clues. Once assembled the first step is to reprogram the F settings as per suggested in the destructions (online only), then the set point. Frank was straight and said the probe will eventually fail if submersed so blue tack it to the side of the fermenter which works fine. And why risk infection be putting it in the wort?

I'd been using two digital indoor/outdoor thermometers to monitor the temps but the controller takes it to a new level. For testing I threw them all on. In the pic the fridgemate shows the wort temp. The black unit the freezer temp and the white unit shows the room temp on top and the fridge cabinet temp below. I thought the freezer may be OK for a beer fridge but around 6*c is too high. I may drop the set point to 20*c and see what the freezer comes down to but that's a question. Is 20* a bit low for Coopers Kits?

I put 2 brews down at 8pm last night and sprinkled yeast at 31*c, right on the upper limit I know. 3 hours in the fridge got it to 27*c. 8.30am this morning the wort was 22*c (the set point) and the Coopers Draught was bubbling away. No bubbles on the Coopers Bitter yet. Oh the worry

Bottom photo is the setup. The fridge will have to go up onto blocks for the next brew as I intend to use the 60 liter fermenter and bottle off the tap. I don't want to lift it out onto a table. I've racked the first brews but will try a bottle prime next. Six brews so far. 3 damn good, 1 dud and two untasted. Lovin' this new hobby

Cheers, Geoff.

[rwh]

Awesome stuff; I'm jealous!

20 is not too high for coopers kits, in fact I try to ferment mine as close to 18 deg as possible.

[timmy]

Nice work Geoff....

I've been meaning to grab one of those kits too. Hopefully to turn my recently acquired $10 fridge into a brewing cabinet.

How easy are those kits to assemble?

[geoffclifton]

Timmy they are easy to put together. OK I'm a tech and some basic electronics is a given necessity but if you can follow a diagram then it's join the dots. The hardest bit was cutting the opening in the zippy box as the plastic is too thick to use a nibbler. I drilled 1cm of very small holes along each line and wiggled in a hacksaw blade. Drilled a row of 4mm holes all around in line with the units vent holes and three holes in the back to match the cables for a tight fit. Needed two insulators (a piece of terminal strip) for earth and neutral and I solder tinned the wires before connecting. The active in can be looped to the switch relay on the unit. Note that the output terminals for the fridge (load) are a switch, not active & neutral.

It's such a good feeling knowing that your brew is not boiling in the shed.

Cheers, Geoff.

[Pale_Ale]

Nice one. I am stuck with a cupboard for now. At least it's in a house where the avg temperature is more constant.

What do you use to join the wires, and how do you cover up exposed live 240V wire?

[Rod]

Mine works great

I cut the hole in the terminal box using one of those round hacksaw blades , cut one hole in the middle of the intended hole and hacked , then used a file to make it neat

do you need the vent holes , box does not feel warm after a week , it is about twice as big as yours

[geoffclifton]

Pale Ale.

Use terminal strip or bluepoint insulaed connectors. You need two. All other connections are onto the controller terminals. If you're not confident then find a mate with a bit of electronics experience. And again I'd strongly suggest you make sure there's a safety switch (RCD) fitted to the house.

Cheers, Geoff.

[geoffclifton]

Rod.

The destructions call for vent holes and you'll notice the controller itself has them. I can feel a little warmth coming from the vent holes in the zippy box while the fridge is running, probably created by the device holding the relay closed? Having your unit in a sealed box would hold any heat on the component as there is no air movement to move it. This may or may not shorten the life of the component and hence the controller.

Cheers, Geoff.

[Rod]

Alright , Alright

I put the vent holes in just a minute ago

Jeez

[geoffclifton]

I changed the set point down from 22 to 21. At 22, with 1* programmed into F# differential, the fridge turned off the moment it touched 21, sat on it's set point of 22, same on 23 for the F# and fired up the moment it touched 24.

I moved the freezer probe direct (blue tack) onto a stubbie of water. It's now sitting at 0.5* with ice on top - bugger. This may be due to the time it took to pull the wort down another degree. When it cycles at the new set point tomorrow I may get lucky and find it at !* plus and hence a coldie cabinet while downstairs is brewing.

And is downstairs ever brewing. 22 hours and both fermenters gollooping merrily. A Coopers Bitter and a Coopers Draught, both down on 1Kg raw sugar, 250g dex and 40g ldme. I'm going to prime them with white sugar and bottle direct from the fermenters as comparisons to the previous which was all dex and racked.

Just tried a very young Canadian Blonde, mmmmmmmm that's already bloody good. It went down on 200g ldme, 800g dex with cpa slops. Racked on 80g ldme, 120g dex. OG 1080 (no I don't believe it either) FG 1012.

Cheers, Geoff.

[MagooMan]

Geoff,
I'll be the first to quote "The Castle"....you're an ideas man. I cant't think of anybody who wouldn't want to a fridgemate setup, but those photos are like a wakeup call to all us lazy people....those digital thermostats are the icing on the cake! Good on ya mate...

p.s how many 23l fermenters can you fit in your fridge and what size fridge is it?? also how much was it, i'm assuming it was second-hand

[geoffclifton]

Hi Magooman.

The fermenters you see in the fridge are a 23 and a 30. They just fit with the door racks removed. I also have a 60 which fits in. Fridge is 370, maybe 390 liter and not frost free. Second hand going rate is abour $150, it's probably 10 years old. However, ANY fridge will do as long as your fermenter goes in.

I'm very pleased with the setup. No way could I brew here in summer, the shed will be over 30* for the next few months.

Cheers, Geoff.

[SpillsMostOfIt]

$150 for a second hand fridge?

Bear in mind that I have no idea what I am talking about (you'll get used to this, eventually), but I saw a brand new 'bar fridge' today with a year or two warranty for $229. Now, for me, this is a better deal due to the warranty.

Is this another area where I am losing touch with reality?

[Biggles]

I got my 2nd hand fridge, a 370L in excellant working order for $120 inc delivery. The outside of the fridge is not so hot, rusty spots and scratches but, what the . . .

[geoffclifton]

I guess 2nd hand fridges are the same as cars, expensive when you need one and worth nothing when you want to sell

I can see a problem with the 2 door fridge. I've been monitoring the temp of the freezer to see if it would be OK for a beer fridge while the bottom does the fermenters but the temp swing is huge. Went down to -2.5* yesterday but this morning, as the fridge has probably not needed to run overnight, it's at 13.5* and wet with condensation. The wort is perfect on 22* & bubbling nicely. The freezer compartment is almost certainly going to have a mould problem and will need wiping out frequently with a bleach cloth.

I'll be keeping a lookout for a single door all fridge.

Cheers, Geoff.

[reg]

If you go down to a fridge place that recos fridges you are bound to do alright.
I went to one around the corner and for $200 got a 500 litre upside down frost free fridge with a 2 year warranty. The bloke said that they had been trying to sell it for months but due to it not having any shelves couldnt.
Got it home and hooked up my fridgemate and beautiful.
There are bargains out there just keep looking.

[afromaiko]

If you go down to a fridge place that recos fridges you are bound to do alright.
I went to one around the corner and for $200 got a 500 litre upside down frost free fridge with a 2 year warranty. The bloke said that they had been trying to sell it for months but due to it not having any shelves couldnt.
Got it home and hooked up my fridgemate and beautiful.
There are bargains out there just keep looking.

Hi Reg, could you please give me the details of the re-co fridge place near you? Can anyone else recommend any other good places to try in Melbourne as well?

thanks.

[reg]

Yeah mate I went to Werribee refridgeration on Railway Ave, just opposite the cemetry.

[lethaldog]

I guess 2nd hand fridges are the same as cars, expensive when you need one and worth nothing when you want to sell

I can see a problem with the 2 door fridge. I've been monitoring the temp of the freezer to see if it would be OK for a beer fridge while the bottom does the fermenters but the temp swing is huge. Went down to -2.5* yesterday but this morning, as the fridge has probably not needed to run overnight, it's at 13.5* and wet with condensation. The wort is perfect on 22* & bubbling nicely. The freezer compartment is almost certainly going to have a mould problem and will need wiping out frequently with a bleach cloth.

I'll be keeping a lookout for a single door all fridge.

Cheers, Geoff.

I had a simmilar problem when i first got my fridgemate, the freezer keeps shutting off and some things will thaw in no time, the way i remedy this (because yes i do use the freezer as a freezer) is to have the temp set during the day and you will find that in the warmth of the day that it will kick in quite regularily then come night time just take the fermenter out and set the fridge at 1-2, your fridge will run through the night making sure the freezer stays frozen and you will find that at worst your temp in the fermenter may vary + or - 2*C over night

[geoffclifton]

WOT Lethal

Move 2 fermenters out every night, swap plugs and put it all back next morning? Not this black duck, that'd be more painfull then having a cat

I may be jumping the gun although a single door would be better. In the meantime this one will get a wipe when needed. Needless to say that now I've got it setup the weather has turned cool, 25* today, so the fridge only cut in once mid arvo for about half an hour. No I wasn't just watching it, in and out all day and checked as I went.

Cheers, Geoff.