How To Build A Mini Fridge Fermentation Chamber

This is a basic build video for how to make a fermentation chamber out of an upright mini-fridge. In this video I demonstrate the build on a Magic Chef 4.4 Cu. Ft. fridge that I picked up from Home Depot for just over $100. All parts involved probably tally to less than $200 including the Inkbird temperature control. Comment below if you have questions or need help with your build. Cheers!
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[@jmorris9931]

Total thanks for posting this video! Things I learned doing this project: I was able to buy a Kenmore 4.3 cu-ft Refrigerator on sale at Target for $150. Measure twice, cut once - good advice! 2X4s are NOT 2X4s - they've shrunk again! AND, the "Grade A" lumber is STILL warped! I didn't want to remove the door shelving/bottle holder - make sure you give a tad bit more width so it will allow closure of the door. I added 1/4" between the vertical 2X4s and there was still a bit of interference, but door will close. Undecided if I will use the buckle clasps for closure, it's that snug! Warped wood makes it harder to true up the 2X4 frame to the fridge body and not have gaps, mismatched areas to fridge body. 😞 The Loctite construction sealant I used claimed an instant grip for the 2X4 to the fridge body - pretty close to the truth. And it sets up FAST! 24 hour cure. I used the ratchet tow strap and weights to make sure it was pressed into place well. I still used some "mending plates" to secure the 2X4s to the fridge body for added strength. I recaulked to fill the gaps due to the warped wood. One tube of sealant is plenty. I was able to find all hardware that VB used at Home Depot. Paint always takes longer to dry/cure in summer heat/humidity. I removed the freezer door flap and put a 3" USB fan inside the freezer compartment to turn on when the Inkjet called for cooling. It aids in circulation of the cold and seems to quicken the cooling process. I'm not worried about the interior light coming on when the Inkjet calls for cooling, (Keeps the yeast happy?). The Inkbird thermostat works great! Again, thanks to the Vagabond Brewer for posting this video, GREAT idea! Happy Brewing! 🙂

[@JHooverBrewer]

Haha that’s quite the write up on the lessons learned, I’m glad your project seemingly went well. Cheers and thanks for watching!

[@jmorris9931]

@@JHooverBrewer Thanks VB The cooling fan works great, highly recommend. Also I taped the thermocouple to the fermenting vessel and then added "insulation" over the thermocouple. Seems to make for more accuracy. I didn't want to immerse it in the wort.

[@BuffaloBeerReviews]

Yea, totally. Thanks for filming out your project. It was much appreciated. Cheers to your home brewing adventures.

[@JHooverBrewer]

My pleasure, I hope it helped you.

[@JHooverBrewer]

My pleasure, cheers!

[@timschneiter6310]

Thank you for putting the video together. Very helpful!

[@JHooverBrewer]

Thanks so much for that feedback. I never know if I'm helpful or not when making these type of videos. I'm glad you got something out of it. Cheers!

[@dinobwelding2702]

Just wanted to say thank you for the vid. I'm just starting out in this wonderful journey of home brewing and was informed how important it is to keep a constant temp during the fermentation period. Living in Texas it gets pretty warm and I just happen to have a mini fridge that I never use. I am sooo glad to have come across your build video. Have a good one. Cheers!!

[@JHooverBrewer]

Hey Dino, I’m so glad the video has proven useful for you and many others. Thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know. Best of luck on your build and your brewing!

[@rev0luci0n]

Thanks I have this exact problem and this is perfect.

[@JHooverBrewer]

Glad I could be of help!

[@nhs70ham]

Thank you. Great build and easy to follow your directions. Keep it up

[@JHooverBrewer]

Hey thanks so much for the feedback! I just got done filming a how to video on drilling and installing a whirlpool port on a boil kettle today. I'll be editing it soon hopefully and it should be up in the coming weeks. Cheers!

[@c.joseph1987]

Great job on this video and really helpful, many thanks!!!

[@JHooverBrewer]

Thank you and hey....you're welcome! I make these videos for folks like you so there's something to watch someone else screw up before you do . I have other how-to videos in my "how-to" playlist that you might find helpful. Cheers!

[@boatbuilder1954]

Construction Adhesive works very well

[@Fuckoff-1]

Lovely wood idea

[@512banana1]

this is exactly what i'm looking for, thanks a bunch!

[@JHooverBrewer]

Glad to hear it! Good luck with your build.

[@syombuamuathime4731]

Banana hello... How can I reach you please

[@leesmeaton2002]

Genius - i have been trying to find a fridge deep enough for my king keg chubby (300mm diameter) but the bottom step in all the fridges I looked at were in the way - this 100% fixes it.

[@JHooverBrewer]

So glad to hear this will work for you!

[@iBradWatson]

Great howto build Josh. Cheers!

[@JHooverBrewer]

Thanks Brad! I hope it's useful for people. I can't believe I didn't build something like this years ago to be honest. Cheers!

[@shadowrayz]

Very nice! I need to do that sometime down the road... Great job, Josh! Cheers! \m/

[@JHooverBrewer]

Thanks Brian, I'm still getting some of the kinks worked out and seeing what this thing is capable of. Cheers dude!

[@imperia1999]

Great how to bud well done.

[@JHooverBrewer]

Thanks Steve, I hope it ends up being useful for someone. I never know if I'm being detailed enough or not. Cheers!

[@ClementsHomebrew]

Fun build. I used latches for my big fermentation chamber. Great solution. It's hard to beat having controlled temps. Nice design. Bummer about the light switch. If you don't need the light at all, I'd suggest putting a bracket over it to keep it off. What I really wanted, but never did, was to take the existing switch off and connect to a manual switch, so I could turn it on and off by hand. Well done. Cheers!

[@JHooverBrewer]

I just simply duct taped the switch down and if I need the light in there I just peel the tape back a little bit. I'm pretty satisfied with this setup for the time being but I have a few little kinks to work out with the door hardware that's giving me some trouble for the time being.

[@syombuamuathime4731]

ClementsHomebrew ...can I reach you...+254706369099

[@NorsemanHomeBrewing]

@@JHooverBrewercould you unscrew the bulb a bit?

[@sjporr]

Great how to video!!! Sharing this over to the Homebrew Wednesday Network MeWe channel.

[@JHooverBrewer]

Please do!

[@Retr0GamingKyle]

I love my cool brewing jackets but eventually want to go with active fermentation temp control. Maybe when I have a house... some day. This would be a cool way to do kettle sours with a tube heating element and 2 stage controller. Cheers

[@JHooverBrewer]

Yes I too still love my cool brewing bags and still plan to use them. The fridge will be useful primarily for the first couple crucial days of fermentation and then depending on how many things I plan on fermenting, I can swap it out of the fridge and into the bags. Also, cold crashing is a reality for me...along with lager styled beers. I couldn't help myself. I'd say that if you can fit one more mini-fridge in your place then you can do this as well. But I understand the sacrifice of money and space. I too live in a small place...maybe 600-700 square feet I think? Anyways, something to think about. Cheers Kyle!

[@drpwnage23]

Excellent video. This really help me when building my own fermentation chamber. Instead of using a chest latch for the door, you can nail on thin strips of metal where the door seal meets the wood collar since many minifridges use magnets within the seal to keep the door closed.

[@JHooverBrewer]

This is a great tip! I’m not much of a builder and I never would have thought of that but I may just have to modify the setup now. Glad this was helpful for you!!

[@drpwnage23]

@@JHooverBrewer Credit for where I saw this idea is from MaximAvs. watch?v= Cgt2z-lotXk

[@JHooverBrewer]

@@drpwnage23 ahhh yes I remember his channel well

[@justinharmon8082]

These doors are also reversible so if you have it against a wall you could make the door sweep the opposite direction so access is easier

[@thefather8362]

Nice build. This gives me the idea of turning the fridge on its back kind of like a chest freezer. You might need to make a little stand for it. Then, you could add a 2x10 or 2x12 top to make it taller. Then add the door as a lid. Also maybe take out the ice shelf for more room.

[@Murlockingqc]

I wouldn't recommend doing that. A compressor need to be operated in a specific angle I believe.

[@wallyfeck]

Good job muscley arms!

[@JHooverBrewer]

Hah! Mmmmmm popsicles.

[@stkenno8758]

For a tighter seal use a gasket between the wooden frame and fridge (an old bicycle tube works great ) 👍

[@JHooverBrewer]

Stephen Kendall that’s an interesting tip, thanks!

[@stkenno8758]

Manbearpig1122334455 no worries dude, great vid by the way. I’ve only got a 5 gallon fermenter and a second hand fridge so I haven’t had to extend the door. I also drilled an 8mm hole in the fermenting bucket , inserted a grommet then inserted the probe on my inkbird temperature monitor. Really works well 👍👍

[@Murlockingqc]

you should have painted the inside of the wood frame, the fridge will be humid and you don't want mold growing in there project looks scary but glad it worked out for you :) i'd love to have that !

[@JHooverBrewer]

Thanks but so far so good all these years later, no mold on the wood issues. Cheers!

[@blackwoodbrews]

I have an old Revival mini fridge from Walmart that I was looking into making a kegerator with 3 gallon kegs. Could adding a collar to the door like you did hold temp low enough to use as a kegerator?

[@JHooverBrewer]

Darren3369 you absolutely can do this with just about any fridge so long as you seal all the cracks and crevices just right.

[@lioneldacosta685]

Thanks man, great vid! does the fridge cooll to regular fridge temp? (around 40F) or only to fermentation temp? (around 68F)

[@JHooverBrewer]

Oh I can definitely get it down to 32-34 if I want but it takes a couple days to get 5 gallons to that temp here in California.

[@lioneldacosta685]

@@JHooverBrewer thanks man!

[@danielrowe2174]

If your not sure about cooling lines on the dorm fridge. Take some baking soda I believe as a paste and have the fridge on to see were the mixture evaporates at and that will tell you were your cooling lines are at. I have the same issue with my fermenter chamber and plan to upgrade to a chest freezer because it's more cost efficient.

[@JHooverBrewer]

That’s a brilliant suggestion, thank you! Luckily I’ve been fortunate enough to have not hit these lines so far, fingers crossed.

[@jeffdumler3930]

Man- I wish I had seen this comment 2 days ago. I just killed my fridge by hitting a coolant line while trying to secure the collar to the top of the fridge

[@JHooverBrewer]

Ouch!!!

[@knopslmodular]

did you improve on that design later on? What were your attachments? a followup would be great!

[@JHooverBrewer]

I have still kept the same design and it’s still chugging along. Some the wood on the fridge collar is cracking now so I may need to rebuild it so maybe another video will follow at some point.

[@connieback7577]

I think I would have put that latch lower down--about mid way. Did it work out okay? For reach, I can certainly see that higher up is better.

[@JHooverBrewer]

I actually have a latch down low and up high to seal it on both ends.

[@patrickcagney8060]

Thanks for the video. I read in a comment that you don't use a heating element. If you were to use one, what would you recommend?? Cheers

[@joshthynne6866]

i use a little tube heater for a green house and an Inkbird thermostat. works a treat!

[@Rubio_Eric]

Heat lamp/works too

[@tylerdoubleday906]

Did you install a temperature control device? Or a heater? I’m seeing a lot of videos advising heaters and temperature controllers wired in.

[@JHooverBrewer]

Yes I did actually. I drilled a small hole in the side of the 2x4 wood collar so I could run a temperature probe into the fridge, then sealed it up with silicone. I use the inkbird that can dual regulate the fridge for cooling and a device of your choosing for heat. I don't use any heat source due to my region never getting that cold so I have no need.

[@tylerdoubleday906]

Manbearpig1122334455 I was scratching my head thinking “wouldn’t the natural defrost cycle (assuming you have temp control) be enough to get your beer back to temp?” I live in Hawaii with no AC. So definitely won’t need a heater. Thanks for the speedy reply!

[@JHooverBrewer]

My pleasure! I forgot to mention that I always tape the probe to the outside of my fermenter to get within a few degrees of the actual internal beer temp. I never got around to install thermowells on my fermenters but that gets you in the ballpark.

[@johnwatzke7174]

I have a SS brew bucket also. The height on mime is 20-5/8" what is yours. I would use a blowoff hose to save height room. Also the fridge you have what is the dimension from the inside from the floor to the bottom of the freezer section so I can make sure I will have enough room. I see that Magic chef also makes one with out the freezer which I assume will have more room. any information would help! Cheers!

[@JHooverBrewer]

If you build the collar on the door like I did in the video, you won’t have any issues with your brew bucket fitting into including if you’re using an airlock vs. a blowoff tube. Your biggest problem is the depth distance between the door and the shelf at the back of the floor, which is why you need to build the collar. Best of luck!

[@johnwatzke7174]

I just want to clarify the brewtech bucket you have. Is it the 7 gallon or 3.5 gallon? Mine is the 7 gallon so I want to make sure it will fit. Thanks again!

[@JHooverBrewer]

I definitely have the 7 gallon in the video. Good luck!

[@mmartin4978]

Just unscrew the light bulb tape will fail

[@MCOwens]

I know it's been awhile since you made this video, but I'm curious about the "freezer" part of your fridge. I got an old one that is similar with the freezer at the top. My understanding is that the freezer supplies the cooling. In your build, did you leave the freezer door attached? If so, did you do so for a reason? I was thinking that I would just remove it. The controller is going to cycle it on an off as it needs to adjust the temp, right? Also, any thoughts on whether a small fan would help, or just not necessary?

[@JHooverBrewer]

Yeah that little freezer thing at the top was left in the fridge since it didn’t affect and height issues with my fermenters. I recommend a lot of high strength glue for the wood collar and definitely some adhesive caulking because over time that wood will split and cold air can get out so you need to make sure it’s completely sealed. I haven’t had a need for a fan to this point. The inkbird cycles on and off perfect and I just tape the temp probe to the outside of my fermenter and that seems to serve me well. Where I love, there’s no need for a heat pad but I’m sure that it would work perfectly on the inkbird as designed.

[@MCOwens]

@@JHooverBrewer I may be wrong, but in this type of model, I think that removing the freezer would basically ruin it. It is the cooling coils. Since I don't need it to freeze, I'm pulling the door off. I made a Keezer and I used Power Grip adhesive, which I'll use here as well with some brackets. One update I'm makig is I purchased 1/2" adhesive magnetic strip that will go on the collar and then tape over that with duct sealing tape. This shoudl let the door close tightly. If not, I'll add a closure the way you did. I may also paint the inside of the collar with Kilz. I put a dozen coats of Spar poly on my keezer collar!!

[@JHooverBrewer]

M. C. Owens yeah I think you may be right about removing that element and ruining the fridge.

[@andrewhuffaker5512]

No issues with temp loss because the wood wasn’t insulated?

[@JHooverBrewer]

Not anything noticeable and with the inkbird temp control it takes care of itself. Seal the seams really well and you’re good.

[@brycewalker1415]

How are you going to control the temperature?

[@JHooverBrewer]

I bought an inkbird temperature controller, drilled a small hole in the wood for the temperature probe to run inside the fridge and then sealed around the wire and hole in the wood with caulking of some sort.

[@MinnesotaFats]

Does the fridge get the keg cold enough?

[@JHooverBrewer]

Most definitely, I’ve had some lower ABV beers freeze because it got so cold (but also the keg volume was low as well).

[@lov55e]

you could ,take out the light,will not take energie.....

[@alexcarter8807]

Hm I don't have an extra mini fridge sitting around, I guess I'll just have to stick to the $1500 VWR Scientific "midi" fridge I've got around here.

[@JHooverBrewer]

alex carter haha I guess that’ll have to do!