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mancer62

Landlord.
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Hi there obtained an under counter fridge on monday. I am purchasing 2 corny kegs with regulator split line and 2 superior picnic style dispenser taps later today.
Tomorrow I am ordering a 10L CO2 Tank. Initially all this is a big hit cost wise but Im sure in time will more than pay for itself.
Just a couple of queries I'd like answered.
How many Cornies does an under counter style fridge usually hold? Is there anything need doing to the interior of the fridge apart from removing the shelving and I presume ice box? Are there any areas electrically I need to be careful with wary with when doing this?
Runiing the fridge as normal Im guessing wont get the beer cold enough what are those probe things called and do they just simply plug in? I like cold beer whats the accepted temp range?
Do I need to drill holes in fridge to accomodate this probe wire and the gas line from my corny to my co2?
Also is the done thing to have the fridge in constantly or just when needed ie the weekend?
After years of batch priming.bottling and putting into pressure barrels I now find myself being able to force carb!!!
Whats the best method to do this and how long once beers made is it good enough to force carb and drink.
Does that mean priming my beer now is thing of the past?
 
Don't use a fridge with an ice box, it's impossible to remove.
Number of cornie's you can fit in will depend on which fridge you get, I think 2 cornies is pretty well teh norm.
Avoid drilling holes in the body or top of the fridge if possible, run your heater wire and temp sensor through the drain hole, you may need to open this up slightly with a drill. If drilling the fridge walls is absolutely necessary, turn the fridge on to full cold and leave the door open, stand an electric kettle inside and boil it to create steam and you should be able to see where the cooling pipes are by where the condensation appears.
I personally have my temp sensor measuring the air temp in the fridge, others will insist it has to be in contact with the FV. Regardless of the different theories, experiment to see what suits you best.
Temperature to run at will depend on what style of beer your drinking. For me bitter should be around 14-15 degrees, Fosters should be -20 degrees C so you can't taste the ****e. It's really a matter of trial and error as to what suits you. There have been numerous posts on force carbing so do some searches.
Run the fridge all the time. Most fridges can comfortably maintain 3 -4 degrees but you'll need an Inkbird or similar to control it. By the sound of it the best model for you is the Inkbird 308 (I think that's the number, it comes pre-wired) if you you're able to do some simple wiring you might want to use the Inkbird STC 1000 which is a third of the price.
 
So you cant fit a couple of cornies into an under counter sized fridge that has a small ice box freezer comparent at the top?
 
I think they come in slightly different sizes, but my cornys are 66cm tall with the disconnects atatched, if that's any help.
I have the regulator and gas bottle outside of the freezer that I use.
 
Cannot believe the fridge I got with an ice box cant be tweeked about with to fit cornies....is this def the case?
 
How many Cornies does an under counter style fridge usually hold?

Depends if "pin lock" or "ball lock" style, the latter are shorter but fatter. I can only get 1 pin lock in mine.

Is there anything need doing to the interior of the fridge apart from removing the shelving and I presume ice box? Are there any areas electrically I need to be careful with wary with when doing this?

Most of the door plastic, and if you're certain you'll never want to use the fridge for "normal" purposes again, you'll need to butcher the freezer box too (see picture of how this might look). You can carefully bend the plumbing around to open it up, but as others have suggested if you break and cause a leak the fridge will be goosed.

Other than removing the bulb, don't mess with any electrics. If you go down the route of dismantling the freezer section, be aware the fridge will run much cooler than designed (more like a freezer) so depending on the built-in thermostat you may want to switch to an STC100 / InkBird.

Do I need to drill holes in fridge to accomodate this probe wire and the gas line from my corny to my co2?

Yep, again do this at your own risk, some models have plumbing in and around the casing, but usually if it's a freezer box model all the cooling is provided by the freezer unit alone.

Also is the done thing to have the fridge in constantly or just when needed ie the weekend?

Yes. You don't want your beer sat at 20Ëšc all week.

Whats the best method to do this and how long once beers made is it good enough to force carb and drink.

Use a carbonation chart: https://www.brewersfriend.com/keg-carbonation-calculator/

If you want to "force" carb it's a bit of trial and error, but usually I find 30 psi for 48 hours is a good start. I then dial it down to around 12 psi for serving, but this is dependant on the temperature of your fridge.

If you skip force-carbing, and go off the carbonation chart alone (i.e. "set it and forget it") expect to wait around a week for the carbonation to settle at the desired level.

Does that mean priming my beer now is thing of the past?

Yes!! :cool:

Photo 22-08-2017, 15 30 41.jpg
 
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