Fridge for cold crashing and fermentation

[Flatline9]

So I was going to buy a cheap second hand fridge from gumtree or the likes for cold crashing my beer. But I'm also interested in having a fermentation fridge set up to start doing lagers. I have zero ability for fiddling with electricals or DIY in general so I'm trying to get a very simple set up going.

Would buying an inkbird temperature control, such as this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018K82UQU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

as well as a a tubular heater, like this one https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/HETH451.html work?

I would then just plug the fridge into the cooling socket of the inkbird and the tubular heater into the heating socket, set the temperature for 12 degrees and I'd be good to go... Right? Or is there something way more complicated that I'm missing. I could then just set the temperature to 2 degrees for cold crashing.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated :

 

[Soton]

Yes that would work just fine

 

[Bigjas]

Yep, that's exactly how to do it :thumb:

You can also build one if you wanted, I have a build log here http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=617334#post617334

They both do exactly the same thing and makes brewing a lot easier and more reliable

Jas

 

[Flatline9]

Yes that would work just fine

Yep, that's exactly how to do it :thumb:


Jas

Cheers guys. Would a freezer also work? Or should I be looking at just using a fridge?

 

[Bigjas]

A freezer will work, but I prefer a fridge as there is plenty of space without fixed shelves. Upright freezers often have the cooling pipes in the shelves, and prevents putting barrels and fermenting buckets in there.

 

[Fil]

you can safely exchange the tube heater flex (if any fitted) with thinner lighting flex to thread it through the drain hole more easily

 

[DoctorMick]

I'm a diy retard but I have the setup you described and it was a piece of **** to do. The most difficult bit was constructing a platform to fit the heater to and sit the fv on.

 

[GlentoranMark]

If the fridge is kept indoors you could do away with the heater. That's what I do. I don't even have the Inkbird wired in, I also use it to control my mash temperature for all grain :)

 

[Brightonnik]

I'm a diy retard but I have the setup you described and it was a piece of **** to do. The most difficult bit was constructing a platform to fit the heater to and sit the fv on.

I'm exactly the same. I had some outdoor sized jenga blocks and used that to sit the fv on. Not ideal but it works!