Kegerator build - a couple of questions

[CamT]

Any help is appreciated!

1. Cooling coil position: I've read that many modern fridges have coils in the door. The fridge I have my eye on is small, just tall enough to fit a corny inside it, only 1 year old. Is it likely to have coils in the door?

Is there any way to check the coil positioning without x-ray vision?

2. Does a kegerator need a temp controller? It won't be a dual purpose ferm chamber, just a kegerator, so I figured I could just set it's temp using the thermostat built into the fridge. Any issues there? 

[Peter Smith]

Most modern fridges allow you to flip the door making LHS or RHS opening therefore no active components in the door...   cant say I have ever seen an old fridge with active door cooling either,  older kelvinator style def do not.    The coolant is under pressure and pumped around solid coils radiators etc,  no way to move it in and out of door easily as the door assembly hinges.

this is a good guide to hacking fridges   http://www.brewpi.com/fridge-hacking-guide/

[CamT]

That makes a lot of sense, cheers. I will inspect the hinges closely

[Samuel Loader]

also it should be in the users manual which will be available online. also yes you do want a controller or at least a thermometer to see and adjust what temperature you are keeping your beer. most fridges internal temperature is about 3-4C which is only really suitable for serving light lagers and pale ales  

[Cain Harland]

I was thinking the same thing re controller. To start with I will just stick thermometer in a bottle of water and see how it goes on the least cold setting. I mostly brew pale ales of one kind or another so slightly cold is fine with me. I do do the odd stout and prefer it warmer but its easier to give it a few minutes to warm up before drinking than it is to make the IPA it shares the fridge with colder.

I got 5 thermometers for US$8.5 from ali express so happy to leave one in the fridge permanently. They actually sent me 6 that made it all the way from china in perfect condition only for me to drop one about a minute after opening the box. Good to have spares with butter fingers and a 18 month old that thinks they are drum sticks.

[CamT]

Thanks for the thermometer link, cheaper than I've seen in NZ so may buy some. Yeah, "level 5" doesn't exactly say how cold it is in there, but with a bit of trial and error I'm hoping to figure it out. 

Once this is out of the way I am thinking of a ferm chamber build as well...my wife is going to love all these fridges in the garage! 

[Cain Harland]

Yeah mine was stoked that I just bought another gigantic old kelvinator to go next to my matching kelvinator fermentation chamber, vertical freezer and bar fridge. At least this one replaces a pile of swappa crates.

[Cain Harland]

I left a thermometer in a rum bottle of water in my telman bar fridge on warmest setting it recons 6 degrees. So that would be sweet. Moved bottle to future kegerator hopefully get similar result.

[Cain Harland]

same same on big kelvenator 6 degrees on warmest setting. I'll take that because even if I have a stout or triple in there it will be shearing it with some kind of pale ale or pilsner.

[Crusader-Rob]

I just removed the link in the fridge thermostat and fitted an STC-1000 nice and easy.