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[GernBlanston]

can i just replace the fridge thermostat without needing an outlet box? My fridge has two thermostats. I was thinking i could just unhook the thermostat for the fridge side and wire in the ST-1000.[/quote]


You can. Ive done it on mine, however the fridge is an old analog. I just found the hot and neutral, and powered the STC 1000 and attached the cold relay wires in place of the factory thermostat. Then the temperature controller tells the compressor when to kick on. As a bonus, the light works even if the compressor is off. I based mine off of Chessking's design earlier in this thread.
If you got a digital fridge, and if you indeed have two thermostats then good luck. I have herd that the digital units can give you headaches, especially when the defrost cycle kicks in. Double check the two thermostats. Mine had two knobs to set the temp on both sides, but only one thermostat. the other knob manipulated a baffle between the two chambers. Also I turned mine into a fridge on both sides for holding kegs. Getting one side to maintain fermentation temps, while the other remains a freezer would be difficult at best. If you converted the freezer side to a beer fridge, and the fridge side to a ferment chamber would be easier, as the temperature variance would be reduced. there is only about an inch of insulation between the sides and I believe you would be fighting to keep the ferm chamber from getting too cool, while the freezer side would be constantly drawing the heat over and making the compressor kick in.

It would be better to have your fermentation chamber as a separate unit IMHO. fortunately my wife doesn't mind me having a collection of refrigerators in the basement.

 

[marke08]

You can. Ive done it on mine, however the fridge is an old analog. I just found the hot and neutral, and powered the STC 1000 and attached the cold relay wires in place of the factory thermostat. Then the temperature controller tells the compressor when to kick on. As a bonus, the light works even if the compressor is off. I based mine off of Chessking's design earlier in this thread.
If you got a digital fridge, and if you indeed have two thermostats then good luck. I have herd that the digital units can give you headaches, especially when the defrost cycle kicks in. Double check the two thermostats. Mine had two knobs to set the temp on both sides, but only one thermostat. the other knob manipulated a baffle between the two chambers. Also I turned mine into a fridge on both sides for holding kegs. Getting one side to maintain fermentation temps, while the other remains a freezer would be difficult at best. If you converted the freezer side to a beer fridge, and the fridge side to a ferment chamber would be easier, as the temperature variance would be reduced. there is only about an inch of insulation between the sides and I believe you would be fighting to keep the ferm chamber from getting too cool, while the freezer side would be constantly drawing the heat over and making the compressor kick in.
It would be better to have your fermentation chamber as a separate unit IMHO. fortunately my wife doesn't mind me having a collection of refrigerators in the basement.

I find this confusing(it is probably me though). The fridge is not digital(ten years old). The thermostat for the fridge side simply operates a fan that blows air from the freezer. The freezer thermostat operates the compressor. Could i not just route the fan control from the fridge thermostat through the STC-1000? The fridge already maintains some pretty significant differences in temp today. The freezer is set to 0 and the fridge is at 36. i wouldn't think an increase of 19 degrees would change the operation that much.

Thoughts?

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

just some quick no nonsense answers:

you can power the stc 1000 with the 115 inside the fridge
you can switch th compressor off and on with the stc 1000 if its rated for your compressor 115 or 240 ?
you cannot use the fridge thermostat with the stc 1000 "it will not read the correct temperatures". you will have to use the thermostat that came with your model and run it into the fridge

there are some tutorials on you tube also

 

[marke08]

just some quick no nonsense answers:

you can power the stc 1000 with the 115 inside the fridge
you can switch th compressor off and on with the stc 1000 if its rated for your compressor 115 or 240 ?
you cannot use the fridge thermostat with the stc 1000 "it will not read the correct temperatures". you will have to use the thermostat that came with your model and run it into the fridge

there are some tutorials on you tube also

Thanks Ozarks, I'm not planning to use the internal thermostat. going to use one that comes with STC-1000. Thanks for the answers!

 

[GernBlanston]

I find this confusing(it is probably me though). The fridge is not digital(ten years old). The thermostat for the fridge side simply operates a fan that blows air from the freezer. The freezer thermostat operates the compressor. Could i not just route the fan control from the fridge thermostat through the STC-1000? The fridge already maintains some pretty significant differences in temp today. The freezer is set to 0 and the fridge is at 36. i wouldn't think an increase of 19 degrees would change the operation that much.

Thoughts?

A fan could easily be hooked up to the STC 1000. Just wire the neutral to the fan and run the hot thru the cold relay on the STC 1000. My only concern would be that the warm side of the fridge would creep down even if the fan was not turning, requiring some heat source hooked to the heat relay on the STC 1000. I keep both sides the same temperature so I don't have this problem. Wont know until you try.