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It is a common thing to produce lager to drive a fridge as described. The STC1000 Temp Sensor seems to be the main device used to convert a fridge and does not require extra relays to do the job. There is a setting for temperature setting between on and off this will allow one to give the gasses time to equalise before the motor is restarted.
On this forum you will find many who use these units to control fridges.
Personally I cringe when I read the reports on the Heath Robinson methods used with little regard for the families safety using duck tape to hold them on the fridge.
For a basic fridge or freezer there is unlikely to be a problem but for the more complex units we really have no idea of the internal control. My new one is designed to work from 1°C to 7°C but there is also a "Vacation" setting which runs the fridge at 15°C but leaves the freezer running and these specials are often reset with power failures and also the whole unit often goes through a self test each time it is switched on.
Frost Free freezers contain heaters again how these will react to being switched off and on is anyone's guess.
Cheaper models normally have a overload designed to stop the motor restarting when there is still pressure in the pipework. These will wear out if used on a regular basis I was told when turning off generators not to turn back on for 5 minutes to allow the AC's to de-pressurise before putting power back on.
More expensive types use inverters to drive three phase motors even when only supplied with single phase and use a soft start system how these would work with power cuts again is any ones guess.
Mine also has lamps which blink when the fridge or freezer temperature rises.
The main problem with my old fridge/freezer was the electronic control which for some reason would cause the interior lamp to flash when I opened the door and for the water dispenser to also switch on/off when used. We worried about if the temperature was always maintained and unlike the new one there was no temperature display every time you opened the door.
I had considered using the old Hoover for beer being so well insulated even in the garage it would allow the beer to sit at 20°C or lower with lager but I am uncertain how the motors would run when switched on and off so was considering a auto door opener instead. Just using it as an insulated box. The fermenting will keep beer warm.
As to power on start my old Hoover is around 10A max and 0.5A Run the new Samsung is 1.2A Max and that is the defrost heater not the motor and 0.25A run but most also use around 0.05A idle clearly to run the electronics.
I did suggest to my wife the 15°C vacation setting would be ideal for brewing lager I can't repeat her reply without getting banned from the forum. Anyway what she said she would do with my fermentor if I tried is impossible!
I also considered a relay and using a cool box top so I could cool or heat as required. Then I looked at the power used. The cool box uses more power than my large fridge/freezer.
But step one is a box to house all the bits. Fit stuffing glands for all cables I often knot or use a cable tie so cable can't be pulled out. Then wire up as once working you will not want to dismantle it all to put in box.
On this forum you will find many who use these units to control fridges.
Personally I cringe when I read the reports on the Heath Robinson methods used with little regard for the families safety using duck tape to hold them on the fridge.
For a basic fridge or freezer there is unlikely to be a problem but for the more complex units we really have no idea of the internal control. My new one is designed to work from 1°C to 7°C but there is also a "Vacation" setting which runs the fridge at 15°C but leaves the freezer running and these specials are often reset with power failures and also the whole unit often goes through a self test each time it is switched on.
Frost Free freezers contain heaters again how these will react to being switched off and on is anyone's guess.
Cheaper models normally have a overload designed to stop the motor restarting when there is still pressure in the pipework. These will wear out if used on a regular basis I was told when turning off generators not to turn back on for 5 minutes to allow the AC's to de-pressurise before putting power back on.
More expensive types use inverters to drive three phase motors even when only supplied with single phase and use a soft start system how these would work with power cuts again is any ones guess.
Mine also has lamps which blink when the fridge or freezer temperature rises.
The main problem with my old fridge/freezer was the electronic control which for some reason would cause the interior lamp to flash when I opened the door and for the water dispenser to also switch on/off when used. We worried about if the temperature was always maintained and unlike the new one there was no temperature display every time you opened the door.
I had considered using the old Hoover for beer being so well insulated even in the garage it would allow the beer to sit at 20°C or lower with lager but I am uncertain how the motors would run when switched on and off so was considering a auto door opener instead. Just using it as an insulated box. The fermenting will keep beer warm.
As to power on start my old Hoover is around 10A max and 0.5A Run the new Samsung is 1.2A Max and that is the defrost heater not the motor and 0.25A run but most also use around 0.05A idle clearly to run the electronics.
I did suggest to my wife the 15°C vacation setting would be ideal for brewing lager I can't repeat her reply without getting banned from the forum. Anyway what she said she would do with my fermentor if I tried is impossible!
I also considered a relay and using a cool box top so I could cool or heat as required. Then I looked at the power used. The cool box uses more power than my large fridge/freezer.
But step one is a box to house all the bits. Fit stuffing glands for all cables I often knot or use a cable tie so cable can't be pulled out. Then wire up as once working you will not want to dismantle it all to put in box.
