Building an Old Fashioned Refrigerator AKA Fermenter Fridge – Part 1

A little over a month ago, we decided to build a refrigerator that could accommodate a few small conical fermenters, and have some extra room for storage of wine or beer if needed.

After looking at what was on the market as far as refrigerators that we could modify/gut to have enough room inside to accommodate what we wanted, we soon realized that there was nothing large enough, at a reasonable price. All of the refrigerators that we were seeing, at the size that we would need were looking to be a commercial refrigerator which can run a few thousand dollars. So we decided to build!

This ended up being quite a project, but we are very happy with the outcome and were able to save quite a bit of money!

Part 1:

Figuring out the size of the fridge, getting the materials, and constructing the frame.

Materials for Frame:

• 8 – 2x2x8 Wood
• 8 – Simpson Strong-Ties RTC22 (these are made for 2X2’s and are harder to come by than the RTC42’s which accommodate 2×4’s. In hindsight we probably should have just used the RTC42’s with 2×4’s for added support, also we had to add a couple 2x4s to the inside of the door frame to mount the hinges and latch to later on. Once you get all the plywood on the outside of the frame it is plenty sturdy though, so either one is sufficient).
• Pack of 1-1/4″ Galvanized Nails (We used nails to assemble the frame because screws weren’t mounting flush enough to the ties,which would later need to be covered by sheets of plywood).

So, after making all the cuts to the 2×2’s, (cut lengths on downloadable PDF below) just stick them into the strong ties and start nailing everywhere there is a hole.

Frame built! I know it doesn’t look like much now, but you will be surprised by the finished product! Part 2 coming soon…

Click here to download the Fermenter Fridge Frame Specs that we used – Keg Outlet – Fermenter Refrigerator Build