Fermenting with carboy at an angle...

[bpfishback]

I picked up a mini fridge for pretty cheap but, it only holds a carboy if I put the carboy at an angle. It is probably at around a 30 degree angle when inside the fridge. Do I have anything to worry about with this, fermentation wise?

[siwelwerd]

You're going to reduce the amount of headspace available, as the outlet will not be at the apex. Other than that, you should be okay fermentation wise.

What you should be worried about is how you are going to do this safely with glass carboys. They are not designed for the weight to be on one "corner" like it would be when tilted. Not to mention how you are going to get a full carboy in and out of your fridge tilted at a 30 degree angle.

[Bugeater]

With this situation, you would be better off going back to using a bucket fermenter. It will fit nicely, has a good handle, and won't break.

Wayne

[brewranger]

you could also check out a better bottle. my glass carboys are a tight fit in my freezer, better bottle fits no problem.

[Beer Baron]

I don't know if an airlock will work well at that angle - maybe a blow off tube would work better...

[ChrisKennedy]

Bend the freezer shelf down flush against the back of the fridge and that should give you ample room for a carboy to stand straight up. Be careful not to kink the cooling lines though.

[bpfishback]

Thanks for the responses.I forgot to mention I'm only making three to three and a half gallon batches so the carboy is not completely full which makes it somewhat easier to move around and put in the fridge. I've got a bungie attached to a screw in the back of the fridge and wrapped around the carboy so that it has some additional support.Also an airlock won't fit so it'll definitely be a blow off tube. I am more worried about possible fermentation oddities with an increased surface area on top and the yeast collecting at a corner on the bottom rather than any physical problems.

Ah good idea Chris I might give that a try but I would be somewhat nervous trying to bend the freezer plate with out breaking the line.

[bpfishback]

Thanks Chris and bn army. I just bent the plate back and it was pretty easy to do. It was far less rigid than I thought it would be, managed to do it without really changing the width of the tube at the bend too.