Fermentation "Chamber"

silverspoons · Joined: 21 Dec 2010 Posts: 555 Location: Webster NY

Started last week building a Temperature controlled fermentation "chamber". It will hole three 6.5 gal fermenters or carboys. Started with a 4'x8' piece of 2" thick foam board.. cut it up an glued it together. I was able to get the four sides and the top out of that piece. i also bought a 2' x4' piece of 1" foam, i cut two pieces and stacked for a 2' bottom and another piece to glue to the inside of the top to make it 3" thick. Foil taped up all the seam and wala! a $45 "fridge". i had an old "dorm" fridge from one of my kid's college days, so i cut a hole in the side and inserted it. I built a dual control box much like Bobby_M's but added a little "Kal Bling" with a on/off switch and a couple element lights. Everything in the control box was left over from my original build except the Love controller and the 6"x6" plastic box.

just ran a test.. dropped from 65.6 degrees to 50.1 in 18 minutes and has been holding steady for some time now. there are dual receptacles on either side, one for cooling and the other side for heating ( light bulb ).. i also have a couple computer cooling fans that i can insert inside to circulate the air.

pics below

Silverspoons

KES · Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa

very nice, you lost me on the frig part. The frig is attached next to the chamber?

cscade · Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Posts: 140 Location: Wooster, OH

Very nice! I'm interested in more details about the refrigeration aspect. I have built a huge ferment chamber with a window A/C unit before, but I have since moved and have been researching more space-efficient options since. Right now I have nothing, I use the very tedious "towels and panic" method of fermentation control. It's effective, but leaves much to be desired Wink

Heating things is no big deal. Cooling is such a pain in the butt.

silverspoons · Joined: 21 Dec 2010 Posts: 555 Location: Webster NY

KES · Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa

OK, now I got it. Thanks, Castermmt. Like the temp controllor too, very well done.

-MG- · Joined: 05 Dec 2011 Posts: 203

Looks good. I was building something just like this before until I moved the freezer tray in my fridge around and blew the coolant line. That's what lead to me taking an old side by side fridge and making it my chamber.

crush · Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 706 Location: Telemark, Norway

Nice work. But with only one panel tag, how will you remember what the lights mean?! Very Happy

I'm got a couple of spare upright fridge freezers, so I'm working on a UberFridge - http://www.elcojacobs.com/uberfridge/

silverspoons · Joined: 21 Dec 2010 Posts: 555 Location: Webster NY

I took the time to look at the video for the UberFridge.. looks really nice, way more than what i need but! i think that's part of what we all enjoy about this build..

Keep us posted

Silverspoons