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Old 08-07-2009, 01:19 PM   #1
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Default My new fermenter

Here's my setup, just got it running last night. I've got a BIG computer fan circulating the air inside so I'll probably find a way to slow it down. I wish it was taller but I made it to fit under my work bench. I can't use an airlock on my 6.5 carboy but a blow off tube is fine.









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Old 08-07-2009, 01:21 PM   #2
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Its a big jump to go from this:



to this:



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Old 08-07-2009, 01:52 PM   #3
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Thats a cool set up! I had a similar set up, watch out for ice build up on the coils, I put a tray of kitty litter in mine to help keep the moisture level down in the cabinet and defrosted between batches.
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Old 08-07-2009, 03:16 PM   #4
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Nice looking chiller.

If you want to slow down a 12 volt muffin fan, get an adjustable power supply and set it to 7.5 volts. Some of the fans will run on 6 volts, but all I have seen will run fine on 7.5 volts.
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Old 08-07-2009, 03:20 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cpt_Kirks View Post
Nice looking chiller.

If you want to slow down a 12 volt muffin fan, get an adjustable power supply and set it to 7.5 volts. Some of the fans will run on 6 volts, but all I have seen will run fine on 7.5 volts.
I'm going to look for an old cell phone charger, they're usually 5-7v and it'd be free. I need to rewire it so that the fan only comes on w/ the compressor but I already have beer in a swamp cooler and wanted to get the temp stabilized asap.
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Old 08-07-2009, 03:56 PM   #6
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I was going to add a fan to my chiller, but it is holding 62*F fine without it.

Going to put a lager in there this weekend, we will see if it will hold 48*F the same way. Convection works pretty well in a closed system without a fan.
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Old 08-07-2009, 04:04 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cpt_Kirks View Post
I was going to add a fan to my chiller, but it is holding 62*F fine without it.

Going to put a lager in there this weekend, we will see if it will hold 48*F the same way. Convection works pretty well in a closed system without a fan.
Since my new fermenter is so much wider than the fridge initially was I want to make sure the far end of the box stays the same temp. My thought is that since the air is cooled from just that small freezer section and my probe is at the far end the temp would vary greatly from one end to the other. If I lager I'm also worried about stressing out the compressor trying to cool all that extra volume. I will take a pic of the inside w/ the fan as soon as I get the beers in there now finished.
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Old 08-07-2009, 05:37 PM   #8
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Very interesting, I have an older dorm fridge just lying around and I was wondering how I could use it for fermenting. Any chance you could give me some quick build specs on this Johhny? Did you add a thermostat control?
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Old 08-08-2009, 05:36 PM   #9
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Sure, I'll put something together. Pretty straightforward if you know your way around a saw and a drill. I'll post it as soon as I get a chance.
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Old 08-09-2009, 04:41 AM   #10
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Like the use of duct tape, very manly! ARrggg gggg..
Looks great and I think a great use of space.


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