New fermentation chamber build

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TwoHeadsBrewing

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Well, since the weather has been cold these past few months I've been fermenting in my walk-in closet. Yeah...SWMBO has not been particularly thrilled with the glorious smell of fermentation! So, as the warm weather approaches I've been planning out a fermentation chamber build for the garage. I've got a nice workbench that seemed like the perfect place.

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I fitted the fridge in the left hand side, firmly situated against the 2x4 frame of the shelf behind it.
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Next step: add some framing on the floor and the back wall.
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Then some insulation for the back wall and a plywood floor to adhere the insulation:
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I used 1.5" Rmax insulation from HomeDepot, and also had some leftover 1/2" styrofoam stuff from my previous mini fridge fermentation chamber.
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I also bought some 1/8" melamine board for the bottom of the chamber, so carboys and crates can easily slide in without damaging the insulation:
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Here is the partial front wall installed, door to come next:
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I used a combination of the 1/2" foam board and the 1.5" Rmax sheathing for the front wall. This will be the side that takes in the most heat from the garage:
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Front door installed. I used a couple small hinges and some bolt latches to firmly secure the door.
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I had to cut the foam at a 45 degree angle to allow it to close properly.
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Firm fit all around, but I plan to go over the edges of the foam with some duct tape, just to prevent any wear and tear and to make it look a bit cleaner.
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Got the Johnson analog controller hooked up, with the lead running along the top edge. I've located the bulb at the far end of the chamber opposite the fridge.
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I plan to put the bulb inside an empty White Labs container with some water. This should keep the fridge from going on/off to frequently.
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And there you have it...Citrus Wheat in the chamber:
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It took me a total of 2 evenings to complete this project, and about $70 in materials. Not bad since I already had the small fridge and Johnson controller laying around. I learned the best way to cut the insulation is a hacksaw blade. Makes nice clean cuts and doesn't leave too much foam shavings all over the place. I used liquid nails for adhering the foam to the plywood, and some white silicone caulking to seal up cracks and gaps at the seams. It's pretty chilly here so I really can't test how well it holds temperatures, but I think it will work well. All the walls have 2" of foam insulation, in addition to a 1/2" plywood backing. The floor and side walls also have a 1/2" air gap behind the plywood.

The chamber should easily be able to hold 62F, but I"m hoping the insulation will be good enough to maintain lagering temps. I'm not holding my breath for lagering, as my garage does get very hot in the summer. But hey, if it works for ale fermentation temps I'll be happy. I can store 3 6.5 gallon carboys in milk crates, or 4 brew buckets.
 
Thanks! I hope it works well...I'm stoked to have all operations now located in the brewery! Now all I have to add is perhaps a fermwrap heater on the back wall or a heat lamp. That should enable me to both warm and cool the chamber.
 
Are you going to put a small fan in the fridge to push air? Or do you think it will circulate on it's own?
 
Are you going to put a small fan in the fridge to push air? Or do you think it will circulate on it's own?

I was thinking about that, but I'm just going to see how it works for now. I have several computer fans that are just sitting around, so I suppose it would be easy to hook one up to a power supply. We'll see when the weather gets warmer.
 
That's a great idea!! I am planning on rebuilding and rearranging my garage and I just may do something like that. Keep us updated on how it works.
 
I have several computer fans that are just sitting around, so I suppose it would be easy to hook one up to a power supply.

Computer fans are almost always 12VDC, so unless you have some sort of handy power supply, you'll still have that hurdle. If you're going to run off of wall current, you're probably better off (and have a more efficient setup) just getting a small fan that will run on 110VAC.
 
Computer fans are almost always 12VDC, so unless you have some sort of handy power supply, you'll still have that hurdle. If you're going to run off of wall current, you're probably better off (and have a more efficient setup) just getting a small fan that will run on 110VAC.

Ah, forgot to mention! I had an OLD wireless router with a 5v output transformer. I cut the wires coming from the transformer and soldered them up to an 80mm computer fan and it works great! I'll be installing the fan right it front of the "freezer" section of my mini-fridge. This should help circulate the cool air throughout the chamber and equalize temps a bit.
 
That's a great idea!! I am planning on rebuilding and rearranging my garage and I just may do something like that. Keep us updated on how it works.

I'll definitely keep this thread updated. We've got about 3-4 more weeks of under 80 degree weather here. Right around the middle of March the temp starts to ramp up, and my fridge should be kicking on. I plan to have the fan done by then, and maybe even a digital remote thermometer so I can check on the temperature in the chamber without opening it.
 
Cool! This looks like it might be just what I need to do. SWMBO is complaining about beer in the shower, so I'm moving out to the garage. Which is great, as it means I can switch to all grain!

Thanks for the write up/photos :mug:
 
Cool! This looks like it might be just what I need to do. SWMBO is complaining about beer in the shower, so I'm moving out to the garage. Which is great, as it means I can switch to all grain!

Thanks for the write up/photos :mug:

LOL, thanks for looking! I had a similar problem with all of my beer in our walkin closet off the master bedroom. After an especially stinky batch of hefeweizen, followed with 25 gallons total in there...well you get the picture. SWMBO finally said, "hey, did you get all the supplies for your fermentation chamber yet????".
 
LOL, thanks for looking! I had a similar problem with all of my beer in our walkin closet off the master bedroom. After an especially stinky batch of hefeweizen, followed with 25 gallons total in there...well you get the picture. SWMBO finally said, "hey, did you get all the supplies for your fermentation chamber yet????".
Yeah - my last batch was Ed' Haus ale with some extra hops. I thought it smelt great. I'm just getting the stuff together for all grain so I can get out of the kitchen; getting out of the shower is next :D
 
nice job. i'll be checking in to see how it holds up to the hot weather. i'm in texas and it gets pretty hot here. if it holds up i may just have to build one myself
 
How much does it cost on your monthly bill to run it? I am going to make a similar project, and that is one concern.

I'm not sure how much it costs yet, since it hardly ever comes on. I suppose I should grab one of those "kill-a-watt" thingys and measure the draw when it turns on, and then see how long it stays on during the day. But man, that sounds like so much work and so much will depend on the garage temperature. Most refrigerators cost under $10/month to run for a 135kwh unit. This fridge has a much smaller compressor, is only cooling to 60F, but has more space to cool than it was designed for. I'm assuming it will cost around the same, and that's fine by me.

I'll keep y'all posted as the weather warms up. It's topping out at around 70F this week, but my garage stays in the mid 60's all day. Now that primary fermentation is almost over for my IPA the fridge isn't even kicking on anymore. In late april it should start hitting 90F regularly, and by middle of May it will be closing on 100F. That will be the ultimate test of my insulation abilities on this box. I think it will easily achieve 60F internal temperature throughout the hot summer. I'm stocked up on ales for the next few months, so I may start a few lagers. That will probably push this unit to its limit.

Thank you for all for the input! :mug:
 
That's really cool, man!

Good timing too because I have been planning something similar and I have to say it was a little scary to see your workbench has almost the same design to my own! I got the plans off the web but the basic setup is just about the same so it would be easy for me to do a similar thing for my chamber. Check it...

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Look familiar? I didn't add the drawers underneath or the swing-top addition but the basic design is like yours! You can sorta see our deep-freeze on the left side of the shot...I was planning to move that down and build the chamber where it is now. So it would be a mirror-image of yours.

Thanks for posting...mind if I use some of your design?

-Tripod
 
That's really cool, man!

Good timing too because I have been planning something similar and I have to say it was a little scary to see your workbench has almost the same design to my own! I got the plans off the web but the basic setup is just about the same so it would be easy for me to do a similar thing for my chamber. Check it...

Look familiar? I didn't add the drawers underneath or the swing-top addition but the basic design is like yours! You can sorta see our deep-freeze on the left side of the shot...I was planning to move that down and build the chamber where it is now. So it would be a mirror-image of yours.

Thanks for posting...mind if I use some of your design?

-Tripod

LOL, nice workbench! Yep, looks like you found the same plans I did...great little write-up on that. I used to have the full bottom shelf and the recessed area for my chop saw, but then I started brewing! :D Very nice looking setup you have there. Feel free to use the design, I hope it works out well for you!
 
I was thinking of doing something similar, but was going to use a small 110 ac window unit we bought a couple of years ago to cool the tent when camping. I think its around 5,000 btu's and a decent fan for circulation, but I'll have to catch and pump the condensation out of the garage. Any idea if it would reach lagering temps?
 
I'm thinking about taking a minifridge and just putting sheathing around it, leaving the back of the fridge uncovered. Is there anything I'm not thinking of that will keep this from working?
 
I was thinking of doing something similar, but was going to use a small 110 ac window unit we bought a couple of years ago to cool the tent when camping. I think its around 5,000 btu's and a decent fan for circulation, but I'll have to catch and pump the condensation out of the garage. Any idea if it would reach lagering temps?

you could freeze the beer if u wanted to
 
I'm thinking about taking a minifridge and just putting sheathing around it, leaving the back of the fridge uncovered. Is there anything I'm not thinking of that will keep this from working?

I think that would work, but you just have to seal everything up really well. Cold air is going to find every little crack and escape which will be running that fridge constantly. I sealed my stuff with some exterior silicone window/door sealant and gooped it in every little corner I could. I'm hoping this will be sufficient when the really hot weather hits.
 
I mean the back (or more specifically, the coils) of the fridge have to be OUTSIDE the box, right? So the heat would transfer out of the box?
 
An 8,000 or 9,000 btu portable A/c unit would do the trick, right? I have access to either for a low price, so I am thinking of using them instead of a window unit (that way all the noise is contained in the well-insulated cabinet). They have tubes to dump moisture that I would have to seal through the wall.
 
That is an awesome build! Good job. Do you have that computer fan setup to run when the fridge is running, or do you just plug it in and have it circulating during the whole fermentation?

Glenn
 
That is an awesome build! Good job. Do you have that computer fan setup to run when the fridge is running, or do you just plug it in and have it circulating during the whole fermentation?

Glenn

Thanks! It is hooked up to the Johnson thermostat, so turns on at the same time as the fridge. So far that's worked pretty good, and I'm able to get down to lagering temps without the fridge kicking on too often.
 
An 8,000 or 9,000 btu portable A/c unit would do the trick, right? I have access to either for a low price, so I am thinking of using them instead of a window unit (that way all the noise is contained in the well-insulated cabinet). They have tubes to dump moisture that I would have to seal through the wall.

Yep, that would work too. I think the main thing is good insulation and sealing the chamber.
 
I mean the back (or more specifically, the coils) of the fridge have to be OUTSIDE the box, right? So the heat would transfer out of the box?

Yes, and some fridges have coils running along the outside walls of the fridge to get rid of that heat. That's why my fridge is entirely outside the chamber. I noticed that during operation the walls of the fridge get pretty hot.
 

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