Think I'm making a cheese cave today . . . - Page 2

manoaction · 11-22-2011, 08:08 PM

Awesome so far. Keep the pics coming.

**Pumbaa** · 11-22-2011, 09:32 PM

will do . . . waiting for glue to dry and working tomorrow so probably nothing more until Friday

**Pumbaa** · 11-29-2011, 12:49 AM

Didnt forget about this or put it on a back burner just needed to get the holiday out of the way . . . got it wired up and the top glued on today. I'd post a picture BUT it's in a embarrassing Gerry rigged jig so gonna be a couple days b4 I get a new picture up. Decided to keep the front on with a coupe pieces of velcro . . . looking ugly but good at the same time

**Pumbaa** · 11-30-2011, 04:18 PM

ok She's done . . . got the fan installed

on the opposite side I installed the thermometer. I mounted it with velcro because I found out with my fermentation chamber it sticks to the polystyrene VERY well and it allows adjustments for getting it level (makes them EZ as hell too)

using a everyday normal thermometer/relative humidity gauge to monitor for now to monitor everything for now but will probably end up mounting a thermometer on the outside with a probe running through the wall to show inside temps eventually

**Pumbaa** · 11-30-2011, 04:25 PM

here is the finished product . . .
You'll notice I'm using velcro strips to secure the front for a few reasons.

it's cheep
it will help seal
I had it

with 2 2liter bottles of ice it went from 70degrees to 60degrees in about 30 minutes. We'll see how long they last (thats where the outside mounted thermometer will be nice)
I used the extra liquid nails I had to "caulk" the corners to help seal it up and I also used it to glue the internal wires (from thermostat to fan) out of the way.
I think it will work out great.

Thing I would do different . . .

I think next time I will break down and buy a hotwire to cut the polystyrene. yeah the jig saw works but >.< makes a big mess
Gonna make it a touch wider and deeper. I have these really nice stackable wire cooling racks that would work GREAT for stacking cheese in this thing BUT since I didnt think about it to the end I can only fit 8 of them in it. If I would have made it just a touch wider I'd be able to easily fit 12 in this bad boy (3 wide x 4 high). With my 6" PVC mold I can fit 2 cheeses per level on these racks so I would be looking at a EASY capacity of 24 cheeses. here is a link to the wire rack, VERY FREAKING NICE http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=12474130 (even with making it just a touch bigger you can easily make this out of 1 4x8 sheet)
I wish I would have added a light to the outside, maybe its just cuz I'm weird but a tiny little light lets me see if it's running while I'm across the basement, nice for the summer when you need to change ice out more frequently then every 3-4 days (tiny LED is more then enough)
outside mounted thermometer, should have bought it right away so I dont have to open the chamber to check the temp

**Pumbaa** · 12-07-2011, 04:13 AM

OK been a bout 1 weeks worth of operation and all the kinks seem to be worked out. Turns out 5 2liter bottles of ice keep the cave at a nice 55ish for over 24 hours no problems (that's in a 70degree ambient room)

humidity seems to stay over 80% just off the condensation on the bottles so I think I'll add a damp towel to the routine

**bottlebomber** · 12-07-2011, 04:31 AM

Sorry to go OT in your thread here (build looks great btw) but I want to get into cheesemaking, and you seem to know what your doing with it. I don't want to start a thread with this, but is there any cheeses you could recommend for a beginner? I'm a pretty accomplished cook/baker/brewer so I think I can do something more than a ricotta to start, I just don't know where to start. I have a pretty good book.

**AZ_IPA** · 12-07-2011, 04:37 AM

I like it pumbaa. So the thermostat kicks on and sucks in cold air from the ice bottle area as needed? And you just keep that area full of frozen bottles? I like it.

**Pumbaa** · 12-30-2011, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ_IPA

I like it pumbaa. So the thermostat kicks on and sucks in cold air from the ice bottle area as needed? And you just keep that area full of frozen bottles? I like it.

yuppers 5 bottles been lasting me 2-3 days at 60 degrees in the cooler

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottlebomber

Sorry to go OT in your thread here (build looks great btw) but I want to get into cheesemaking, and you seem to know what your doing with it. I don't want to start a thread with this, but is there any cheeses you could recommend for a beginner? I'm a pretty accomplished cook/baker/brewer so I think I can do something more than a ricotta to start, I just don't know where to start. I have a pretty good book.

Mozzarella is ez enuff, check these out . . . cheep and simple way to start
http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/c/1-Kits.html