My AC just crapped out

primal_reason · 08-10-2009, 04:21 AM

So my air conditioner just decided to stop working, right at the beginning of what looks to be one of the hottest weeks so far this summer, with my first batch of beer a week into fermentation. I live in an apartment, so hopefully I can get management to fix it within a few days.

I just wrapped my fermenter in a wet towel for now before I go to bed. I don't have any other means for keeping it cool at the moment. Will this be okay for keeping the fermenter at a decent temperature for the next couple days?

kyleobie · 08-10-2009, 04:26 AM

I live in an apartment and have the same issue. Here's what I've learned:

Dress your fermenter in a wet XL or L t-shirt. Let the neck of the carboy or the drilled hole on the pail stick out the collar of the t-shirt then put your airlock or blowoff tube there. It will work much better than a towel. I tried a towel and it slid off throughout the night.

Have you built a swamp cooler before? I put my pail/carboy in a garbage can, fill it with 4 gallons of water, toss in a number of frozen water bottles and let the t-shirt soak up the cold water. I don't use a fan - it works like a charm and I learned all of this at this forum.

meluvbeer · 08-10-2009, 04:45 AM

Another idea is to use the towels or tee shirts and keep one in your fridge or
freezer and when you wake up put the one in the fridge on your fermenter
and just keep switching them through out the day. It would suck to have no
ac this week though i'd call management asap a bitch like a woman with
pms.. LOL.

**schweaty** · 08-10-2009, 11:15 AM

Fill your bath tub or a large rubbermaid container with water and put frozen bottles in the water. Then put the carboy on the inside of the container. If you freeze four bottles of water you can cycle them out.

**android** · 08-10-2009, 12:28 PM

definitely follow the advice given, but one silver lining is at least this isn't during the first few days of fermentation when off flavor production is more prevalent.

metaltim · 08-10-2009, 02:22 PM

while everyone here is saying to use bottles to freeze water and put in either tub or rubbermaid container.. I'll comment that a 16 oz. or even 1 liter bottle is a waste of time, it will melt in just a handful of hours.. use a 1 gallon jug. Just buy a couple at walmart, they are less than a dollar.. just be sure to leave plenty headroom for ice to grow.. A rubbermaid container that isn't so big might be more efficient and smaller bottles could be used.. but in my full size bathtub, I cycled two 1 gallon jugs twice a day. (before work and after) it kept it a nice 62-65 degrees.

kyleobie · 08-10-2009, 02:46 PM

Metaltim, how many jugs do you use and how long do they last? I have limited freezer space but would like to try this.

sharpstick · 08-10-2009, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schweaty

Fill your bath tub or a large rubbermaid container with water and put frozen bottles in the water. Then put the carboy on the inside of the container. If you freeze four bottles of water you can cycle them out.

i use those plastic potted plant saucers. they come in sizes up to 18" or so and about 2" deep. i put small pieces of 1 x 2 about 2" long under the rim of the primary or carboy. this gives the container a gallon or two of capacity around the bottom.
i do this for primaries in case they start to overflow and for cooling with water and a towel to wick up the water. better than making the bathtub unavailable!

**Hang Glider** · 08-10-2009, 05:01 PM

The larger the tub, the more ice required to keep it all cold.
I used to use my "guest bath" -
Now it sits in a cooler - the frozen water bottles last much longer!

metaltim · 08-10-2009, 09:32 PM

yeh kyleobie.. as these guys said, and I predicted.. the more water you have to cool, obviously the quicker the ice will melt. I've heard the Igloo Ice cube 60qt. fits a carboy great, with enough room for 16 oz. bottles, and they should still last a decent amount of time. there is a thread on here, maybe the show us your ferm. chamber, where a guy shows how he did it.. he bought some foam and cut it to fit the opening (the lids on those pop off), then cut a hole in foam for airlock.

For me, with a whole tub, I would put 2 frozen jugs at 7, then when I got home at 5, change those two out for two more. So I needed 4, but only 2 in freezer at a time. That kept the water at 60 deg.