BFD_BrewGeek
Well-Known Member
My basement generally stays at ~68*F year round. This works pretty well for Belgian ales and some pale ales and IPA's...but I've always wanted to control fermentation temperatures more closely to be able to affect the quality of the final product, cold crash without racking to smaller vessels, and have the ability to ferment at lager temperatures. So that got me thinking of building a fermentation chamber to house my current fermenter, which is on wheels so I can roll it in and out of the housing as needed for filling, cleaning, etc.
Planning to use a 5,000 BTU window air conditioner to do the cooling, controlled with a two stage BrewPi PID controller (http://www.brewpi.com/). Not sure that I need to heat in a 68* basement. Temperature sensors, one in a thermowell inside the fermenter and the second in the cooled space inside the chamber. The chamber would be constructed of 2" rigid building insulation with 2x4 frame, just enough to support the insulation and air conditioner. The opening would be covered with a removable insulation panel. See sketches...
Planning to use a 5,000 BTU window air conditioner to do the cooling, controlled with a two stage BrewPi PID controller (http://www.brewpi.com/). Not sure that I need to heat in a 68* basement. Temperature sensors, one in a thermowell inside the fermenter and the second in the cooled space inside the chamber. The chamber would be constructed of 2" rigid building insulation with 2x4 frame, just enough to support the insulation and air conditioner. The opening would be covered with a removable insulation panel. See sketches...