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02-07-2012, 08:59 PM
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#11
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Cedar Hollow Brewing
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ortonville/Oxford, Michigan
Posts: 1,235
Liked 47 Times on 43 Posts Likes Given: 67
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Here's the finished box trimmed out with knotty pine and casters installed. With 3" of rigid foam insulation lining all of the walls and even more in the headspace, it should work fine. I'm using either a reptile cage heating cable or heat mat plugged into a temp. controller for the heat source for this chamber.
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02-07-2012, 09:05 PM
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#12
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Cedar Hollow Brewing
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ortonville/Oxford, Michigan
Posts: 1,235
Liked 47 Times on 43 Posts Likes Given: 67
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Here are the two chambers sitting in the corner of my brewery, which is obviously under construction. I wanted them to form an "L" shape in the corner. The lids will be hinged tops decked out with cedar and travertine tile, similar to my keezer. Next, onto insulation, electrical, and the tops. I'm going out of town for the weekend to Traverse City to my buddies cottage and hitting the casino and a few microbreweries. Should be a riot! 
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02-15-2012, 11:19 PM
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#13
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Bloomfield, IA
Posts: 793
Liked 20 Times on 16 Posts Likes Given: 4
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subscribed! If this turns out half as good as your last builds it will be great!!
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02-17-2012, 02:01 PM
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#14
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Cedar Hollow Brewing
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ortonville/Oxford, Michigan
Posts: 1,235
Liked 47 Times on 43 Posts Likes Given: 67
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Thanks man. Going out of town this weekend....again, but plan on running the electrical and insulating the chambers next week. Hopefully next weekend I can build the lids and start trimming them out. I'll keep you posted. 
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02-17-2012, 02:53 PM
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#15
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Posts: 291
Likes Given: 4
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Very awesome build!
I'll be curious how well that mini fridge does to cool things down.
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02-17-2012, 04:11 PM
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#16
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Cedar Hollow Brewing
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ortonville/Oxford, Michigan
Posts: 1,235
Liked 47 Times on 43 Posts Likes Given: 67
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The goal is to decrease the cubic volume inside of the chamber as much as possible with insulation panels, so there is just enough room for two fermenter. I already removed the outside door and the freezer compartment door and plan on filling the entire cavity lower cavity of the fridge with stacked insulation panels to reduce volume. I then plan on installing a 6" Inductor fan to blow cold air out of the freezer compartment and into the chamber, with another fan pulling air back out of the chamber and back to the upper part of the fridge for re-cooling. It has worked well for my coffin keezer, so I hope it works for this. I think that the keys are going to be filling all dead space with insulation and decreasing the cubic volume as much as possible, maximizing R-value, and making the chamber as air tight as possible is the key. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I don't have a doubt that I'll be able to keep primary lager fermentation temps, but secondary lagering down into the 30's may be a bit far fetched for this unit. I'll probably have to get another small chest freezer for that.
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02-17-2012, 04:17 PM
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#17
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Posts: 129
Liked 3 Times on 3 Posts Likes Given: 10
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I'm glad to see you doing this. I have a small fridge from my dorm days as well. I had thought about making a lagering box much like you are doing, but I wasn't sure the little fridge could handle the south Louisiana heat. I was unable to find any information on the cooling unit for my fridge so I couldn't do any type of estimations on cooling capacity. If yours comes out and works well, I may give it a shot anyways and see what happens. If nothing else, I'll probably have a nice place to ferment my ales that's not taking up valuable inside space.
I'm going to be keeping up with this one, subscribed!
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02-17-2012, 05:03 PM
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#18
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Cedar Hollow Brewing
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ortonville/Oxford, Michigan
Posts: 1,235
Liked 47 Times on 43 Posts Likes Given: 67
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It may be a bit tougher making it work with the heat that you have to deal with down there. I'm hoping that with an already cool ambient temperature in the low 60's in my basement brewing room and with a tight system that the ole mini-fridge will keep up. If not....I can make room in the back of the box for a larger unit if needed. I'll keep you posted. 
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02-18-2012, 01:08 AM
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#20
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Puyallup, WA
Posts: 582
Liked 3 Times on 3 Posts Likes Given: 4
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I am totally subscribed to this one to Hop. Your builds blow me away.
__________________
The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind
- Humphrey Bogart
My Keezer Build
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