Ice Cooled Fermentation Chamber

Hey all,

I have been doing research on fermentation chambers ... This past summer I was unable to keep the temperatures I wanted (too much fluctuation). I have seen two main types:

Son Of Fermentation Chiller

38DD Mother of a Fermentation Chiller

I see that there are differences in how the ice is handled; does that affect the temperatures within the fermentation chamber?

It seems that the Son of Fermentation Chiller could hold more ice (4 gallon jugs) than the 38DD Mother of a Fermentation Chiller (2 Tupperware containers); are there any issues with that?

What are the pros and cons of each?

Thanks for all your help!!!

MT

I made a SOF chamber a few years ago and it works great. I still use it occasionally when my main fermentation chamber is occupied or if I want to ferment something at a different temp.

If you use the round water bottles ( they are a little smaller than a gallon) you can stack 3 on each side.

I made a few slight mods to the design. I used some brass tubing for the dowels instead of the grommets. Much more durable. I also put some white board on the bottom so that it is more durable. Instead of having the whole top removeable I made most of it attached and just have the small part over the ice chambers removeable. Much more sturdy that way.I also put it on a platform with casters to easily move it around.

There are some pics of mine in this thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/best-tools-son-fermentation-chamber-340884/