fermentation chamber build. in progress!

Well with only 4 brews (extract) I am slowly building up to all grain. One of the big things I need to greatly improve is my brew is a fermentation chamber (currently a closet). So the build began.

If I'm missing anything, doing something wrong or any tips please let me know. This is the reason why I am putting this on here.

Still building. Need to finish the insulation adding more and then seal it up, also add insulation on the door and weather strip. The love controller is in the mail and need to install 2 dc fans and wire it all up.

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More photos

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Looks good so far! I'm going to start working on one myself with an '80s Emerson minifridge. Thanks for the inspiration- off to the hardware store.

5R1NG5 said:

Looks good so far! I'm going to start working on one myself with an '80s Emerson minifridge. Thanks for the inspiration- off to the hardware store.

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Ditto

Thank you. So far the most tedious part has been the insulation. So much work to be done measuring, cutting, caulkng, and tapping. Now I'm putting plastic sheets on top of the insulation which isn't bad just cutting it isnt so much fun.

I will have more pics later.

All that is left is the insulation on the door, latch for the door, wire in fans and the love control.

Project is going pretty smooth and can't wait to use it for my first all grain batch!

Looking good - you're almost there!

I will be building out a fermentation fridge soon & have a question. What are you using for the plastic sheeting that you are lining the inside with?

Thanks -

Tom

^ It looks like FRP paneling.

tomCT said:

Looking good - you're almost there!

I will be building out a fermentation fridge soon & have a question. What are you using for the plastic sheeting that you are lining the inside with?

Thanks -

Tom

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Tom- the plastic is just a 4'x8' piece of thin plastic I got from home depot. I used a tool they sell for cutting fiber glass but just a utility knife would work. A tip would be to put wood underneath the plastic and you won't dull your knife. Then I used liquid nail to put it up and caulked all th seams. Good luck with your build and if you any questions feel free to ask.

I will be getting the love controller tloday so tomorrow I should be all done and then just have to stain it. I will have more pictures soon.

That looks great!
One question tho, it looks like you gutted a refrigerator of some sort for your cooling? How did you go about doing that? I really need a ferm chamber and that looks perfect!

hmmm...I have an extra mini-fridge that's not in use and too small for kegs or fermentors. Thanks for the inspiration for my next project.

ballz50401 said:

hmmm...I have an extra mini-fridge that's not in use and too small for kegs or fermentors. Thanks for the inspiration for my next project.

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I use a small mini fridge for my chamber, which holds 5 carboys no problem. The fridge hardly ever has to turn on and works great. I do have two 120V muffin fans for air circulation also.

Hmmmm... I have 2 mini-fridges in my basement collecting dust. Would 2 fridges make for a bigger & better fermentation chamber?

forgive the newbisism... lol... but what is this exactly for.. We are just sitting the carboys in the garage on a shelf.. Does this REGULATE temp and at what temp are you looking for etc... very cool

Coldies said:

^ It looks like FRP paneling.

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What's the point of that stuff? is it to keep the cold in better? I can't get my FC past 14c. I think i"m pretty well sealed up but could be getting leakage somewhere. Or my fridge just keeps crapping out on me when it runs too long.

mikeysab said:

What's the point of that stuff? is it to keep the cold in better? I can't get my FC past 14c. I think i"m pretty well sealed up but could be getting leakage somewhere. Or my fridge just keeps crapping out on me when it runs too long.

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Its water proof, making it easier to wipe up condensation or anything for that matter and for a cleaner finish. Well I would imagine thats why the OP used it, but I could be wrong

Firebat138 said:

forgive the newbisism... lol... but what is this exactly for.. We are just sitting the carboys in the garage on a shelf.. Does this REGULATE temp and at what temp are you looking for etc... very cool

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Yes, these chambers are to regulate the temp to keep the chamber at the 'optimal' temp for the yeast that is being used.

I keep mine in the basement where it's a constant 60F. I'd like to make a chamber someday, but ...

i gotcha... is there a "danger" temp... I dont think it ever gets above 75 in the garage, but I am not really sure

Coldies said:

Its water proof, making it easier to wipe up condensation or anything for that matter and for a cleaner finish. Well I would imagine thats why the OP used it, but I could be wrong

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That is exactly why I used it. Really easy to work with just need to do the prep and measure for the best fit, which equals less caulk.

Firebat138 said:

i gotcha... is there a "danger" temp... I dont think it ever gets above 75 in the garage, but I am not really sure

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I'm not sure what that cuttof would be. But from what I have read is the yeast don't like temps that are unstable. If you have an insulated garage your temps won't fluctuate alot but I'm sure they do from night to day. Also a thing to remember is that it might be 75 in the garage but your yeast is active a they produce heat inside the bucket/car boy. That is another thing to take into factor I think it is about 3 to 5 degrees warmer and that will produce unwanted flavors.

You planning on putting insulation on the inside of the door?

Beernip said:

You planning on putting insulation on the inside of the door?

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Did last night. I will post the pics tonight. I went above and beyond on that part.

So this is like an insert that i actually will wedge into the door opening. This was the easiest way due to the hinges being on the inside of the door. If I wouldn't of done this then i would of had to try and get the best seal around the hinge without effecting it closing all the way.



I still wanted to insulate the door just for safety. Also this might help people with ideas on insulating thier doors. This would be an easy way if the hinges were on the outside, then you could just do the whole door and not worry about the hinges.



This is the insert installed in the door way. It creates a nice seal with the weather stripping.



This is my love controller. Still haven't wired it in yet.

LambChop4Prez said:

That looks great!
One question tho, it looks like you gutted a refrigerator of some sort for your cooling? How did you go about doing that? I really need a ferm chamber and that looks perfect!

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Sorry for the delay.

All I did was take the original door off the mini fridge and built a frame around it. Then covered it up, insulated, and sealed. Everything else is extra and adds to the cosmetics like the wood trim, hinges on the inside versus hinges on the outside, and the wheels to make it mobile. So I will be staining it which I hope makes it look real nice.

Not bad to make just want to make sure its sealed and well insulated.

Wow, looks great! Thanks for posting all the pictures

This is exactly how I'm building mine. Nice job.

glavini said:

This is exactly how I'm building mine. Nice job.

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Thanks. It has been a lot of fun. I really enjoyed. I wish there was an easy way to convert this into a fermentation chamber/ kegerator.

Good luck on your build. Post pics!

Here is 2 coats of cherry.



I like it but i don't think im a big fan of cherry. Im going to put more coats on and the seal it.

ALL DONE!!!



Installed the fan to turn on when the fridge does and that is the temp probe on the floor.




Now I can't wait to put it to use!

How would the 12v muffin fans be wired? Thanks.

The wires are tied in with the fridge (the normally open contacts). So when the normally open contacts close, which will now turn on the fridge and the fan. Once it hits it set point it opens the contacts and deenergizes the fridge and fan.

I like the design a lot - looks very similar, if slightly smaller, than the one I just started building. Also - I love the idea of the plastic lining. Definitely going to have to try to steal that idea. Is the stuff difficult to rough cut down to size? I'd hate to drag my trailer all the way down to HD just for a thin sheet of plastic...

Also, one other question, as I'm a little unsure how crazy to go with my chamber: how much did you insulate the top? My plan calls for 1" of rigid foam inside the 2x4 frame and then another 1" of foam inside that - but I can already tell it's going to be a bear to get inside to mount that inside chunk of foam on the top of the chamber...

Nice! Good work!

stratslinger said:

I like the design a lot - looks very similar, if slightly smaller, than the one I just started building. Also - I love the idea of the plastic lining. Definitely going to have to try to steal that idea. Is the stuff difficult to rough cut down to size? I'd hate to drag my trailer all the way down to HD just for a thin sheet of plastic...

Also, one other question, as I'm a little unsure how crazy to go with my chamber: how much did you insulate the top? My plan calls for 1" of rigid foam inside the 2x4 frame and then another 1" of foam inside that - but I can already tell it's going to be a bear to get inside to mount that inside chunk of foam on the top of the chamber...

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The plastic wasnt hard. Used a utility knife, a straight edge to hold the utility knife against to get a nice straight cut, and scrap wood underneath the plastic to prevent the blade from hitting the concrete and dulling it.

I have an 1.5" of insulation all around and it seems to work pretty good. The more insulation the less the compressor has to work. It was hard putting in the insulation, tedious trying to get straight pieces and a good fit. The better fit the less you will have to fill the voids.

Bucks-04 said:

The wires are tied in with the fridge (the normally open contacts). So when the normally open contacts close, which will now turn on the fridge and the fan. Once it hits it set point it opens the contacts and deenergizes the fridge and fan.

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I have no experience with building one of these, but would that be sending 120v to a 12v fan? (I assume not... so help me understand) I ask because I will be building one of these in the near future.. Thanks.

Zeppman said:

I have no experience with building one of these, but would that be sending 120v to a 12v fan? (I assume not... so help me understand) I ask because I will be building one of these in the near future.. Thanks.

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I went to radio shack and bought a 120v AC fane for 20$. Some people us a DC fan but it requires more things to be plugged in and I wanted a clean look with wiring.

The love controller (temperature controller) is powered by 120V AC which pretty much acts like a light switch. All the love controller is doing is cyclying the power on and off to the fridge when it reaches the set points. The same wires that go to the refrigerator from the love controller I put jumper wires and also fed it to the fan. So whenever the fridge gets the power to turn on so does the fan.

I hope that helps with the idea of how it works. There are a lot of threads on here on how to wire which is the same thing I did except for putting in the additional jumpers to thr fan.

Ok, so it was a 120v fan... i must of misread previously. Thanks!

Zeppman said:

Ok, so it was a 120v fan... i must of misread previously. Thanks!

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Someone earlier said 12v, which I did say DC fans and then changed my mind during the build and put in an AC fan.

Another question occurs to me: what tool did you use to cut the rigid insulation down to size? Hacksaw with a fine blade, or something else entirely?

Hey bucks. What love controller did you get? Just picked up a mini fridge today on cl and going to try building this weekend. Thanks.