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swem

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I am moving my rig inside, my basement to be exact. Am I going to run into a bunch of moisture issues if I forgo a range hood? I didn't run into issues upstairs but it did get super humid on brew day. If I cover the Keggle most of the time will it take care of it? What's working for you guys?
 
Personally, I would be prepared to have some type of forced ventilation from the basement to the outside. Above-ground areas of the house seem to have more inherent ventilation - opening and closing doors, occasional bath fans, and such. Basement air moisture is more critical depending on the construction of your below-ground basement walls. if it is bare concrete, there would be fewer problems than insulated and finished walls which could trap moisture long enough for mold to grow.

A keggle would boil off, what, two gallons? That is like filling up a garden sprayer and emptying it on the ceiling and walls. Maybe that is OK for your construction, maybe not.
 
Brewing in my last basement I had condensation forming on the exposed ductwork and plumbing. I went around with a towel at the end of the brew wiping things down for a while. I didn't have problems beyond that. However, it was a rather large space, with exposed concrete block on 3 walls.
 
When I brew in my unfinished basement area, the humidity will spike for short time. I don't use a range hood.
During the winter months it drys out again within a day.
During the summer, I mash inside but move the boil outside. Never had any long term issues related to brewing indoors.
 
I really think you are going to need lots of ventilation. Or maybe you really like mold.
 
Don't cover your boil kettle! Sure, that will slow down evaporation but that causes flavor issues with the beer (as boiling is what boils off the DMS precursors).

I have a big fan and an open door when I brew, blowing over the boil kettle and out the full length door, and I brew in a ground floor room. Even so, after a couple of years of this I'm having some ceiling tiles looking a little, er, bulgy. I like in a fairly dry climate, although we will get up to 60% humidity in the summer. In the winter, the moisture is probably welcome in my house as the hygrometer says around 30% humidity in my house in the winter months.

A range hood is a great idea, but if not a range hood then there needs some way for the moisture to escape.
 
I put a fan in a basement window. It gets a little humid and I can see some steam during the boil. I run the fan for 20 - 30 minutes after the boil and it airs out the basement very well...no issues. Must work pretty well, as I get no scent in the house upstairs, yet the entire back yard smells like a brewery.

 
Running a dehumidifier (they are standard items here in Wisconsin) while you brew and for a few hours afterwards might be a good idea. That will quickly extract any of that moisture out of your basement.

If you can, brew closest to a window and open it. Place a fan in that window. I would also make sure there is no ducting, wire, pipe directly above your kettle. If you have old ducting/plumbing/etc and hit it with steam for an hour +, it is going to be dripping back into your kettle. Depending on the material, that could be toxic.

If you dont have a range hood directly above your kettle, I recommend you cover the ceiling portion above your kettle with a large piece of plastic like this: http://buy.gissn.com/Sheet-HDPE-White-1-4-In-Th-12-x-24-In-p/3hml4.htm

It also wouldn't hurt to use this on the wall behind your kettle. They have it in larger sheets. It wipes clean and is food grade.
 
I think you really need something, but that something can vary from a nice inline fan and ductwork outside the house, to a simple box fan shooting air over your kettle and out the window. Depends on your basement layout, of course.

If I try to boil without a fan pushing that steam outside I get a fog in the room, really thick, and really bad idea. I now throw an inline fan suspended from hooks between my boil kettle and my window, works great. Take it down after. But it does require a window...
 
I bought a 300CFM SS range hood with a 4" exhaust line for my setup. Boiling off about a gallon or so an hour, that range hood still can't keep up. I have to constantly wipe down the under side of the hood.

I plan to eventually upgrade to something closer to 600 CFM.
 
Thanks for all the info guys, I guess I knew the answer before I even asked. I will need to set up a range hood as its going to be finished very soon. With all the $$ i am having to stick in my basement I was hoping to get away cheaper, but at the same time I might just as well do it now to avoid problems in the future. Also swmbo will want it to look nice If its going to be allowed there.
 
Just something to keep in mind: sucking air away from the kettle (i.e. window exhaust fan or range hood) is MUCH more effective than blowing air over the kettle (i.e. floor fan). I know you said you were going with a range hood so you may already know this but it is better said than not. Good luck! :mug:
 
I do not have a hood but I do have a 400CFM inline 6 inch fan that vents directly out side and 80FCM 4 inch inline fan to bring air in from outside on the opposite side of the house. I use propane so air flow is mandatory for me. I have not had moisture issues even in the summer. Does get pretty cold in the brew room in the winter.
 
I will need to set up a range hood as its going to be finished very soon. ----- Also swmbo will want it to look nice If its going to be allowed there.

OK, a range hood it is. I will warn you that anything less than a premium unit may not move enough air....Just my opinion, but a simple $30 box fan in a window will move a hell of a lot more air than a mid line range hood with a 4" duct. Takes all of a minute to install and take down...good luck with the project.

Cheers!
 
I do not have a hood but I do have a 400CFM inline 6 inch fan that vents directly out side and 80FCM 4 inch inline fan to bring air in from outside on the opposite side of the house. I use propane so air flow is mandatory for me. I have not had moisture issues even in the summer. Does get pretty cold in the brew room in the winter.

Too bad a heated make up air unit is a little out of financial reach for the average homeowner! I will have a similar setup when I actually own a house. You do have a CO sensor right?
 
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