Shockerengr
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2007
- Messages
- 469
- Reaction score
- 34
So for several years now, I've always fermented in heavily modified fridge to control temperatures. After getting spoiled by the conicals at the local microbrewery I help with I decided that I too needed to upgrade my fermenting situation and bought a plasticmart 15 gal conical.
This led to a few issues:
1. The new conical required partially dismantling the fridge to get it in or out.
2. With the thick plastic on the conical, the thermal transfer was pretty poor.
3. Because of #2, crash cooling didn't work that great anymore.
Besides that, the fridge had really seen it's better days...
Fit in the old fridge:
So something new was needed.
Some of the requirements I had:
1. It needed to be insulated, as the fridge lives in my garage, and it gets to 110/120 in the summers sometimes....and still get to lager temps.
2. It needs to fit 2 conicals, with flexibility on type (my next one may be a brewhemoth, which is taller)
3. The two conicals need to have independent temp control.
4. It needs to be able to cool 15 gallons of wort 20 degrees within an hour for summertime.
5. Optionally, it should be able to function as a fridge if need be.
This led to a few issues:
1. The new conical required partially dismantling the fridge to get it in or out.
2. With the thick plastic on the conical, the thermal transfer was pretty poor.
3. Because of #2, crash cooling didn't work that great anymore.
Besides that, the fridge had really seen it's better days...
Fit in the old fridge:
So something new was needed.
Some of the requirements I had:
1. It needed to be insulated, as the fridge lives in my garage, and it gets to 110/120 in the summers sometimes....and still get to lager temps.
2. It needs to fit 2 conicals, with flexibility on type (my next one may be a brewhemoth, which is taller)
3. The two conicals need to have independent temp control.
4. It needs to be able to cool 15 gallons of wort 20 degrees within an hour for summertime.
5. Optionally, it should be able to function as a fridge if need be.