Need to tap into the knowledge pool on keezer build.

Heres what I got, I brew/store my homebrew in my shed (20X12) I currently have a full size fridge out there that i hold two corneys in with simple cobra (picnic) taps. Well, I'm ready to upgrade and have already found a chest freezer to convert and then convert the fridge into a fermentation chamber. The shed is not heated or cooled, no insulation either. What obstacles will I have to deal with, I assume I will need to heat the fermentation fridge for those cold winter days, and I don't think a heating belt will be enough. On the keezer, I assume I'll need a fan to circulate cool air to minimize compressor usage. Anything else I need to think about before I start this project? I know someone out there must have used a shed before.... cheers.

My chest freezer sits in my uninsulated garage. I need to have 2 controllers in it during the winter. One for the freezer part to cool it in the middle of the day, and another when the temps crash at night or during winter storms to run the tiny space heater I have in it.

I know that there are dual controllers out there, but I'm an electronic wiring moron and prefer to just set two thermostats to keep it in the acceptable carbing/serving range.

no issues with a space heater? what size did you use? are there other options? I was thinking of using a light bulb like I do under the house to prevent pipes from freezing, but this I got worried the light would harm the beer. Although I don't think a light bulb emits UV does it? yeah yeah I know, I worry too much!...lol

You could use one of the heaters made for snake and lizard terrariums.

wait, you said freezer, you mean I might have to heat my keezer also? geez, I was thinking only the fermentation chamber. Dang!

electrichead said:

You could use one of the heaters made for snake and lizard terrariums.

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Would you use that in addition to a heating belt?

Snafu said:

Would you use that in addition to a heating belt?

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One or the other. You just need enough heat output to keep the temps where you want them. Some on here use a light bulb. What controller are you planning on using? Something like the Love Tss2 would allow you to control both the freezer and a heat source.

You can use most any controller for heating or cooling. IMO, you probably won't need to rig for both at the same time. Most of the time you will either need to heating or cooling and the rest of the time neither.

IME, using a fan in a freezer will increase the compressor run time, but it will help provide more uniform temperatures throughout. I run a small muffin fan continuously in my serving freezer.

I'm guessing something like a computer fan would be enough?

Snafu said:

I'm guessing something like a computer fan would be enough?

Click to expand...

Yes.

If you have larger temp swings, consider a 2 stage controller. The ebay aquarium controller works well, and is easy to wire. Schematics and such are in that thread too. One set point, and it will keep it where it needs to be - whether it cools or warms.

A light bulb wrapped in foil works well if you are concerned about the light, as does the reptile heaters that screw into a lamp base.

I brew in a frig in my garage. my thermostat for cooling i bought from local hardware store wired one side to turn on frig(cooling) other side to heat rock for reptile cage. this way when one is on the other is off. it takes some time for the heat rock to get temp up enough to turn frig back on. temp stays with in 3 degress all year long. of course i'm in central valley of cali so never to cold.

Your best bet would be to buy a true, two-stage controller where you can set a setpoint where the heater and the cooler can keep things within a couple of degrees F. Obviously, the cooler will be the freezer (or refrigerator) compressor. The heater can be a light bulb, a ceramic reptile bulb, or a small, space heater. I would not bother with the brew belt, as fermentation is an exothermic reaction, and keeping the ambient temp where you want it will certainly keep the beer warm enough. A circulation fan will even the temperature within the space, but that is less important. My $.02.

Excellent ideas! I like the two stage controller. Easy enough to build. I'm going to pick up lumber today. What are most of you using for thickness? 1", 1 1/2", 2"? I think I only need 4" wide boards as I don't need extra height for the kegs.

I'm just finishing mine up. I used 1" with 1.5" foam insulation. The insulation might not have been totally necessary but I figured it could only help. A 2x4 should be ok on its own. I mounted the controller in the front of the collar.

So far so good, I found that the plastic lid on the top, wasn't allowing a good seal so I removed it expecting to find foam insulation, wrong, nasty yellow fiberglass. It actually had a fair amount of moisture in it (and the freezer has been off for 2 months). Anyway, I removed that as well and will replace it with foam. I opted to glue the collar straight to the lid so it will lift everything out of my way when loading and unloading the keezer. I went with 4" maple and plan to stain it. More to come this weekend! Oh and sorry for the crappy cell phone pics!

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110203_180952.jpg

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110205_124433.jpg

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110207_173304.jpg

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110208_205204-1.jpg

Lookin good.

Thanks, I since added stain to the maple, drilled 3 of the 6 taps, first coats of paint on the freezer (hunter green) and the chalk board paint on the lid and on the side of the new fermentation fridge. I also added some small trim to the maple to give it an "older" look. Up next is mount the hardware, remount the lid, insulate and new weatherstripping.

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110212_220132.jpg

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110212_220142.jpg

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110213_121621.jpg

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110213_121634.jpg

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110213_121646.jpg

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110213_130058.jpg

EDIT - I've already applied the 2nd coat of green pain and it looks wonderful, those first coats ofgreen and chalkboard were really thin, the white was really showing thru.

Oh and for those that may be following along, I just used liquid nails to attach the trim on with. Its so small that I would need to use a air hammer to shoot in the brads. I guess I'll see how it holds up before I borrow dads air hammer. lol

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/paul1965/IMG_20110212_180152.jpg

Oh yeah, one other thing (thanks to lack of planning), the drip pan. It obviously isn't going to be attached to the wood collar, so that leaves me two choices as I see it. 1. The risky choice, extremely short self taping sheet metal screws. Cooling coils "should" be on the inner side of the walls so a shallow screw "should" be ok. Keep in mind they use a much larger screw for the hinges. Option 2, the safe choice, would be to adhere strong earth magnets to the drip tray, might cause some damage to the paint over time. is there an option 3?