FYI - the 20 gallon Rubbermaid "Roughneck" trashcan makes a great little chamber for holding a carboy. It holds my 6 gallon glass and the airlock still fits with the lid on. I think there is probably less than an inch of clearance between the airlock and the top of the lid....so it fits perfectly.
I live in TX and don't like to pay for a lot of AC run time while I'm not home, so I need some cooling method. This works great if you're looking to do something on the cheap. I set the carboy in the trashcan and fill the can with water to just above the beer level. I have a thermometer in the beer and another in the water. If the temps are getting much over 70F I drop in some ice packs (usually i'll put some in in the morning, then again in the evening. I've got 2 sets of ice packs so one is in the freezer while the other is in the can.) There is enough water in there that temperatures are fairly stable and don't swing dramatically.
I use my sanitized water to fill up the can when I'm done brewing...don't want nasty stagnate water growing who knows what surrounding the precious beer
Another advantage, if you have a real intense fermentation and pop the top you'll have less mess to deal with, you're water will be stinky, but at least it won't be on your floor....It would have to be a pretty explosive brew for the airlock to knock off the trashcan lid.
The trash cans cost $13 and change around here. I found them in the garden center at the home depot (they weren't in the main store).
I'm looking around for a used chest freezer to convert, but until then this got me started cheaply.
I also set the whole thing on top of a cooler, so that when its time to rack out you have the elevation differential to siphon well. Pulling a full carboy out of there and carrying it to a table top is a disaster waiting to happen. While racking your bottle will begin to float after a while, which could disturb the trub....I recommend either siphoning out water first or being ready with a small bucket...sticking a valve at the bottom of the can would work great too if you can keep it from leaking
I'd consider wrapping it in insulation, but I think I've got my mind set on the chest freezer, so no sense in spending the cash on a soon to be obsolete tool....
I hope this info helps someone thinking about cooling solutions....and if you've got something to add I'd love to hear it!
I live in TX and don't like to pay for a lot of AC run time while I'm not home, so I need some cooling method. This works great if you're looking to do something on the cheap. I set the carboy in the trashcan and fill the can with water to just above the beer level. I have a thermometer in the beer and another in the water. If the temps are getting much over 70F I drop in some ice packs (usually i'll put some in in the morning, then again in the evening. I've got 2 sets of ice packs so one is in the freezer while the other is in the can.) There is enough water in there that temperatures are fairly stable and don't swing dramatically.
I use my sanitized water to fill up the can when I'm done brewing...don't want nasty stagnate water growing who knows what surrounding the precious beer
Another advantage, if you have a real intense fermentation and pop the top you'll have less mess to deal with, you're water will be stinky, but at least it won't be on your floor....It would have to be a pretty explosive brew for the airlock to knock off the trashcan lid.
The trash cans cost $13 and change around here. I found them in the garden center at the home depot (they weren't in the main store).
I'm looking around for a used chest freezer to convert, but until then this got me started cheaply.
I also set the whole thing on top of a cooler, so that when its time to rack out you have the elevation differential to siphon well. Pulling a full carboy out of there and carrying it to a table top is a disaster waiting to happen. While racking your bottle will begin to float after a while, which could disturb the trub....I recommend either siphoning out water first or being ready with a small bucket...sticking a valve at the bottom of the can would work great too if you can keep it from leaking
I'd consider wrapping it in insulation, but I think I've got my mind set on the chest freezer, so no sense in spending the cash on a soon to be obsolete tool....
I hope this info helps someone thinking about cooling solutions....and if you've got something to add I'd love to hear it!
then keep the trash can around in case i want to do some lagering in the freezer.....
