Chest Freezer Fermentation Chamber
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jeepinjeepin
Well-Known Member
I have seen light bulbs loosely shrouded in aluminum foil. You are going to want a good ceramic socket that can take the heat in that case. You just need to find the break point to use the lowest wattage bulb while still holding your temp up so the fridge barely cycles. It won't hurt to use a higher wattage than needed, you will just be paying to heat and cool at the same time.
EuBrew
Well-Known Member
I see a lot of people using the 20 dollar space heaters.
jakecpunut
Well-Known Member
40 watt bulb works for me in a 15 cf chest freezer.. no foil or anything..
bmbigda
Well-Known Member
I use one of those hanging, caged utility lights. I use a high wattage bulb but that's because my chest freezer in the garage in New England
JackSmith
Well-Known Member
You can make it as simple or complicated as you want. For instance, EdWort takes the simple route. He lets a light bulb dangle in the chamber - always on - and let's the freezer cycle to keep it cool when necessary. I, on the other hand, went a little more complicated. I use a two-stage temp controller with a space heater. Temp gets high, the freezer kicks on. Temp gets low, the heater kicks on. The heater doesn't kick on much during most of the year..
DrJerryrigger
Well-Known Member
Another option is a fish tank heater in a water bath. This means you have to use a water bath... If you don't already do this the light bulb is a good choice.
If you have the thermostat on the freezer already set up for fermenting, then simply adding a light bulb or two will be the simplest thing to do. I'd recommend (as someone said) covering the bulb in Al foil. This way it won't give off infrared which would heat things closer to it, but would more just heat the air. A little fan may be a good idea too. Something small and cheap, just to keep the air moving a little. If you go this rout, you likely would only need a 40watt bulb, but bigger would work too (you'd just use more electricity, for the bulb, and the freezer running).
A space heater is really much more powerful than you need, and could be a fire hazard. It could work out, but you'd be at the whim of a really cheap thermostat.
If you have the thermostat on the freezer already set up for fermenting, then simply adding a light bulb or two will be the simplest thing to do. I'd recommend (as someone said) covering the bulb in Al foil. This way it won't give off infrared which would heat things closer to it, but would more just heat the air. A little fan may be a good idea too. Something small and cheap, just to keep the air moving a little. If you go this rout, you likely would only need a 40watt bulb, but bigger would work too (you'd just use more electricity, for the bulb, and the freezer running).
A space heater is really much more powerful than you need, and could be a fire hazard. It could work out, but you'd be at the whim of a really cheap thermostat.
I live in Florida also. Never had to use anything to keep warm. Been fermenting in a chest freezer for about 3 years.
As others have said, if you feel the need, just throw in a small lamp or light source and let your temp controller keep it cool. I would think your beer would need to be protected from the light though if it was on for say all night.
Does artificial light skunk beer as well?
As others have said, if you feel the need, just throw in a small lamp or light source and let your temp controller keep it cool. I would think your beer would need to be protected from the light though if it was on for say all night.
Does artificial light skunk beer as well?
DrJerryrigger
Well-Known Member
Florescent lights do, but incandescent lights give off very very little UV light. And if rapped in Al foil, they give of none, just heat. Also if an incandescent is put on a dimmer switch, the spectrum will be even more red heavy at lower out put levels.
I'm doing something similar using 2 outputs from a BCS-460 to control freezer and heat. I just picked up a boot dryer (60 watt) to use as the heat source. If it doesn't work at least I will have a useable item. I won't know the results until this winter when the garage gets down to 35 deg. or so.
I find it very useful for both brewing and fermentation control. I have it mounted in a small box on the wall with 2 SSR's and outlets for the fermentation freezer/heater. It's connected to the brewery control by 2 cat5 cables which carry the low voltage signals to/from the brewery.
This allows me to keep the BCS-460 controlling fermentation even if the brewery is disconnected from power.
Nomadtribe
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What is the bcs? I have limited, very limited electrical skills and would like to use a dual stage thermo for heating and cooling in my uninsulated garage this winter. What is my best option for a thermo? It will go in a 15 cft chestie. I was thinking about a small spaxe htr. Thanks to all.
jeepinjeepin
Well-Known Member
Nomadtribe said:
I would get 2 temp controllers and a heat source of some kind. One controller for the freezer and the other for a heater. Adjust them for a high and low limit. If you get a fermwrap you can get as crazy as setting your freezer to a lager temp and your fermwrap to an ale temp and do them both in the same freezer.
Nomadtribe
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Ok, so in Northern MI temps get low, for example if it is consistently 20 degrees outside, my garage's ambient is not going to be much higher. Will I be able to regulate ale temps into the upper 60s?
The BCS-460 and BCS-462 are controllers with multiple outputs that can be either on/off, proportional or PID controlled. They have multiple temperature sensor inputs as well as on/off inputs. They are great for controlling a complete brewing system for heat, pumps and valves.
Check out http://www.embeddedcontrolconcepts.com/ for details.
I use one for my brewery with two outputs and one temperature input reserved for the fermentation chamber.
ChuckO said:
Interesting.
A bit
topic...but this might be ideal for a concept I've been working on. I want to be able to do something like the following... I understand if you don't think it's the best way, but there's a damn good reason:
Let's say I'm using a blog or a simple webpage, and regularly updating it with temperatures. I would basically want the BCS to change the setpoint to my main temperature. In addition, I would provide future temperatures to change the setpoint to at specified times... but these future temperatures would be more of a "failsafe" approximation, just in case I either don't update it by those specific points in time, there are problems connecting to the blog, etc - ideally, these "future" temperatures would never have to be used.
Now, obviously, it's just not built to interpret outside websites. So this is what I'm wondering. If I standardized the way I posted temperatures and times, could I somehow get the BCS to basically access/refresh the website every 5 minutes (or whatever interval), parse the relevant information, and accordingly change its setpoint as well as set up the "failsafe" future temps so that it could continue to change its setpoint if, for whatever reason, it doesn't receive updated instructions by the specified time?
jeepinjeepin
Well-Known Member
I feel sure that is possible. Aren't you supposed to be able to network the BCS and watch/adjust remotely? If that is possible all the hard work has been done for you.
jeepinjeepin said:
I'm guessing so as well... but I guess the main thing is the whole "future temp" thing... and if that's doable, even if the unit loses contact with the network. I'm assuming it could somehow be worked into the configuration file I'm reading about, but it largely depends on how it reads the configuration file. If it's only on startup, that's kind of useless, but if I can force it to refresh every time it gets an update, that'd be better, and if I can get it to automatically refresh at a certain time interval, regardless of network status, that's even better.
I'm also wondering if I'll need to write a totally separate and independently functioning program to act as the "middle man", so to speak - accessing the page, parsing the information, and updating the instructions on the BCS unit. Obviously this software would need to run at all times on a PC that is running at all times, which I want to avoid if possible. And I REALLY want to avoid having the BCS rely on such a program to store the future temp information, requiring it to send the instructions only at the specified time, since the possibility of software/PC/network issues or downtime ruins much of the point of the whole failsafe setup.
Interesting.
A bit
...but this might be ideal for a concept I've been working on. I want to be able to do something like the following... I understand if you don't think it's the best way, but there's a damn good reason:
Let's say I'm using a blog or a simple webpage, and regularly updating it with temperatures. I would basically want the BCS to change the setpoint to my main temperature. In addition, I would provide future temperatures to change the setpoint to at specified times... but these future temperatures would be more of a "failsafe" approximation, just in case I either don't update it by those specific points in time, there are problems connecting to the blog, etc - ideally, these "future" temperatures would never have to be used.
Now, obviously, it's just not built to interpret outside websites. So this is what I'm wondering. If I standardized the way I posted temperatures and times, could I somehow get the BCS to basically access/refresh the website every 5 minutes (or whatever interval), parse the relevant information, and accordingly change its setpoint as well as set up the "failsafe" future temps so that it could continue to change its setpoint if, for whatever reason, it doesn't receive updated instructions by the specified time?
The BCS-460 has a web interface and runs up to 8 programs of 8 steps each. If you are into web design, you can communicate with the BCS through get/post commands, or use the built in interface. The programming is a state machine with 4 possible exit conditions from each state, so you can set something like mash to 154 deg. for 60 minutes, or until I press a continue button. Then move to a step that adjusts a RIMS temperature to 170 for mash out, exiting that to a timed step when the mash has reached the 170 point.
Right now I am watching the fermentation temperature and strike water in another window while I write this. I can adjust temperature set points and tell when I should go to the garage and start brewing.
I haven't done a build thread of my system because of posting pictures. I'm on dial up internet from my subrural (others have suburban for being slightly below cities, where I am is very much below rural) location.
ibwahooka
Member
I live in Georgia and I just did the myself with a freezer and a temperature controller. I used this one:
Ranco ETC-1110000
Try that on for size.
-Shawn
bmbigda
Well-Known Member
That will not work for what the OP is looking to do. Like others have mentioned above, you'll need a two-stage controller. One stage is for cooling (wired to the chest freezer) and one stage is for heating (wired to a heat source inside the freezer).
For some people, yourself likely being one of them, you can maybe get away with a single stage if your climate is consistently warm or consistently hot. But even when I was using single stage in the summer, the chest freezer was over compensating by the time the temp. controller kicked it off. Then it would have to wait for the outside ambient air to heat it back up (can be a significant amount of time considering how well insulated chest freezers are).
Bottom line, buy a two-stage and you will be very happy with it. You can do a wide range of things with it from Lagers at low temps to Saison at high temps.
bmbigda
Well-Known Member
Of course, you can do what other posters have suggested and have an "always on" heat source inside the freezer. That will work but in my opinion, it makes more sense to spend the $25 more on a two-stage. I'm sure you will exceed that $25 on the your electric bill over time by having a light bulb on in there constantly.
ibwahooka
Member
I saw the whole thing about living in FL and didn't register that he wanted to keep it warmer.
In the few months that it did get cold, why couldn't he unplug the freezer all together and use the single stage controller to operate a shop light inside the freezer? It might be kind of a pain, but since he really only needs a warmer environment two months out of the year, that might be a better option. That way the ambient temperature of the garage (I would think no cooler than 50-60 degrees) could help with the regulation of the temperature.
Just a thought.
In the few months that it did get cold, why couldn't he unplug the freezer all together and use the single stage controller to operate a shop light inside the freezer? It might be kind of a pain, but since he really only needs a warmer environment two months out of the year, that might be a better option. That way the ambient temperature of the garage (I would think no cooler than 50-60 degrees) could help with the regulation of the temperature.
Just a thought.
bmbigda
Well-Known Member
The answer to your question is yes. You need a two-stage temperature controller. The most popular one on these forums is made by Love. I own that, and live in a similar climate as you. My chest freezer is in my garage. I have a 100 watt utility lights inside the freezer as the heat source. I once kept the freezer in the 90's with this method. (NOTE: 100W is probably excessive).
As far as not having an electrical skills, there are several threads on here that walk you thru the wiring process of the Love controller. It is very easy and a nice way to gain some wiring experience.
bmbigda
Well-Known Member
What you're suggesting definitely works in theory, and I've heard of people doing it.
But in reality, his temperatures don't just drop overnight and stay like that for exactly 2 months. There's a period of time where it could be cold one day, warm the next, then mild. It's this reason that makes a two-stage controller much more convenient and hassle free.
There's an amazing difference between South Florida and Northern Florida, even more if you live on the Panhandle in Pensacola like I do.
Though it only lasts a few weeks, it is not uncommon for temps to to get down into the teens. Last year, we saw temps down to 18 degrees at my house. My attached garage got down to 38 degrees at that point.
An article in Florida Today stated,
I was thinking in the same direction as the OP. I'm moving my brewing activities from my garage to my work shed in the back yard. I have no heating or air conditioning in that building so freezing temps in our short winter were on my mind. After finally finding a chest freezer on Craigslist.org I wanted to address my temp controls. I ended up purchasing a Control Products TC-9102D-HV dual stage temp controller for $60 on Amazon.com (free shipping with Amazon Prime.)
Putting it all together was fairly easy. I used a spare power strip I had and scavenged the wire from it. I ran to Home Depot and purchased:
steel electrical box: 050169006702, $2.04
wire nuts: 781789732121, $2.69
face plate: 050169008645 , $0.62
15A Outlet: 078477151426, $0.59
box spacer: 051411916411, $0.92
romex connectors: 051411205119, $1.54
The subtotal was $8.40 for all the parts.
Wiring the unit up was pretty easy, the documentation comes with a wiring diagram that did not need a basic understanding of a schematic to understand. I separated one of the bridge pieces on the 15A outlet so that each receptacle was independent.
Though it only lasts a few weeks, it is not uncommon for temps to to get down into the teens. Last year, we saw temps down to 18 degrees at my house. My attached garage got down to 38 degrees at that point.
An article in Florida Today stated,
I was thinking in the same direction as the OP. I'm moving my brewing activities from my garage to my work shed in the back yard. I have no heating or air conditioning in that building so freezing temps in our short winter were on my mind. After finally finding a chest freezer on Craigslist.org I wanted to address my temp controls. I ended up purchasing a Control Products TC-9102D-HV dual stage temp controller for $60 on Amazon.com (free shipping with Amazon Prime.)
Putting it all together was fairly easy. I used a spare power strip I had and scavenged the wire from it. I ran to Home Depot and purchased:
steel electrical box: 050169006702, $2.04
wire nuts: 781789732121, $2.69
face plate: 050169008645 , $0.62
15A Outlet: 078477151426, $0.59
box spacer: 051411916411, $0.92
romex connectors: 051411205119, $1.54
The subtotal was $8.40 for all the parts.
Wiring the unit up was pretty easy, the documentation comes with a wiring diagram that did not need a basic understanding of a schematic to understand. I separated one of the bridge pieces on the 15A outlet so that each receptacle was independent.
