Is 5 cu ft Fermentation chamber large enough?

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roxy35

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Hello,
Just starting here and my wife is complaining about the rotten egg my hefe yeast is giving off. So, I convinced her to allow me to get a chest freezer, thermo control kit. I'm pumped because now I can keep it in the garage AND brew in the hot summer months.

Ive been browsing Craigslist and have been reading a lot but can't seem to find my answer. I know I could just make some cut outs and travel to HD or Lowes, but I don't have much free time and was hoping to do my homework well, at home!

I'm looking at Holiday 5 cu ft freezer (Shop Holiday 5 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer (Color: White) at Lowes.com) but want to make sure it will fit my 2 6.5 gallon buckets. Most all I've read is about fitting carboys, and I'm not sure if the size would be the exact same. Most say it cannot fit 2 carboys, but like I said I use buckets. I may down the road use carboys, but I'm fine with buckets. Price is definitely a huge concern. I had hoped to stay under 150 for both the freezer and temp control but am having trouble finding a decent freezer on craigslist.

Does anybody who has this setup comment on their experience? Thanks!
 
I'd say measure your 2 fermentors and then look at the specs of the freezer. Says its 33.25"H x 22.06"D x 28.34"W, might be a tight fit but seems like it could work.

Don't forget to add the height of the airlocks.
 
^ those are exterior dimensions. and don't forget about the hump inside.

buckets are 11.75" diameter and carboys are 10.75" diameter. I doubt 2 buckets will fit.
 
I have a 7 CF freezer that won't fit two buckets below the hump. Without a collar, there's little chance that freezer would fit two buckets.

Mine WILL however fit one bucket and a carboy. So two carboys MIGHT be able to squeeze in there, but I still think you may need a collar to utilize the "hump" space.
 
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