My fermentation chamber build

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Keezer is set to turn on at 39 turn off at 37. The actual fluctuation is 34 - 41 in the keezer due to the delay in the temp probe and the delay in the keezer wall starting to cool down. Temps where done without anything fermenting I should be doing another brew this week though. I set a probe thermometer right at the air intake inside the fermenter and it was registering 43 degrees as the air temp coming in. The ambient temp inside seems to be hover around 60 +/- a degree or 2.
 
I'm very interested to hear how well the temps are maintained during fermentation. I plan on doing a FC very similar to this one.
 
Chrisl77 said:
Keezer is set to turn on at 39 turn off at 37. The actual fluctuation is 34 - 41 in the keezer due to the delay in the temp probe and the delay in the keezer wall starting to cool down. Temps where done without anything fermenting I should be doing another brew this week though. I set a probe thermometer right at the air intake inside the fermenter and it was registering 43 degrees as the air temp coming in. The ambient temp inside seems to be hover around 60 +/- a degree or 2.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I'm thinking of an interesting addition to the system. What if instead of moving air between the chambers, you use a heat pump instead?

I envision a small radiator in each chamber with tubing filled with glycol running between. Then use a second temp controller (thermistor in the ferm chamber) to run a small pump. This might get much more accurate temperature control. This is a play on the old PC watercooling systems I used to build.
 
Might work but i was looking for a temp solution to finish the build on less of a budget then i originally planed on. I eventually plan on getting a mini fridge to run it down the road.
 
Brewed last night temp is is down to 18.6c this morning. A little lower then where i had the controller set at and it is bubbling away. The probe is covered by a piece of 3/4 inch insulation and taped to fermenter. Its working perfect sofar.
 
That's great! Congrats! What size fan do you have in the FC pulling the cool air from the keezer?
 
mine always reads 0.5C degrees colder. Even with a bunch of insulation it still fluctuates pretty fast if I open the door. I just set it 0.5C above what I want and it works like a charm
 
barrooze said:
That's great! Congrats! What size fan do you have in the FC pulling the cool air from the keezer?
Click to expand...

I droped it a few more degrees and it is holding steady at 16.8c. I used one of these connected to a 4 inch plastic elbow.
7f44b6b1-98db-4165-99f2-802ef3be9e43_300.jpg

It does up to 80 cfm's which is more then enough.
 
Wow. That thing is nice but pricey! $27.97 for a fan... I think I'll need to find a cheaper alternative.
 
$27.97? It says its $14 online. It was listed at $27.97 at the nearest hd to me but i brought up there website and showed them it was listed at $14 and they price matched it for me.
 
It is but it the price i see is $14 which makes it a pretty good deal considering a 120 mm fan cost around $19 and then you need to find or buy a transformer for it.
 
I wonder why the price I see is double what you see...
What does it say your local store is?

image-3421186548.jpg
 
Any store i set it to in nj shows me that. I also set it to your area and i still see $14. For information if you find a price for an item that is cheaper on there website They can do markdowns upto $50 at the register.
 
Also at the actual HD it was listed at $27.95. I asked at the service desk and showed them on my phone what it was listed at online. They marked it down for me.
 
So odd... I tried Cherry Hill, NJ and Richfield, MN. Both show $27.9x. I tried the iPhone Home Depot app and it shows $14. I guess I'll show them the app price if I decide to go this route. Thanks for the help! I totally didn't mean to hijack the thread!
 
Has anyone tried this with a full size refrigerator? My buddy wants to sell me one for 25$. Door seals are shot, but i dont think that matters for something im gonna screw plywood into.
 
Just build it tall and put a shelf in it so you can put the fermenters vertical instead of horizontal. If your working with a fridge you dont need ducting just take the door off and put it right on the front.
 
How difficult would it be to go through the side of the fridge? I'd kinda like easy acess to the freezer for hops. Does the freezer even work with the temp controller?
 
cletusp said:
How difficult would it be to go through the side of the fridge? I'd kinda like easy acess to the freezer for hops. Does the freezer even work with the temp controller?
Click to expand...

If you're going to use the refrigerator on a temp controller, then you will not be able to freeze in the freezer. It takes a lot to keep a freezer frozen, and once it starts cycling based on the refrigerator temperature, the freezer will no longer freeze.
 
Just a little update. I put the first lager in the chamber last night. When i went to bed it was at 16C. I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find the temp reached my set temp of 12C. I gave it a little help to get down to that temp quicker by placing 2 ice packs inside but it is maintaining a .5C differential without the ice packs now that it is down to temp. Next time i will cool the wort all the way down to its fermentation temp.
 

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