Help design my fermentation chamber...

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Beavdowg

Beavdowg

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I want to build a fermentation chamber by modifying a dorm or mini fridge with some insulation/plywood so that the chamber is large enough for carboys. I've read a bunch of posts about this but haven't seen many on building a fermentation chamber that can cool and heat. I'm in Oregon so in the summer my garage is too warm and in the winter it's too cold. Here's my mental design so far: I'd like to use a temp controller that can handle both cooling and heating, ideally, unless anyone has an idea that would work the same in the end but be way less expensive. The mini fridge will handle the cooling and a wired in heat lamp/incandescent bulb will handle the heating. I know nothing about electricity so I thought the dual-stage temp controllers would be easiest for me but they cost a lot. I'm not dumb though, so if some minor wiring was needed I could probably handle it. I've also got friends that know more about wiring than I do.

Any suggestions to make this as slick as possible and as affordable as possible are appreciated.

Thanks

Brad:mug:
 
Beavdowg said:
I want to build a fermentation chamber by modifying a dorm or mini fridge with some insulation/plywood so that the chamber is large enough for carboys. I've read a bunch of posts about this but haven't seen many on building a fermentation chamber that can cool and heat. I'm in Oregon so in the summer my garage is too warm and in the winter it's too cold. Here's my mental design so far: I'd like to use a temp controller that can handle both cooling and heating, ideally, unless anyone has an idea that would work the same in the end but be way less expensive. The mini fridge will handle the cooling and a wired in heat lamp/incandescent bulb will handle the heating. I know nothing about electricity so I thought the dual-stage temp controllers would be easiest for me but they cost a lot. I'm not dumb though, so if some minor wiring was needed I could probably handle it. I've also got friends that know more about wiring than I do.

Any suggestions to make this as slick as possible and as affordable as possible are appreciated.

Thanks

Brad:mug:
Click to expand...

Great question, I just happened to get an old mini-fridge donated to me, and it works perfectly well. So I plan on building a collar and adding a Love TS-2 temp controller to it.

If you are interested in wiring a temp controller you can find a detailed write up here, of course your fridge wire colors and placement may be different, but at least for a single stage controller, this might give you an idea of how it is done. A wiring schematic is included as well as a detailed description of what wires go where, and the different colors I used.
 
Do people think it's worth it to spend the money on a 2 stage temp. controller or just using my A419 and switching the heating/cooling function twice a year? That doesn't seem like a big deal to me but, then again, I haven't tried it yet so I don't know how complicated it is.
 
I live in AZ, and keep my fermenting gear indoors year round, so i will not need a heater for my fermentation chamber.

In your case keeping it in the garage, with your winter temperatures, I would drop the coin for an Auber PID, or a Dual Stage Love Controller. It will simplify your fermentations. Set-it-and-forget-it.

It would be no more complicated than a single stage temp controller. Other than having to hook up your heat side in nearly the same manner. Power to the unit is the same, the only difference is hooking up your heat source (ie.light bulb, aquarium heater, etc...) to the power source, and into the heat side of the controller. It is one or two extra wires.
 
I thought about it, but remounting the hinges and dealing with getting a good seal ended up being more trouble than I thought it was worth.
 
Here is my chamber and I used a mini fridge, 2x4 lumber, some plywood, and pink foam board. It can probably fit 5 fermenters in it and is controlled by my ebay aquarium temp controller (which can heat and cool). All said and done was probably around $100 to build.

2010-10-20 12.41.46.jpg


2010-10-20 12.42.05.jpg


2010-10-29 10.21.34.jpg


2010-11-01 09.30.51.jpg


2010-10-20 12.40.58.jpg
 
Thats a sweet build, very KISS. How well does the fridge keep the temperatures down in such a large chamber?

How long did it take to get the temps down to fermentation temps the first time?
 
Waunabeer,

Two things: 1) Dude, love the avatar picture!! 2) How much was the aqaurium temp controller and how much wiring knowledge is needed to utilize such a controller? Could you tell me exactly which controller it is?

thanks
 

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