Fermenting in unheated garage

Hey guys,

Would it be feasible to install a well-insulated temperature-controlled fermentation chamber in a detached unheated garage in Northern Indiana? We usually get a couple days below 0 each winter. I'm thinking about framing all the walls, top and bottom with 2x4's using fiberglass batts and covering it up with lauan plywood. I'm thinking about maybe 3'lx4'wx4'h, using a cheap space heater from Wally World and a temp controller TBD.

Thoughts?

Homey

Personally, I'd worry about using a cheap space heater from Wally World in an unattended place 24/7. Outside of that, it sounds like a good plan. There are a lot of options for heating a small space that work, some designed specifically for brewing like warming bands and pads. You can even use an old fridge or chest freezer instead of building your own space if you want. There are always a lot of them on Craigslist that are described as "Don't stay cold anymore" that people basically just want someone else to haul away. They're sealed, insulated and have room for a fermenter or two.

This (http://morebeer.com/view_product/16674//The_FermWrap_Heater) combined with a well insulated enclosure might give you enough heat. Maybe a heating lamp for a lizard too?

The Fermwap works well for me here in MN - I use two of them in converted fridge/freezers with no problem. I was fermenting Belgians @ 80F when it was below 0F in the garage the last winter.

unholymess said:

The Fermwap works well for me here in MN - I use two of them in converted fridge/freezers with no problem. I was fermenting Belgians @ 80F when it was below 0F in the garage the last winter.

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Really? That's cool! I was reading about the Fermwrap and it was talking about maybe a 20 degree increase, but I suppose if you've got an enclosed space the heat would stay contained pretty well. I've read about electric heating pads, do you think they would produce enough heat to keep things warm in sub-zero temps?

I haven't used anything other than the Fermwrap - I did a dry run with just water to test. Might give that a whirl with the heating pads to check.

HomerJR said:

Hey guys,

Would it be feasible to install a well-insulated temperature-controlled fermentation chamber in a detached unheated garage in Northern Indiana? We usually get a couple days below 0 each winter. I'm thinking about framing all the walls, top and bottom with 2x4's using fiberglass batts and covering it up with lauan plywood. I'm thinking about maybe 3'lx4'wx4'h, using a cheap space heater from Wally World and a temp controller TBD.

Thoughts?

Homey

Click to expand...

I would be very leary. Space heater + Confined area + Unattended = Garage Fire. If you try it, make sure the garage is unattached to your house.

"The CPSC estimates that space heaters, including both fixed and portable heaters, are associated with about 21,800 residential fires every year. About 300 people die each year in fires started by these heaters."

"Thoughts?"


My thoughts are that it would be a hell of a lot easier to try and find a big old refrigerator or chest freezer, either for free or dirt cheap. A fridge is really a big insulated box. A fermwrap or a heating pad on a temperature controller should keep it warm inside. If you want, get a dual stage controller and ferment year round.

Or maybe one of those tiny ceramic heaters. Maybe I'm lazy, but that sounds like a lot of work constructing a box.

If you search around places like C'list, garage sales, etc., I have found plenty of cheap/free fridges and freezers.

I live in Northern Indiana and I used to use something exactly like that. My garage is attached and sorta heated and never got below 40F, but all I used was an insulated plywood box with a lightbulb hooked up to a thermostat.

I agree with those who completely reject the idea of any kind of space heater. This is a recipe for disaster, I believe. I endorse those appliances that are designed for that type of use, like Fermwrap, and ideally controlled by an adjustable thermostat. The simplest idea is probably a light bulb controlled by a thermostat. If it is in a well-insulated enclosure, that should work.
I can see building an insulated box.....if I were DIY-happy. I'm reasonably competent in a number of skills, but wouldn't classify myself as "handy." Also, with all the thousands of defunct refrigerators and freezers (aka = insulated fermentation chambers) lying around, I'm just WAY too lazy to even consider building something from scratch.

My cheapskate method is to use a trashcan water bath and an old aquarium heater. I fill the trashcan with as much water as possible so the thermal mass damps out day/night temperature swings. Then I float the carboy/bucket in the water; drop in the aquarium heater and forget about it. At it's lowest setting, my cheap, used heater will hold the water at 60F day and night. You can dial up the built in thermostat up from there.

HomerJR said:

Hey guys,

Would it be feasible to install a well-insulated temperature-controlled fermentation chamber in a detached unheated garage in Northern Indiana? We usually get a couple days below 0 each winter. I'm thinking about framing all the walls, top and bottom with 2x4's using fiberglass batts and covering it up with lauan plywood. I'm thinking about maybe 3'lx4'wx4'h, using a cheap space heater from Wally World and a temp controller TBD.

Thoughts?

Homey

Click to expand...

riromero said:

My cheapskate method is to use a trashcan water bath and an old aquarium heater. I fill the trashcan with as much water as possible so the thermal mass damps out day/night temperature swings. Then I float the carboy/bucket in the water; drop in the aquarium heater and forget about it. At it's lowest setting, my cheap, used heater will hold the water at 60F day and night. You can dial up the built in thermostat up from there.

Click to expand...

That same method is keeping my conditioning bottles around 70˚ in a rubbermaid container on the cold concrete floor (filled the container with bottles and water before thinking about how cold the floor was).

I am is this exact boat. I just finished my ferm chamber and it is out in my un insulated brewhouse.

I have been going back and forth from the ferm wrap and this heating pad from brewers edge. The cost is the same but I think either one would work well.
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREWER_S_EDGE_SPACE_HEATER_P518C100.cfm

I have this same problem, albeit in Seattle, where our winters aren't nearly as cold as the Midwest. Nonetheless, they get too cold to leave fermentations unheated. I *do* use a small, cheap space heater inside of a chest freezer, and I control it with a combination of its built-in, very inaccurate thermostat and a Ranco controller.

I completely understand concerns about the safety factor, and that's something that my roommate and I spent a lot of time thinking about. The more we thought about it, though, the more we felt like it was quite unlikely that there would be a safety issue. The freezer is built out of HEAVY metal, so there's nothing remotely flammable on the inside. It's not as if the heater could tip over and light something on the carpet, which is the normal fear about leaving them unattended, since there's nothing but paint and metal on the floor of the freezer.

Lastly, because we use the thermostat on the heater to limit the maximum air temperature in the freezer, we would need a failure of that AND the Ranco in order to leave it stuck in the on position--and even if THAT happened, there's nothing for it to light anyway. Probably after a couple days, it would be able to melt the seals on the freezer, but for that to happen it'd have to not destroy itself. I doubt that residential appliances are built to work at high temps.

So that's my thinking. Obviously, I'm concerned with keeping this safe, but I'm no expert, so don't do this just on my say-so. If anyone can think of something I've missed, I'd be really interested to hear. As far as I can tell, the heater-in-a-freezer is a safe, cost-effective, elegant way to handle this problem.

Thanks guys!

'Nuff said, looks like a cheapo fridge and a fermwrap/heating pad.