Ferm chamber

Ok, I just moved and will have room in the garage for a ferm chamber. Currently doing 3 and 1 gal batches and may do 5 gal in a few years. I've been thinking of a 5-7 cu ft freezer and temp controllers.

What are other ideas that you like that won't require me building anything or selling a kidney?

Craigslist!!!! I got a 6 month old chest freezer for $75. It was a 7.1 cu ft, and with me doing 6 gallon batches I can only fit 2, very snug, carboys in there. When My wife and I get a house in gonna use the 7.1 for kegs and get something around 15 cu ft for fermenting and small batch experiments.

Yup craigs list or facebook groups. Get the biggest you can find for $100. I have a 12.x for $100 commercial grade, 7.x for $60 , and a 14.7 for $200 commercial grade, so there are great deals. a 7.x will let you fit two carboys in at a time. 12.x 4 carboys, 14.7 6 carboys. Take a look at this.

cannman said:

Yup craigs list or facebook groups. Get the biggest you can find for $100. I have a 12.x for $100 commercial grade, 7.x for $60 , and a 14.7 for $200 commercial grade, so there are great deals. a 7.x will let you fit two carboys in at a time. 12.x 4 carboys, 14.7 6 carboys. Take a look at this.

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Wow man you got some serious cooling capacity!! It's good to have that many, you can store so much finished product as well as ferment and cold crash at one time. Have you seen much difference in your electric bill? I figured with keeping them down lower than freezing that it wouldn't require as much running power over time.

Thanks for that chart, it will come in handy.

Consider an old refrigerator from Craig's List rather than a freezer. Refrigerators have a smaller footprint, are much easier to get carboys or buckets in and out of, there are many more available, and as a rule are cheaper, sometimes even free.

Craigslist is your friend!!! I just picked up a 20cu ft stand up freezer a few years old in perfect condition for $125! Removed the shelves and basket and built a table that 2 FF sit on top of at perfect height for kegging! Added a NB thermostar controller and called it a day.

Nothing on Craig's list under 175... Except a 50 broken freezer....

I just saw a 7 CF freezer on Home Brew Finds for $169 (new) all you'd need is a temp controller & maybe a small fan.

JosephN said:

Wow man you got some serious cooling capacity!! It's good to have that many, you can store so much finished product as well as ferment and cold crash at one time. Have you seen much difference in your electric bill? I figured with keeping them down lower than freezing that it wouldn't require as much running power

Click to expand...

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If you brew ales and hook them all up to stc-1000, IMHO, it should cost you way less than $1 a month. Think about it: it's only on a fraction of the day. The yellow sticker says 152 kwhr a year. At premium rates of .26c/hr that $40 if left to run at deep freeze. So let's say it's runs a total of 6 hours a day (which it doesn't, especially at night). That's $10 a year or about $0.8x a month

Hard to believe it has been 2 years... finally picked one up at costco for 140.... and now that the baby isn't a baby anymore have more time.... just need some larger fermenting vessels now...

What are the best 6 gallon fermenters? Have seen mixed reviews on the big mouth bubblers and would be able to fit 3 of them in the freezer... although don't think I would have more than 2 at a time and my 3 gal fermenters (2) and maybe the 1 gallon ones (3) on the hump.... need to get those things filled over the next few weeks...

Anyways back to the fermenters for 5 gallon batches.... what would you recommend?

I like my Ss Brewtech bucket. The valve and mini racking arm on the bottom make it really easy to fill the keg.

That would be great but trying to keep the budget down (for now) so I keep the support of SWMBO.

I have a 6G fermonster and love it. Easy to clean and I easily add 5.5G batches, although I did need a blowoff tube this last batch.

Thanks... sounds like those don't have the same lid issues as the bubblers

We are just finishing up the second batch in a 7 gal fermonster, and love the ease of cleanup. No issue with blowoff, altho I am planning on rigging a blowoff tube if we make a bigger beer. Used a 3 piece bubbler which just fits in height-wise. We have a small freezer, with wood slats on the bottom to keep the fermenter clear of the floor of the freezer. It has worked well, but only enough room for 1 fermenter.

However, the freezer was free from my sister and with an inkbird 308, we have temp control for around $30!

I use Chapman uni-vessels and added the littls SS brewtech valve.