Building a Fermentation Cabinet (in the eye of the storm)

[funky_brewster]

After much deliberation and thought as the the best way to improve temperature consistency while not cramping my apartment space significantly, I arrived at the idea of building a Son of Fermenter into this free-standing “closet” unit that was left here by a previous tenant.

I’m still debating the exact chamber design. In the space, I can either go with a traditional "Son of Fermentation" chiller which would effectively be self-contained and just lives in the cabinet. (build plans for the SoF chiller: http://knoxhomebrewer.com/images/stories/chiller%20plans.pdf)

Alternatively, I could upgrade in chamber dimensions and possibly ease of maintenance by going for a "Mother of Fermentation" chiller (plans: http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/38DD-Mother-of-a-Fermentation-Chiller)

The basic difference is whether I want a movable unit with ice up top inside the “chamber level” (SoF), or if I want to utilize the under-shelf space to do something more like the Mother of Fermenter. The shelf dimensions are just over 34” x 20” and have enough room for two buckets side-by-side.


Part of the “fun” for this project was getting 4’x8’ extruded polystyrene (EPS) foam board back to my apartment in Prospect Heights Brooklyn from the Lowe’s in Gowanus (about 2 miles away). I foolishly drove there yesterday, not thinking through how I would transport the foam boards back (I have and will strap just about anything to my roof, but something told me that styrofoam might not hold up). So I returned there today, the day before before Hurricane Irene is set to hit NYC and just about 2 hours before the first-ever complete shutdown of mass transit in the city. Other than some odd looks (from people likely wondering if I was planning to “board up” windows with thin styrofoam), it wasn’t too terrible an experience.

I’m sure there are supply stores in the city that carry 2” EPS but I hadn’t found one and just wanted to get something out of this weekend, so I picked up three 0.55” sheets and planned to glue them together. It’s not ideal for a few reasons, but this is what I’ve got to work with.

Using adhesive made for foam board (in the same aisle as Liquid Nails, which is recommended in SoF build plans), I put a bead down on one sheet then sandwiched another sheet on top, truing up the corners as best as possible. I let it dry a half hour or so then repeated to bond the 3rd sheet. The plan is to let the whole piece dry a long while since I need to make many cuts after deciding on a design.

For now, the slab sits. And I contemplate more chamber space or more chamber portability. Tomorrow we shall see!

 

[Stretch]

Other than some odd looks (from people likely wondering if I was planning to “board up” windows with thin styrofoam), it wasn’t too terrible an experience.

This made me LOL. Good luck with the project.

 

[BeerMeUp]

Best of luck. I would offer my assistance, but I did not get my ark completed in time.

 

[funky_brewster]

Yeah, and only one person asked if it was a wood.

So I'm gonna commit to the big 'un, and go with the MoF design. Trouble is I wanted to retain the installed shelf, seen here:

but to do that, I would be breaking pieces of foam and compromising the cold-retention power. Obviously not in the cards, so I'll have to build the shell and build the "ice cubby platform" later this week.

One thing I'm mulling on right now is whether I need to account for my 1.55" wall thickness, as opposed to the 2" used in the plans. Technically, I could just cut everything down by 1/2" after the measured cuts and have pieced the box together. May be the most sane route though.

 

[funky_brewster]

Best of luck. I would offer my assistance, but I did not get my ark completed in time.

If finish before the swells die down tomorrow, I'm gonna set sail in this mamma jamma with two of every beer in my fridge..

 

[funky_brewster]

So I made good headway. Cutting the board is NO picnic. A few folks on the build page mentioned hot wire cutters, but didn't have any at my disposal. I went for a combo of utility knife (which worked rather well, but only got me through 1/2) and paring knife, skinny and sharp but not more than I needed.

Construction was done using the same Foamboard Adhesive that bonded the three sheets together (via caulk gun, used two 10 oz tubes in the while project). It wasn't optimal stuff, as bowed pieces resisted a straightened lifestyle, and it seems to make a lousy sealant (lifts away from the edge just a bit as it dries). I anticipate going over all corners and edges with proper sealant.

But here she is nestled in the cabinet. The fit could NOT be more perfect:

Last touches are putting on the molding and weather stripping. One thing I'm struggling with though is that aforementioned bowing, seen more prominently with the door on:

I could glue a board to the trouble pieces to "train" them flat. Or add on some sort of a latch that pulls the gapping pieces together.

I'll sleep on that one, but for now, it's just about there!