Building a fermentation chamber from insulation foam

[ninkwood]

Has anyone had success building a fermentation chamber out of the foam board insulation pictured below? I'm thinking of building a case for my fermenter so that I can take advantage of my cold garage during winter (along with a temp controller and a seedling heat mat).

I'm wondering how effective R10 insulation will be in a setting like this? My garage is about 10°c/50°f plus or minus a few degrees.

 

[RM-MN]

Do you mean something like this?

https://tombuildsstuff.blogspot.com/2018/06/son-of-fermentation-chamber-detailed.html
No, I'm sure nobody has ever done that.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

For those interested in the original:

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/son-of-a-fermentation-chiller/

http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/images/chiller-plans.pdf

 

[fluketamer]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/diy-fermentation-chamber.679010/
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/foam-fermentation-chamber.89513/
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/diy-temperature-controlled-fermenting-unit.63088/
theres litereally hundreds of threads on this exact topic on multiple homebrewforums. people are very creative diyers and frugal and just about every kind of ferm temp controller has been thought of and built already.

have you ever thought of going chamberless

two low cost options are:

ball and keg :



and what i do :

i pieced this together from morebeer
i can get this thing down to 20 -25 degrees below ambient temps by changing out frozen 1 gallon water jugs once per day. it can cool about 1 degree every 4-5 mins when the pump goes on. changing the frozen jugs once a day are a pita. but it beats needing a dedicated ferm fridge. my basement right now is only about 64 degrees and i find that the pump rarely cycles. only late at night after the jug has melted do i find it going more than a few minutes and then i change the jug anyway . and if you got the funds you can always attach a glycol chiller to it for an upgrade. or if your are handy you can convert an old ac unit into glycol chiller. and totally diy it.

i can even cold crash with this to about 40 degrees by just putting ten pounds of ice in the cooler when i need to prior to packaging.

theres many options for temp control other than ferm chamber builds. i felt this was easier way for me and im not handy enough to build the foam thing. i put my temp controlled fermentor together for less than 100$ including the FV.



cheers

 

[ninkwood]

Do you mean something like this?

https://tombuildsstuff.blogspot.com/2018/06/son-of-fermentation-chamber-detailed.html
No, I'm sure nobody has ever done that.

my bad

 

[ninkwood]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/diy-fermentation-chamber.679010/
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/foam-fermentation-chamber.89513/
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/diy-temperature-controlled-fermenting-unit.63088/
theres litereally hundreds of threads on this exact topic on multiple homebrewforums. people are very creative diyers and frugal and just about every kind of ferm temp controller has been thought of and built already.

have you ever thought of going chamberless

two low cost options are:

ball and keg :



and what i do :



View attachment 835849
View attachment 835850

i pieced this together from morebeer
i can get this thing down to 20 -25 degrees below ambient temps by changing out frozen 1 gallon water jugs once per day. it can cool about 1 degree every 4-5 mins when the pump goes on. changing the frozen jugs once a day are a pita. but it beats needing a dedicated ferm fridge. my basement right now is only about 64 degrees and i find that the pump rarely cycles. only late at night after the jug has melted do i find it going more than a few minutes and then i change the jug anyway . and if you got the funds you can always attach a glycol chiller to it for an upgrade. or if your are handy you can convert an old ac unit into glycol chiller. and totally diy it.

i can even cold crash with this to about 40 degrees by just putting ten pounds of ice in the cooler when i need to prior to packaging.

theres many options for temp control other than ferm chamber builds. i felt this was easier way for me and im not handy enough to build the foam thing. i put my temp controlled fermentor together for less than 100$ including the FV.



cheers

this is great, thanks!

 

[bmac8]

Has anyone had success building a fermentation chamber out of the foam board insulation pictured below? I'm thinking of building a case for my fermenter so that I can take advantage of my cold garage during winter (along with a temp controller and a seedling heat mat).

I'm wondering how effective R10 insulation will be in a setting like this? My garage is about 10°c/50°f plus or minus a few degrees.

View attachment 835835

I'm a beginner tackling the same problem... I was about to head for Home Depot same as you. But I am lucky--I have a small electric space heater that I will put inside so I can set the temp (probably 70 degrees.) I am at this same point. Garage brewing in Oregon. Kinda cold.

 

[fluketamer]

i just realised you are fermenting in a cold zone and trying to keep something warm. so coil and chiller is not what you are lookign for sorry. in the links i posted theres mention of many ways to warm a fv in a cold area. inkbird temp controller with light bulb in a coffee can. or heating wraps or pads or reptile heater or even aquarium heater in a jar of water will all prolly get you enough warmth. the uk brewing site has a lot of warmer threads cause i think they have poorer weather over all ther then in the states.

im wondering if you just wrap this around your fermenter with an inkbird espcially in a thermowell inside the fv and then wrap the whole thing in a moving blanket you might not need any kind of chamber at all in the garage. i think i have seen others use pads or heating jackets without anyting else to keep the fv warm. maybe a layer of reflecex in between the blanket and heating jacket.

good luck

 

[ninkwood]

i just realised you are fermenting in a cold zone and trying to keep something warm. so coil and chiller is not what you are lookign for sorry. in the links i posted theres mention of many ways to warm a fv in a cold area. inkbird temp controller with light bulb in a coffee can. or heating wraps or pads or reptile heater or even aquarium heater in a jar of water will all prolly get you enough warmth. the uk brewing site has a lot of warmer threads cause i think they have poorer weather over all ther then in the states.
View attachment 835867

im wondering if you just wrap this around your fermenter with an inkbird espcially in a thermowell inside the fv and then wrap the whole thing in a moving blanket you might not need any kind of chamber at all in the garage. i think i have seen others use pads or heating jackets without anyting else to keep the fv warm. maybe a layer of reflecex in between the blanket and heating jacket.

good luck

All good! I'm in The desert up north in Canada so the garage hits ~5°C in the winter and close to 40° C in summer (it's not insulated yet). So I'm going to need cooling too just not this time of year. I think I'll build this thing anyways as opposed to use blankets, I'll just forgo the chambers and fan because I already have a fermzilla all rounder with thermowell and the seedling mat I own has the controller and probe too. It'll only function for warming but I can figure out cooling in the spring. My biggest question is how effective will r5 or r10 be in this manner. Given that 3/4" plywood has an r value of only ~1 that suggests it should be VERY efficient but I'll have to do some experiments I suppose.

 

[ninkwood]

I'm a beginner tackling the same problem... I was about to head for Home Depot same as you. But I am lucky--I have a small electric space heater that I will put inside so I can set the temp (probably 70 degrees.) I am at this same point. Garage brewing in Oregon. Kinda cold.

I'm thinking it's easier to heat than cool, but time will tell! Good luck

 

[fluketamer]

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/fermenting-in-cold-garage.103806/
this thread from today may be helpful

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Why build something when you can pickup a broken (non-working) fridge or freezer for free? Or pay the extra $100 for an old working one? They come in all sizes and people are just looking for someone to haul them off.

 

[Spivey24]

I’d go for the used chest freezer then you are set for summer too. If you DIY, I would get a drip pan like for a washing machine for the bottom. You WILL eventually have a spill/leak/overflow.

 

[balrog]

Has anyone had success building a fermentation chamber out of the foam board insulation pictured below? I'm thinking of building a case for my fermenter so that I can take advantage of my cold garage during winter (along with a temp controller and a seedling heat mat).

I'm wondering how effective R10 insulation will be in a setting like this? My garage is about 10°c/50°f plus or minus a few degrees.

View attachment 835835

Yep.
Built it around a little "dorm" fridge (1.5 cu ft I think).
Put a fan in, a little personal 18watt heater, hook it up to an STC or BrewPiRemix system, and Bob's yer uncle and Fanny's yer aunt.

Until the crappy little weeny POS fridge starts to crap out holding my Altbier's WY1007 at 60F in the middle of summer; but that's a story for another time.

Mostly it sits on the floor, the bottom half of the back side nestles around the fridge, stool sits atop fridge to hold the controller. Lid is not shown.

 

[fluketamer]

the fridges do crap out especially the more often the compressor cycles. i have one of those stories also where mine crapped out with an amber in the middle of summer it got to around 90 degrees . clouded up turned a wierd brownish red and had a bunch of junk floating around in it. i tried to bottle it ( that was stupid) and it all ended up down the drain,. i dont trust the used ones because of that. new 4 ft cu fridges are hard to find under 150$ new. i wont buy them used cause you really dont know when they will stop working. (but ill still grab one out of the trash and test it out if i see em.- lol)

balrog i like your set up could you explain it better i cant see where the fridge is or how cold air gets to the chamber.
thanks

 

[balrog]

the fridges do crap out especially the more often the compressor cycles. i have one of those stories also where mine crapped out with an amber in the middle of summer it got to around 90 degrees . clouded up turned a wierd brownish red and had a bunch of junk floating around in it. i tried to bottle it ( that was stupid) and it all ended up down the drain,. i dont trust the used ones because of that. new 4 ft cu fridges are hard to find under 150$ new. i wont buy them used cause you really dont know when they will stop working. (but ill still grab one out of the trash and test it out if i see em.- lol)

balrog i like your set up could you explain it better i cant see where the fridge is or how cold air gets to the chamber.
thanks

Lemme get better side image which will explain much

 

[fluketamer]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...mentation-closets-chambers-here.118479/page-2
this is a really great thread that i didnt know existed with lots of ideas for fv chambers.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Since I mostly brew now, it’s relatively too cold to ambient ferment or cool. I picked up a 22cu ft freezer for zero $. I use it all winter to heat to temp in a 45 degree room. I use a small ceramic heater and it works great. When I crash, I just open the lid and fermenters go to the 40’s. I’ll then transfer to kegs and put them in the keezer with a floating diptube. It works for me.

 

[ninkwood]

Why build something when you can pickup a broken (non-working) fridge or freezer for free? Or pay the extra $100 for an old working one? They come in all sizes and people are just looking for someone to haul them off.

My long term plan is to go this route, but I'll probably buy something more expensive in good working order when I do. The options for free used stuff are very limited as I'm in a less populated area and I don't own a truck either. It's not necessarily easier for me to build something, but I certainly prefer that process far more than trying to facilitate picking up an old fridge/freezer.

There is a restaurant auction house in the big city ~4hrs from me and I've seen lots of 72" x 24" x 24" restaurant fridges on there for a few hundred dollars and they're in pretty good shape too. If the hobby sticks I'll grab one of them down the road!

 

[balrog]

the fridges do crap out especially the more often the compressor cycles. i have one of those stories also where mine crapped out with an amber in the middle of summer it got to around 90 degrees . clouded up turned a wierd brownish red and had a bunch of junk floating around in it. i tried to bottle it ( that was stupid) and it all ended up down the drain,. i dont trust the used ones because of that. new 4 ft cu fridges are hard to find under 150$ new. i wont buy them used cause you really dont know when they will stop working. (but ill still grab one out of the trash and test it out if i see em.- lol)

balrog i like your set up could you explain it better i cant see where the fridge is or how cold air gets to the chamber.
thanks

sorry took so long
as i said, small cube fridge, build foam board around it
use a fan, that's crucial
small heater

 

[Broken Crow]

There is a restaurant auction house in the big city ~4hrs from me and I've seen lots of 72" x 24" x 24" restaurant fridges on there for a few hundred dollars and they're in pretty good shape too. If the hobby sticks I'll grab one of them down the road!

Commercial refrigeration units are very loud, heavy to move and cost a bundle in hydro.
I'm gonna +1 @balrog 's suggestion...all those parts can be brought home in the back seat of a car and it'll be a lot cheaper and quieter to build and use.

 

[shoengine]

sorry took so long
as i said, small cube fridge, build foam board around it
use a fan, that's crucial
small heater
View attachment 836179

View attachment 836180

Hey, no fair redacting the computer password you leave on the keyboard!

 

[balrog]

I didn’t really have to as I just put one or two displaced characters to remind myself what I used. But better not to give the brute force proggies anything to start with.

Can’t have my beer temp profiles messed with.

 

[ninkwood]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/diy-fermentation-chamber.679010/
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/foam-fermentation-chamber.89513/
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/diy-temperature-controlled-fermenting-unit.63088/
theres litereally hundreds of threads on this exact topic on multiple homebrewforums. people are very creative diyers and frugal and just about every kind of ferm temp controller has been thought of and built already.

have you ever thought of going chamberless

two low cost options are:

ball and keg :



and what i do :



View attachment 835849
View attachment 835850

i pieced this together from morebeer
i can get this thing down to 20 -25 degrees below ambient temps by changing out frozen 1 gallon water jugs once per day. it can cool about 1 degree every 4-5 mins when the pump goes on. changing the frozen jugs once a day are a pita. but it beats needing a dedicated ferm fridge. my basement right now is only about 64 degrees and i find that the pump rarely cycles. only late at night after the jug has melted do i find it going more than a few minutes and then i change the jug anyway . and if you got the funds you can always attach a glycol chiller to it for an upgrade. or if your are handy you can convert an old ac unit into glycol chiller. and totally diy it.

i can even cold crash with this to about 40 degrees by just putting ten pounds of ice in the cooler when i need to prior to packaging.

theres many options for temp control other than ferm chamber builds. i felt this was easier way for me and im not handy enough to build the foam thing. i put my temp controlled fermentor together for less than 100$ including the FV.



cheers

Bit of an update, I decided to brew a warmer strain of yeast for my first beer to allow me to ferment in the house. I've got the heat vent in the spare bedroom turned off and so it's about 62f in the room. Fermenter is in the closet with a seedling heat mat under it but not touching it. I have a thermowell with a temp controller rigged to the heat mat. I pitched yeast (t-58 ale yeast) at around 70°f and it's more or less stayed there for the 1st 24 hrs. Fermentation is active and I'm holding about 2-3psi pressure on the spunding valve.

I think what I'll do is buy a chilling coil and build a cooling loop like you've done here, but I'll wait until summer for that when the garage temps are nearing 100f. I have a submersible pump for flushing the tankless hot water heater already so I can multipurpose that (since it's used maybe once a year) for cooling wort in the summer.

I don't expect this beer to be all that great. It's an extract kit from obk here in Canada. The recipe is 6lbs of Pilsner lme, 1lb of Pilsner dme, 1 lb of d180 dark candi syrup, 1 oz mittelfruher and a packet of t-58 dry yeast. I was thinking if I'm only going to make 3.5 gallons, I'd like something strong but I probably shouldn't have started with such an expensive kit. Oh well, it's going well so far!

 

[fluketamer]

thats genius . any probs getting it down to lagering temps.