WissahickonBrew
Well-Known Member
I know there are threads on this subject that go back to 2008 and I read a good many of them with all descriptions of processes and tips.
I started out following the advice of others and loaded my whole cone Centennials on an old window screen, set another on top to make a hop/screen sandwich, kept the whole thing out of the sunlight, laid it on saw horses in my basement, laid a box fan on top drawing air up through the sandwich, set a dehumidifier on high right next to it (drip pan over flowed twice) and lastly placed a small space heater adjacent with a small fan behind sending warm dry air over the entire rig.
After setting everything up, letting run it run for a day I walked back down and stared at the contraption I built and wondered "there has got to be a better way". Then it hit me!
When I cold crash my beer at the end of fermentation I lift the fermenter into the fridge along with the blow off tube and water pail the end of the tube rests in. I remembered how the water in the pail dissipates so quickly from the dehydration effects of the fridge and EUREKA! I heard distant sirens and angels voices singing...
The fridge (any fridge) is a natural dehumidifier! And it's running anyway in everyone's house! I got mine 2nd hand a while ago, cleaned it up and replaced the gaskets. I spread a large cotton towel across the shelves and dumped the cones evenly across. Voile!
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I started out following the advice of others and loaded my whole cone Centennials on an old window screen, set another on top to make a hop/screen sandwich, kept the whole thing out of the sunlight, laid it on saw horses in my basement, laid a box fan on top drawing air up through the sandwich, set a dehumidifier on high right next to it (drip pan over flowed twice) and lastly placed a small space heater adjacent with a small fan behind sending warm dry air over the entire rig.
After setting everything up, letting run it run for a day I walked back down and stared at the contraption I built and wondered "there has got to be a better way". Then it hit me!
When I cold crash my beer at the end of fermentation I lift the fermenter into the fridge along with the blow off tube and water pail the end of the tube rests in. I remembered how the water in the pail dissipates so quickly from the dehydration effects of the fridge and EUREKA! I heard distant sirens and angels voices singing...
The fridge (any fridge) is a natural dehumidifier! And it's running anyway in everyone's house! I got mine 2nd hand a while ago, cleaned it up and replaced the gaskets. I spread a large cotton towel across the shelves and dumped the cones evenly across. Voile!