Goodbye Swamp Cooler, Hello Fermentation Chamber

[lashack]

I posted in DIY but I wanted to ensure others knew about the build and/or first-timers with fermentation chambers. Shoot me some suggestions for lagers I should try with this bad boy!

I surf this forum religiously when embarking on a new adventure or project. Thanks to everyone who contributes and I hope to help others with this post. I wanted to share my latest build for a DIY fermentation chamber and learning how to dial in the temperature, having healthy and happy yeast. I have been on and off brewing beer for about 5-6 years now and have been using a swamp cooler to try and control temperatures. This works for the most part, but constant monitoring and inability to brew lagers drew my interest in dialing in my fermentation game. Due to my small home, I decided to build a DIY mini-fridge fermentation chamber that would hold one 6.5 gallon glass carboy with airlock. I decided to purchase a mini-fridge brand new rather than dealing with Craigslist and hoping to find something that would fit my specifications.

Some other considerations made were:
- Not having to cut, scrape, and bend components inside the fridge. Minimum destruction as possible.
- I want the ability to ferment at ale and lager temps, as well as cold-crash.
- Try to set up something fairly simple.

Fridge and Collar
I bought the Frigidaire 4.4-cu ft Mini Fridge from Lowes for $179.99. The door came off with no problem, just a few screws. I knew I would need a collar, so I used a 2x6 to place around the fridge. Then I used some Gorilla Glue to glue the collar on the fridge with some ratchet straps to apply pressure until the glue was dried. Liquid Nails would have probably worked better because it doesn't set near as fast, but does take more time to dry. I then used some DAP Kwik Seal caulk for a nice seal around the inside space of the fridge and collar. No extra insulation was added and with a preliminary test, temperatures held just fine. I am able to get the fridge down to 34F/1C no problem. I also used some linseed oil and wood finisher to seal the wood so things like beer/water wouldn't funk up the wood collar over time.

Temperature Controlling Components
As far as the components that help regulate temperature, I used the following:
- Simple fan to circulate the air. This fan runs all the time.
- Low wattage heater to provide heat.
- BTC201 Temperature control unit. Plug both the heater and fridge into this unit, which then is plugged into the wall.

To mount the fan, I drilled from the inside of the fridge with a 1/8 drill bit through the plastic, enough to get the mounting screws for the fan to have a tight fit. It mounts nicely like this. Then used a 1-inch wood drill bit to drill out a hole where the wires will run (the heater and fan wire out, and the temperature probe line in). These really came in handy for cable management too. Mounted the BTC201 directly to the fridge on top.

Final Touches
The door does not stay shut unless you use some sort of latch or some way to use the magnetic structure built into the door. I decided to use 3 rare earth magnets burrowed into the collar. This helped keep the door sealed to the collar.

Here are some YouTube videos where some of the inspiration for this build.
- Link 1
- Link 2
- Link 3
- Link 4

 

[Day-Day]

Wow man...awesome build...any reason you went with that particular temp controller over an Inkbird? This would be a super cool build to do with a chest freezer....so you could do mulitple carboys at once. Nice build and write up !!!

 

[lashack]

Wow man...awesome build...any reason you went with that particular temp controller over an Inkbird? This would be a super cool build to do with a chest freezer....so you could do mulitple carboys at once. Nice build and write up !!!

The main reason why I chose the BTC201 over the Inkbird was because of the single-unit housing design. The Inkbird system has all the same parts, but they are all external and "free moving". They are more versatile, but for my setup, I wanted something compact and mountable. The unit I bought was also a few dollars cheaper.

Yes, this build could easily be extended to a chest freezer with multiple carboys with some slight modifications!

 

[apache_brew]

The main reason why I chose the BTC201 over the Inkbird was because of the single-unit housing design. The Inkbird system has all the same parts, but they are all external and "free moving".

Which inkbird unit? I use the ITC-308 on my ferm chamber. Very similar, works great.

 

[lashack]

Which inkbird unit? I use the ITC-308 on my ferm chamber. Very similar, works great.

I may have worded that poorly. The ITC-308 would have worked just fine as well. The BTC201 has everything incased in the box housing, rather than the separated input plug and controller like the ITC-308. Just a personal preference really, and I figured I give the BTC201 a try. So far it's working great!

 

[lashack]

Which inkbird unit? I use the ITC-308 on my ferm chamber. Very similar, works great.

I may have worded that poorly. The ITC-308 would have worked just fine as well. The BTC201 has everything incased in the box housing, rather than the separated input plug and controller like the ITC-308. Just a personal preference really, and I figured I give the BTC201 a try. So far it's working great!

 

[3 Dawg Night]

Dude. I am TOTALLY copying this.

 

[lashack]

PS I recently bought the Anvil 7 Gallon Stainless Steel fermentor and it also fits in the chamber! You have to turn it to the side because of the handles, but it still fits with plenty of room (including airlock).

 

[YaleH]

NICE!!!! I was looking at mini fridges to use as a chamber but never thought about doing the same process as a Keezer..... Awesome Idea, Thanks for posting.

 

[lashack]

Here is a picture with the fermentation chamber with a 7-gallon Anvil SS fermentor. Fits nicely!