pingwin77
Active Member
So after the last heat wave we had and all the reading I have been doing about these fermentation chambers, I have decided to design one of my own. The drawing below shows the main dimensions of what I am looking to do.
The area labeled "KEGS" will be the keggerator portion. There will be a door on the front to access the kegs and I will probably add a few shelves for yeast and hops storage. There should be enough room to get 3 corning kegs in there. On the top there will be a 3 spout tower.
The area directly behind the KEGS area will house the compressors and CO2 tanks for the kegs. This will also be where the splitter for the gas line will be so I can run a line into the fermentation area if needed for force carbonation. I'm thinking about having the lid of this area flip up to get out the CO2 tank. I think that would be easier than trying to put a door on the side of this unit.
The FERMENTATION CHAMBER is the large area to the right. There is enough room for up to (4) 6.5 gallon glass carboys or buckets. The removable divider will allow me to close of the right side of the fermentation chamber if I do not have the need for it. This way I am not wasting energy cooling air and space that is not needed. There will also be a door on the front.
The entire frame and divider will be make of 2" thick Styrofoam for insulation as well as 2"x2" wooden framing. The exterior walls will be covered in a thin wood paneling for looks and strength. The floor of both the KEGS and FERMENTATION area will be some sort of Plastic that allows for an easy and durable sliding surface.
As for the chilling components, That is where my questions begin. I have an extra wine fridge sitting at home with a busted door. It is about the size of your standard dorm fridge. Would that provide enough umph to keep this whole unit cold or would I need a second one? If a second one is needed, I would set it up so that one unit would chill the kegs and have an opening to the left side of the fermentation chamber in case I wanted to lager. The second unit would chill the right side of the fermentation chamber and keep it at the right temp for my ales.
I'm also planing on putting some cabinets above the fermentation area to help organize the rest of my brewing gear.
Any suggestions, questions and comments are more than welcome. That is why I posted.
Cheers!
The TOP view is of the FRONT of the unit
The BOTTOM view is of the TOP of the unit.
The area labeled "KEGS" will be the keggerator portion. There will be a door on the front to access the kegs and I will probably add a few shelves for yeast and hops storage. There should be enough room to get 3 corning kegs in there. On the top there will be a 3 spout tower.
The area directly behind the KEGS area will house the compressors and CO2 tanks for the kegs. This will also be where the splitter for the gas line will be so I can run a line into the fermentation area if needed for force carbonation. I'm thinking about having the lid of this area flip up to get out the CO2 tank. I think that would be easier than trying to put a door on the side of this unit.
The FERMENTATION CHAMBER is the large area to the right. There is enough room for up to (4) 6.5 gallon glass carboys or buckets. The removable divider will allow me to close of the right side of the fermentation chamber if I do not have the need for it. This way I am not wasting energy cooling air and space that is not needed. There will also be a door on the front.
The entire frame and divider will be make of 2" thick Styrofoam for insulation as well as 2"x2" wooden framing. The exterior walls will be covered in a thin wood paneling for looks and strength. The floor of both the KEGS and FERMENTATION area will be some sort of Plastic that allows for an easy and durable sliding surface.
As for the chilling components, That is where my questions begin. I have an extra wine fridge sitting at home with a busted door. It is about the size of your standard dorm fridge. Would that provide enough umph to keep this whole unit cold or would I need a second one? If a second one is needed, I would set it up so that one unit would chill the kegs and have an opening to the left side of the fermentation chamber in case I wanted to lager. The second unit would chill the right side of the fermentation chamber and keep it at the right temp for my ales.
I'm also planing on putting some cabinets above the fermentation area to help organize the rest of my brewing gear.
Any suggestions, questions and comments are more than welcome. That is why I posted.
Cheers!
The TOP view is of the FRONT of the unit
The BOTTOM view is of the TOP of the unit.
