What size deep freeze to fit two 30L Speidels?

[BHowe]

Alright, I'm in the market for a new chest freezer to utilize as a ferm chamber.

Anyone have some feedback on what size/model I should be on the look out for in order to fit two 30L speidels?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ibbones]

Alright, I'm in the market for a new chest freezer to utilize as a ferm chamber.

Anyone have some feedback on what size/model I should be on the look out for in order to fit two 30L speidels?

Thanks in advance.

Subscribed. I have a 9cf that will hold two buckets but not sure it will fit the Speidels. And I would sure like a few of those fermenters.

 

[BHowe]

I'll keep this updated with what I end up with.

 

[Eamon]

I got kind of worried about using a glass carboy with my kids around so I spent some extra money on a 30L Speidel. I'm really happy with the purchase especially since it's so easy to clean. I find it ideal for 5 gallon batches.

I am also in the market for a chest freezer so I'll be interested to find out what you come up with.

 

[maierhof]

Take a look at this thread - it is a great place to get tons of info:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/chest-freezer-specs-layouts-377518/

As far as I can tell - you would have to get a pretty wide one to fit them both in there - then build the correct size collar for it. I see the dimensions for the 30L Spiedel as: 13.5in Diameter x 18.5in Height (w/out airlock in place). My collar ended up being almost 11.75" to accommodate my custom racking piece.

Your problem is going to be figuring out how to get the beer out of the Spiedel from the top, while it rests in the freezer. Spiedel is not meant for pressure (bottom spigot blowout is possible) - so getting it out the top is going to be an issue for you unless you are ok putting oxygen into your beer before you want to enjoy it by the old racking method. You may think that you want to pick it up and move it for racking or even bottling directly - but you don't just want to pick up 30L (or 66 pounds) all the time while leaning in to the freezer (unless you are young still) - I know this as I have a bad back. Every time you do you will be messing up your cold crash of the yeast too, and sloshing it around which is one of the reasons why you want the freezer in the first place.

This argument is one of the main reasons why I ended up going with a 15.5g sanke keg and building my own custom top for it - then using co2 to push it out of my sanke through the ss racking arm and into a keg (or two). I spent almost $100 bucks for each top and and really happy with them. I have 3 - 15.5g, 3 - 7.75g, and 2 - sixth kegs and I can choose any of them for what I want to ferment in. Take a look at mine below. That pic is old - I don't use the ball valve anymore and finally found a ss part to replace that brass one...

Then BobbyM created a much cheaper base option: https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/sankefermenterkit.htm

I am not telling you that you are wrong - I am just pointing out that there are multiple answers here - just trying to make you aware of them... Hope this helps!! If you bought the vessels already - just disregard the above info and just focus on the first link...

 

[raysmithtx]

I received 2 30l Speidel for Xmas and am looking for the same thing. My old ferm. chamber would easily handle 2 car boys but only 1 Speidel. I don't want to modify anything like I did on my kegerator. Please keep us posted on what you find.

 

[ram5ey]

Height is not the issue. No collar needed for the 30L. I think it would fit in a 7cfu you just need to check the width for 32+ inches. One fits easy in. 5cfu and 7 is a heck of a lot bigger. The Spiedels look bigger than they are. I would take them into a Home Depot or lowes and just see what works.

 

[BHowe]

I'll be purchasing my second one today and will do some measuring.

Maierhof, I appreciate all of your information.

 

[Konn]

I ended up looking into this for a while. At one point I was looking at 28 bottle wine cooler but I'm glad I didn't go that route because when I finally found a store with one I could look at I realized the bottom comes out and a Speidel 30L would not have fit.

At the end of the day I found a 5 cu ft chest freezer and electronic temperature controller was the best bet for me. Here's what mine looks like:

http://i.imgur.com/4STumSN.jpg

Picked up the freezer at my local home depot for $200 and the thermo controller at my LHBS for $99.

So based on this I'd say a 10 cu ft chest freezer would probably be best for 2 Speidel 30Ls.

Hope this helps...

 

[Konn]

...having said that I also have 2 Speidel 30Ls but I'm only planning on having one fermentation chamber. For me I brew at most 1 batch a week so worst case I leave the new batch in the chest for a week and then move it to a closet to make room for the next one. Have a feeling any remaining fermentation that happens won't do much in terms of affecting the flavor and partially basing this decision off DeathBrewer's note:

i usually don't control my secondary temps. higher room temperature is fine...if there is any fermentation left to be done it won't create much flavor.

lower temps will help clear the beer.

Since he also posted the thread that I used to build my own all grain BIAB process I tend to trust his opinion. That said, not too much more room or $$$ for a 10 cu ft model so might be worth looking into if you want. For me I'm more worried about keeping the brewing space in my condo down to a minimum.

 

[BHowe]

still shopping, no updates from my end yet.

 

[Brew_G]

I got kind of worried about using a glass carboy with my kids around so I spent some extra money on a 30L Speidel. I'm really happy with the purchase especially since it's so easy to clean. I find it ideal for 5 gallon batches.

I am also in the market for a chest freezer so I'll be interested to find out what you come up with.

Sorry for digging up an older thread, but I just recently picked up a 30L for the same reason you did, Eamon, and was wondering if anyone has found a good size ferm chamber for these.

I'm thinking a 5 cubic foot freezer would work, but figured I'd throw this out there to see if any new info is available.

 

[ram5ey]

If you are just using one 30L, a 5cf will work just fine. I have the cheap one from Lowes (Idylis) and it fits it just fine. I think the original poster was checking about storing 2 in 1 freezer, in which case I think a 7cf unit would have adequate space.

I hope no one has the issues I had with the spigot leaking, but if you run into that issue or just want something a little different...you can mod it with a racking valve from the SSbrewtech Brew buckets...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=449546

 

[Brew_G]

If you are just using one 30L, a 5cf will work just fine. I have the cheap one from Lowes (Idylis) and it fits it just fine. I think the original poster was checking about storing 2 in 1 freezer, in which case I think a 7cf unit would have adequate space.

I hope no one has the issues I had with the spigot leaking, but if you run into that issue or just want something a little different...you can mod it with a racking valve from the SSbrewtech Brew buckets...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=449546

Thanks, ram5ey. I figured as much, but wanted to double-check.

I'm fermenting right now in my 62F basement in a 17-gallon rope-handled tub filled with water up to the wort line in the Speidel, and it's working great. Heating is simple with an aquarium heater, but the only way to chill/cold crash is to add ice (in my case, frozen water bottles). Chilling is a bit of a pain, so I'd like to eventually migrate to an STC-1000/freezer setup for fermentation, especially if I decide to go with an extended chill (e.g. try to lager) at some point.