show us all your fermentation closets/chambers here

Here's my converted Magic Chef mini-fridge...

It's controlled by a Ranco temp controller that is wired up to a switched outlet so I can turn it off when it's not in use. The bottom outlet is not switched and powers my kegerator. Drilled a hole for the temp probe into the compressor hump after checking for coolant lines.

 

My fermentation chamber is my basement...of a 100 year old house. WAY too ugly to put up a photo, you'd run screaming from your computer.

 

Here's my recently completed ferm. chamber. Had an old kitchen cab left over from renovating our kitchen (all the rest went in garage as well, up on walls and along back wall... this is on side wall.)
Inspiration came from the modified Haier on first page.
I wish I had found the foam like I see in other pics.. not just styrofoam.. oh well, maybe I'll redo it one day.. much cleaner with the other foam.



here is full write up on it.. with more pics (at bottom)

http://ellude.com/ferm.htm

 

Not the greatest pics, but mine is just an insulated box with flex duct from the kegerator and a computer fan on a Ranco controller.

 

Here's our so far...







My father-in-law just picked up some scrap plywood off a job, so hopefully I'll frame it up this week.

 

This is what happened one afternoon after I brewed an IPA and decided that it was too warm in my basement. It's just a single 15 gal. minibrew conical, cooled by a typical 5,000btu AC. The thermocouple probe is inside the beer, so it's controlling the beer temp, not the ambient temp.

 

Just finished the structure of mine in the new brew shop. It is 4ft x 3.5ft x 8ft. Large enough for both of my 15 gal fermenters to roll in the bottom and 6 carboys on the shelf. I ordered a digital 2 dual temp controller so can install a temperary shelf extension that will seperate the top and bottom so I can do lager on top and ferment on bottom in need be. Its also large enough to store kegs and a spare CO2 bottle so I can carb while storing, that way when a keg dies there is no carb/chill time at all just as long as it takes me to swap the keg! I will post more when I get the controller and fans installed.

 

Mine are a collection of old fridges and freezers. Not pretty enough to post pics of, but they help me produce some kick ass beers.

 

My fermenting room.



It's not chilled. Get's to 62-65* in the summer and low 50's in the winter. I run a heater in the winter.

 

I don't think that 'pretty' is what the guys on here are interested in, at leaset I am not. Just want to see pics of other peoples ideas that work. Post'em if you got'em!

 

I just scored a free 6 cubic foot freezer yesterday, and am going to build a temp controller with the Ritetemp I got through Freecycle... excited to finally have a reliable way to control my fermentation temps. I'll post pics when it's done.

 

Mine is an upright freezer from craigslist that I added a Love controller to:



I keep various ingredients and yeast in the door shelves:





It can hold four 6.5 gallon carboys, six 5 gallon carboys, or some other mixed combinations:



If I ever take the door shelves out and replace with a panel, it will hold more, but I haven't needed the extra space yet.

--
Josh

 

Damn...the free chest freezer I got through Craigslist doesn't work.

 

What is the brand and size of the chest freezer?

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/fermentation-chamber-new-rendition-popular-theme-184179/

 

I have used my fermentation chamber for about 6 brews and it works perfect. I can fit up to 4 fermenters in it. I'm not sure how well it will work in cold temps yet.

 

Here's mine. It's a Sears freezer that I got for $100. Wired in a Automation Direct Solo to the compressor and fan. Removed the door and put some wall board in it's place. Also removed the old thermostat, defrost timer and front panel display. Holds 4 carboys and one of those can be a 13.2 gallon sanke fermenter.

 

Here is my newest edition. Perfect size for fermenting in cornie kegs.

 

Great looking door.
Did you design and fabricated the door?



Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

Here is mine. 14.8cu ft freezer I got on craigslist and a Love controller. I usually have 4 buckets in at a time with a little extra room.

 

my project that I hope to finish soon 15 cuft freezer mother of all design and a call it a 3 in 1 box,, 6 carboy fermenting camber, cold storage below and poss lagering, and a tap or two.
I have a 3 tap kegerator




I will post more pic when i get done with it.. ok done with this project just have to find the right setting for the controllers, I think I can freeze the top also

scroll to it all
15cuft freezer 2x4 framed and 11/32 plywood outside 2" foam sandwiched between 1/4 plywood and finished with poly white plastic sheeting for easy cleaning, removable floor and center support, removable door header and opening top,fold up shelf for stir plates, 110v outlet inside, three 110v fans, heat bulbs in both top and bottom.. well almost finished ceramic bulbs have not arrived
I turned the top down to 35f for cold crashing we will see how cold I can get.

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/fermenatrix-tm-182845/

B

 

durachiller

 

Nope. It is a Sub-zero built-in unit that I happened upon. Good free pickup, and eventually it will fit awesome into the brewery I have designed. I hope to have two of them (if I can find another cheap).

 

Mine is here. Still going strong.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/weber-fermentation-chamber-159239/

 

here is mine, 21 cu ft Kenmore off CL for 100$, added a love and a shelf. Also three outlets, one always on, one on with the compressor and one on with the heater

 

Mine is located on this thread

 

having picture problems....

 

Mid siphoning before bottling




Same process, different occasion







I just recently put a fridge on the left where all the chairs are stacked in this pic

 

picture difficulties fixed.

In the winter I used a standard tub of water and aquarium heater. It actually worked quite well at keeping the temp of my fermentor within about 1 degree. But I knew that in summer the basement can get into the mid 70's so I built a fermentarium in June (fermen_arium for those southpark folks among us)

I bought a small chest freezer from Sears on sale. I had a PLC, interface, and hardware laying around to build my own controls. Been using it since June, works quite well.

Fermentarium is on the left, the small fridge on the right is the keggerator.



The batch on the left is a hefeweizen that was pitched about 48hrs ago.



Main screen on the interface. S1 is the sensor taped to the outside of the carboy. S2 is the sensor in the end of the copper tubing in the fermenting beer. S3 is the air temp inside the freezer.



The nice thing about operator interfaces like this is how easy it is to add trending. This shows the last 3 hrs of data for S1.



And the last 3 hrs for S2...



I have the controls and programming for heating but haven't had need for it yet. When I do I was thinking about using a hair dryer at low or medium setting. Also was thinking about going back to the tub of water+ aquarium heater for doing ales in the winter and using the fermentarium to try lagers...

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-side-side-refrigerator-fermentation-chamber-183647/

 

This is a cool thread...pun intended.

 

02fx4dude that is sweet very nice build....
added my finished pics to my post...

 

Here's mine. Just finished yesterday and today it has a Stout in it

 

New one:

 

It's not huge, but it'll hold two carboy and makes for a pretty good work table to boot. It was built mostly out of stuff I had laying around, so cost was pretty minimal.





Build: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/another-fermentation-chamber-143443/

 

LOL love the "obsolete" fermentation box

 

I use a Crestron Control, DS18S temp sensors on SS probes in the beer, to control pumps that pump H2O around a coil of PVC tubing around the fermenter. It makes it like a fake jacketed fermenter. The controls are all touchscreen and I can control the heating and cooling setpoints for each chamber, as well as the freezer. It logs the duty cycle of the cooling system for each chamber, so I can see if it is working too hard, and when the fermentation starts to slow down.

One has 5 loops around the fermenters, and can safely ferment down to 58 degrees, and can crash a beer down to about 54 after fermentation is done.

The other has 10 loops around the fermenter and can safely ferment at 48 and can crash down to about 45 after fermentation is done.

Both chambers have a 25W lightbulb for heat, but honestly since last March, I havent used them.

 

Not as fancy as some, but works. Terrarium heater and fan for heat, frozen jug of water to cool.
5-gallon batch of Biermuncher's Dry Irish Stout
4-gallon batch of The Pol's Holiday Spiced Ale
2.5-gallon batch of Wild Hop Pale Ale