5000 BTU Fermention Chamber

[hvjackson]

[...] The site in the post only shows an EER, which is not the amps. It is the Energy Efficiency Rating. Apparently another government BS rating to confuse things.

Sorry to butt in, but the EER is not some "BS rating to confuse things", it's just the efficiency. It's the ratio of cooling rate to electric consumption. An AC with an EER of 10 uses 10% more electricity for the same amount of cooling than an AC with an EER of 11. Just measuring the peak amps while the compressor running doesn't tell you anything about the power consumption (although it is useful to know so that you don't exceed wiring and controllers).

If more people understood what the EER meant, nobody would buy those crappy ACs they sell at Walmart with an EER of 8.5. You spend way more money on electricity to run an AC than you do to buy it, so it makes sense to get a more efficient model wiht an EER of 10+.

 

[Weezy]

I brewed a 10gal batch last night. After 15hrs, the temp is solid on 68F on the fermenter. I had to set the STC-1000 at 19C (~66F). I assume some heat is being generated by the fermentation and a lower setting is required.

Having the thermistor in a separate vessel isn't going to give you the response you need to control ferm temps in another vessel, since the fermenter's heat is never going to influence that separate vessel. You can and should just rig up something to hold the thermistor to the side of the fermenter. I cut a 4"x4" or so piece of thick exercise mat material and taped it to the side of my fermenter. I just jam the thermistor between the foam rubber and the tank. It works well.

 

[n240sxguy]

Sorry to butt in, but the EER is not some "BS rating to confuse things", it's just the efficiency. It's the ratio of cooling rate to electric consumption. An AC with an EER of 10 uses 10% more electricity for the same amount of cooling than an AC with an EER of 11. Just measuring the peak amps while the compressor running doesn't tell you anything about the power consumption (although it is useful to know so that you don't exceed wiring and controllers).

If more people understood what the EER meant, nobody would buy those crappy ACs they sell at Walmart with an EER of 8.5. You spend way more money on electricity to run an AC than you do to buy it, so it makes sense to get a more efficient model wiht an EER of 10+.

Ok. I'll give you that it's not B.S., but it does confuse things. When someone is talking about overloading wiring because an A/C has an ERR of 10, they are confusing it with the actual amperage.

 

[limulus]

Having the thermistor in a separate vessel isn't going to give you the response you need to control ferm temps in another vessel, since the fermenter's heat is never going to influence that separate vessel. You can and should just rig up something to hold the thermistor to the side of the fermenter. I cut a 4"x4" or so piece of thick exercise mat material and taped it to the side of my fermenter. I just jam the thermistor between the foam rubber and the tank. It works well.

Yeah, I re-taped the probe to the fermenter after I brewed on Sunday. The 1L bottle with the thermowell is only to get the temp up to my set point and hold it there w/o cycling on and off so much. I'm going to brew a bourbon barrel porter later this week and I will move the probe to that fermenter.

 

[limulus]

Ok. I'll give you that it's not B.S., but it does confuse things. When someone is talking about overloading wiring because an A/C has an ERR of 10, they are confusing it with the actual amperage.

I will have to check the numbers in my manual. I am sure they are not good. It is a 5050 btu GE unit that was on sale for $99. I have a three zone HVAC system in my home and my power bill can be >$300/mo. A few more $ won't make much difference.

 

[n240sxguy]

I will have to check the numbers in my manual. I am sure they are not good. It is a 5050 btu GE unit that was on sale for $99. I have a three zone HVAC system in my home and my power bill can be >$300/mo. A few more $ won't make much difference.

That's the A/C I just bought. I don't remember seeing the ERR number because I wasn't looking for it. I think it runs 4.9 amps. I would imagine the efficiency of the unit in our application, dollar wise anyway, would be more influenced by how well you insulate your enclosure. A less efficient unit in a well sealed enclosure could still be reasonable to run. A more efficient unit would be even better. I didn't feel like getting the more efficient unit because it cost more, and wasn't analog.

 

[n240sxguy]

Sorry to butt in, but the EER is not some "BS rating to confuse things", it's just the efficiency. It's the ratio of cooling rate to electric consumption. An AC with an EER of 10 uses 10% more electricity for the same amount of cooling than an AC with an EER of 11. Just measuring the peak amps while the compressor running doesn't tell you anything about the power consumption (although it is useful to know so that you don't exceed wiring and controllers).

If more people understood what the EER meant, nobody would buy those crappy ACs they sell at Walmart with an EER of 8.5. You spend way more money on electricity to run an AC than you do to buy it, so it makes sense to get a more efficient model wiht an EER of 10+.

Just out of curiosity, how is the ERR number calculated? Is it more a matter of how well the A/C is designed as far as coil design and airflow, or is it influenced by the "intelligence" of the A/C controller changing fan speeds or compressor run time? Just wondering. If its the latter, we may be changing that ERR value by trying to control it with a different temp controller.

 

[hvjackson]

Just out of curiosity, how is the ERR number calculated? Is it more a matter of how well the A/C is designed as far as coil design and airflow, or is it influenced by the "intelligence" of the A/C controller changing fan speeds or compressor run time? Just wondering. If its the latter, we may be changing that ERR value by trying to control it with a different temp controller.

EER is calculated as the cooling rate (in BTUs / hr) divided by the average electrical consumption (in watts), under reference conditions meant to be representative of typical use. E.g. I think 90˚F outside air and 80˚F inside return air. All of the things you mention (coil design, airflow, fan & compressor logic) can affect the EER. (If you've ever taken a thermodynamics class, the EER is identical to the Coefficient of Performance except that it uses different units.)

You're correct that by operating the AC at cooler temperatures than designed (most fermentation chambers are probably in the low 60s, and some people even use ACs to make a conditioning room even colder) the AC may not be performing as efficiently as its EER rating. It's also likely that by overriding the fan / compressor logic you get additional losses.

 

[n240sxguy]

BTW. Just looked at my $99 GE A/C box. EER is 9.7

 

[limulus]

BTW. Just looked at my $99 GE A/C box. EER is 9.7

I guess that is not too bad. Mine does not run very much, so I think I'll be okay. I now have three batches of primary fermentation going:
1. Vienna Blonde 10gal
2. Bourbon Barrel Porter 5gal
3. Pliny 5gal
I also have a plastic bin with grains for:
1. IPA
2. American Brown
3. Dunkel (lager)

There is also a bucket of DampRid that I keep in there.

I also have decided to add some additional flooring inside. I'm down to tile or the clear epoxy that you use on bar tops. I could even place pictures or something under the epoxy. I should probably tidy up those wires a wee bit. I have some of the flexible cable stuff that is used for TV/Stereo wires. Plastic conduit may be better though.

Oh yeah, the little blue container on the right side is 1-pint Maker's Mark soaking in 3oz of oak cubes. That will be added to the secondary of the Bourbon Barrel Porter in a couple of weeks.

 

[limulus]

I was answering a question about my build and realize I made a slight mistake in the dimensions. It is not a 48" cube. My dimensions are 48"D x 48" W x 34"H. The height including the casters is 37.5"H. That way, it was the right heigh to use as a work surface. It also holds plastic shelves on top as seen in photos.