Air conditioner for fermenting in summer

[valicious]

New Mexico summers are HOT, and I've been trying to figure out a solution to keep temps under control during the 100+F days.
I was thinking about building a walk-in cooler (similar to Jamil's as described on Mr. Malty), but I discovered this gem as I was looking for AC units.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...ang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC21733-Cat30994&topnav=

I was thinking of just tossing this in the spare bedroom (now my fermentation room). No need to buy extra insulation or wood to construct a box. The dehumidifier is nice (even though NM is dry) since I'll be storing grains in the room as well.

Good buy?

 

[SouthernYankee]

It would be good for Ales..but I wouldn't think about trying lagers with it. Lowest temp it does according to the description is 64 degrees.

 

[springer]

I have one for my bedroom for real hot days as the room is the last on the duct . It sucks I have the 9000 like that and a regular 5000 window unit cools better and doesn't run as long. The freestanding units use the cold air to cool the coils which normally is done with outside air in a window unit. So you are pulling warm air from somewhere to replace the cooled.

 

[valicious]

anyone else? I need to get something soon. It's already in the 60s here and getting warmer.

 

[leboeuf]

I built the cooled chamber in my signature to solve our issues
You could use a large cardboard box if you're just trying to maintain 60F with the unit you posted. Really though those are the same thing as a window AC....

 

[valicious]

I built the cooled chamber in my signature to solve our issues
You could use a large cardboard box if you're just trying to maintain 60F with the unit you posted. Really though those are the same thing as a window AC....

I'm hoping to just use the spare bedroom as the brewing/computer room. Our apartment is just about 650 sq ft, so that unit could keep the whole apartment cool as well.

 

[caspio]

Is there a reason why you don't want to use a window mounted AC? As stated above, they'll cool the space more efficiently, and they're cheaper to purchase per BTU of cooling power. We have one of those freestanding AC units in our ad-hoc server closet at work and it always seems to be causing problems.

I build a ferm box in underneath my workbench and I used a window mounted AC. Total average daily cost was under 40 cents (over the course of a whole year).

Also, like someone mentioned, the 64 degree lower limit will be a problem. A good healthy fermentation on a medium or big beer can easily be 10+ over ambient.

 

[Catt22]

I have one for my bedroom for real hot days as the room is the last on the duct . It sucks I have the 9000 like that and a regular 5000 window unit cools better and doesn't run as long. The freestanding units use the cold air to cool the coils which normally is done with outside air in a window unit. So you are pulling warm air from somewhere to replace the cooled.

+10.000 I have a freestanding unit and I agree that they suck big time. IMO, they should not even be on the market at all. These units suck air from the room to blow across the condenser coils and exhaust it through the window duct. The cool air taken from the room is replaced by warmer air from elsewhere in the house. It's a no win situation. They are a total waste of money and it's a stupid design. Might have worked if they had two ducts to the window. One for incoming air to cool the condenser coils and one to exhaust this same now hot air. The room air could then be recirculated to vastly improve the efficiency. A window unit (even a much smaller btu size) would be a much better choice. I'm planning to gut my free standing unit and see if I can somehow utilize the components to build a fermentation chamber. Might as well use it for something.

 

[cyclonetx]

I went the route of building a fermentation chiller out of foam board and a thermostatically controlled fan for about $40.00. With a couple of one gallon plastic containers of ice, I can keep my carboy at 60 degrees in the Texas summer heat with no problem. You will need to change the ice containers out once a day. Directions for the build are at http://knoxhomebrewer.com/images/stories/chiller plans.pdf

 

[valicious]

The problem with putting a unit in the window is that I rent, and I can't take the screens out.
What about building a styrofoam box (or building styrofoam walls to cover the top and front of the closet) and cutting out a square for the window AC unit?

I was scrounging around on craigslist and found these: any good?
samsung air conditioner - $150
GE Air-Conditioner - $110

 

[Catt22]

The problem with putting a unit in the window is that I rent, and I can't take the screens out.
What about building a styrofoam box (or building styrofoam walls to cover the top and front of the closet) and cutting out a square for the window AC unit?

I was scrounging around on craigslist and found these: any good?
samsung air conditioner - $150
GE Air-Conditioner - $110

The problem with mounting a window unit in a closet is that it will be pouring a lot of heat into the room where the closet is located and possibly some condensate water too. The noise it generates might also be an issue.

Those prices aren't so hot for used AC units. You can buy the smaller ones brand new for under $100. I would not be too concerned about the brand name. They all seem to be fairly well built and the all probably come from China or Korea anyway. I would only be concerned about that if I was buying a very large and expensive unit. These el cheapo units I consider more or less just disposable.

You might be better off just getting a used refrigerator or freezer. These can often be found pretty cheap.

 

[Cliff897]

It sucks [..] a regular 5000 window unit cools better [..] freestanding units use the cold air to cool the coils

I wondered if that might be the case.

Also the noise? Compressors can be quiet but fans tend to be noise makers.

 

[MikeRLynch]

5.0 CU GE Chest Freezer. Can comfortably fit one carboy, or two to three cornies with co2 bottle. The small size just fits in my closet (only just) and after the cost of building a chamber combined with buying an ac unit, it will end up costing about the same. Just stick a johnson controller on it and call it a day. Plug and play. Mine's coming on the 3rd

 

[leboeuf]

The problem with putting a unit in the window is that I rent, and I can't take the screens out.
What about building a styrofoam box (or building styrofoam walls to cover the top and front of the closet) and cutting out a square for the window AC unit?

I was scrounging around on craigslist and found these: any good?
samsung air conditioner - $150
GE Air-Conditioner - $110

This is pretty much exactly what I do. You'll be cooling a very small space so the heat generated by the ac unit will be peanuts compared to the sun heating your south facing walls to 100+ degrees

If you have a swamp cooler, that hot air will get pushed out of your apartment anyway.

MikeRlynch's plan sounds good too! If you don't have the resources to make a chamber/etc. his route may be the best option....

 

[valicious]

a fridge/freezer is kinda out of the question...I have 3 primaries a 3 carboys fermenting right now, and plans to increase capacity.
An AC unit that has a built-in thermostat would be nice so I can skip buying a temp controller.
I'm just trying to figure out WHAT I need, then I'll keep surfing craigslist until I find something.