Fermentation chamber build--advice?

[brandenn]

My chamber doesn't seem to be holding cold very well. Do I need internal fans or anything to circulate the air better? Or is this typically attributed to bad insulation/sealing?

I'm pretty terrible at building things outside of computers, so any advice is much appreciated...

Edit: The open space next to the cooler is filled with the 2x4 up top with a strip of insulation and weather stripping around the edges--it fits pretty tight.

 

[watersr]

Very similar to the chest I built. I needed a fan to get the temp even around the chamber. Otherwise the fridge got cooler then the far side of the chamber and shut off, leaving the rest too warm. I use a 120mm pc fan.

 

[chumpsteak]

That's a lot of open space with very little insulation and a lot of gaps. Double the insulation and caulk/aluminum tape all the gaps. Also put a fan in the fridge to blow the cold air around.

 

[brandenn]

Thanks for the advice--time to head back to Lowes.

I didn't really think about it before, but I now realize that the heat transfer unit is built into the exterior of the fridge. The few sides that do stick out into the chamber get relatively warm...

Do you think I would see a significant advantage to seal up the chest completely, put door back on, and build a fan and tube section to push the cold air into the chest? That would eliminate the heat transfer into the chest, at least...

 

[brandenn]

Anyone have any thoughts on sealing it up and transferring the cold air with a fan and hose?

Think that would be more efficient? I already got more insulation so I'm doing that regardless...

Thanks!