Fermentation Chamber Design for 15 Gallon Plastic Conical

[BFD_BrewGeek]

Ran BrewPi test to get 15 gal of water down to lager fermentation temperature...WOW! I wish my mash temperature regulation was this tight...10 hours to drop 15 degrees from 65*F to 50*F...and no significant overshoot...at all...started with a minimum space temperature of 40*F and dropped it in 2*F increments down to 32*F to see if any icing developed...so far, so good. I think/hope I'll be able to cold crash in the mid 30's if I ramp the temperature down slowing at 1-1.5*F/hour...that will be the next test...

Major props to Elco Jacobs and the BrewPi project team...this is an awesome fermentation controller...the web interface lets you monitor and log the whole process...#geekwetdream... Can't wait to see the BrewPi mash controller...

I don't have any experience with lager yeast, but from what I've read, I think this would work well to aerate and pitch at 65 and let the fermentation temperature slowly drop into the low 50's over several hours...

I need to do more sealing, add a condensate drain line to the back of the a/c, and change out the temporary control wiring for the final build...I'll post more pic's when its closer to done...

 

[BFD_BrewGeek]

Beer temperature probe is in a thermowell mounted in the fermenter lid...the fridge probe is located below the A/C, roughly at the same height as the beer probe...

 

[MPEbeling]

This looks exactly like what I need. I live in Cleveland, and I brew in my garage, so it gets pretty hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I have been doing 5 gal batches and fermenting in my basement in a glass carboy, or a plastic bucket, but I want to make the jump to large batches and I think I am going to buy a SS 14 gallon Chronical fermentor. I am debating about building one of these rooms (with space to add other fermentors in the future) or waiting until 2015 when SS releases the FTS Temp Control for the 14 gal. Any thoughts?

My concern with both units is not the cooling, as I think everyone has spent a lot of time thinking about that for lagering purposes which I have never done. Eventually I will try lagering, but I just want to keep cool for the few warm summer months we have. More important to me is the heating, to deal with the harsh 0-30 degree temps in the long winters. Seems like the FTS is really good, but will struggle with those extremes as well. Any advice, or details you cold provide on warming?

Maybe, I should just build an insulated box as a fermenting room for may garage, and then buy the temp control unit for my fermentor inside the box?

Also I am not that great with my hands, nor am I that smart of an engineer...I find I am much better at swiping a card, so if you have any details on builds, construction and dimensions I would appreciate it. Would be a fun project for my father in law and I next time he comes to visit.

 

[Artifishal]

Your concerns were just like mine. Reading your post, I felt all the same. I live in Michigan, also tired of carrying glass carboys up and down from the basement. Here's what I have been working on. I bought a light bulb, paint can heater deal and returned it because my Brewers heating pad just leaned up in there has proven to be enough. The Johnson A419 is the key. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418483806.213783.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418483833.890553.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418483860.454796.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418483891.443270.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418483919.121692.jpg

 

[MPEbeling]

You keep that in your garage in the Winter and the pad is enough? Good to hear...I may give that a shot. I just pre-ordered at 14 g FTS temp control system from SS Tech yesterday expected to come early Jan. So using that box and the FTS should be more than sufficient.

 

[MPEbeling]

Can you give me the details on what specifically you used, so I can pick it up from my local Home Depot, or if anything is to specialized for there, let me know where you got it please.

 

[Artifishal]

You keep that in your garage in the Winter and the pad is enough? Good to hear...I may give that a shot. I just pre-ordered at 14 g FTS temp control system from SS Tech yesterday expected to come early Jan. So using that box and the FTS should be more than sufficient.

Yes! I was surprised too. I check on it at least four to five times a day and it's almost always on. I have the johnson a419 set to 68 degrees.

 

[Artifishal]

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[Artifishal]

Can you give me the details on what specifically you used, so I can pick it up from my local Home Depot, or if anything is to specialized for there, let me know where you got it please.

It was just 2 inch insulation board from Lowe's. A 4 x 8 sheet was $35. I also picked up a bunch of 2 x 2 from the scrap bin for $.50 apiece. I used weatherstripping that I already had but any weatherstripping that is about an inch and a half wide would be perfect. I picked up a small piece of plexiglass from Menard's for four dollars it was 8" x 10" and used a hot glue gun to glue it on the inside face of the front door. The stainless steel handles were from the hardware I'll let Minard's not necessary but I had to have them. I think they were around six dollars. The pin that goes through the top is a piece of aluminum tubing and then I just used binder clips and washers to hold it all tight together.

 

[Artifishal]

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[bcrawfo2]

I'm planning a similar project and was thinking about not insulating the floor, but am concerned about the heat/cool loss to the concrete floor. Any feel for that? I was planning on doing two chambers...one with a mini fridge and depending on how that worked out...either another mini fridge or an AC unit.

 

[Artifishal]

I live in Michigan so I don't think we share the same issue. I mainly only need to worry about heating. I insulated my floor from underneath the work bench, then use two different sized buckets with insulation between them that snaps on underneath to cover the bottom/ valve end of the conical that sticks through the bottom of the workbench.

 

[TeamAshBrewing]

Nice, sub'd and will build in my new house.