Indoor brewing and ventilation

[Yooper]

I thought I would show my low tech method for providing ventilation for Indoor brewing.

In the summer our climate is warm and a little humid so I open the door and blow a fan. in the winter our climate is dry and cold so I blow the evaporation the other way into the rest of the house.

I would like to invest in a range hood someday but I've been doing this now for about six years and so far so good!

 

[Homercidal]

I think that is fine. Especially in the winter when you actually WANT more moisture in the house.

But, people need to understand that there are a few variables, like how big is your batch size and how big is your house! You can actually put too much moisture in a house in the winter if your batch size is large and your house is small.

Also, people may want to check listings in their area for old furnaces. They usually have a usable blower motor. Fabricating a hood is pretty easy. The hard part is finding a way to get it vented outside!

 

[wilserbrewer]

I will dog pile on this as well and show my "low tech" brewery ventilation. I feel sometimes people want to over complicate this problem running temporary ductwork etc. Not that I have anything against a proper hood and vent system if that's in your budget and desire. A simple fan moves a lot of air IME, and all you really need is to expel most, not all of the steam, and exchanging fresh air in the house. Letting my fan run during the boil and also for 20 -30 minutes post boil airs out the basement pretty well.

 

[Yooper]

I think that is fine. Especially in the winter when you actually WANT more moisture in the house.

But, people need to understand that there are a few variables, like how big is your batch size and how big is your house! You can actually put too much moisture in a house in the winter if your batch size is large and your house is small.

Also, people may want to check listings in their area for old furnaces. They usually have a usable blower motor. Fabricating a hood is pretty easy. The hard part is finding a way to get it vented outside!

Absolutely. I live in a climate that is DRY in the winter, where the snow is even dry to the touch due to the cold and low humidity. We rarely have days in the summer where the humidity is high, so this simple system works great for me.

I'd love to install a range hood, but it's very low on the list of "wants" and probably will be for a long time.

 

[Cyclman]

I always figure, beyond the "basic requirements" the more you spend on equipment, the less you can spend on beer.

It is that definition of "requirements" that reflects each brewer's personality

 

[broadbill]

I will dog pile on this as well and show my "low tech" brewery ventilation. I feel sometimes people want to over complicate this problem running temporary ductwork etc. Not that I have anything against a proper hood and vent system if that's in your budget and desire. A simple fan moves a lot of air IME, and all you really need is to expel most, not all of the steam, and exchanging fresh air in the house. Letting my fan run during the boil and also for 20 -30 minutes post boil airs out the basement pretty well.

Wilser, I've seen this picture before, and I've wondered how you do you run your setup...is it all electric, done with the heat-sticks sitting on the red cooler? I'd be interested to hear about your rig.

Sorry if you have explained before-let me know if you have and I'll do a search to read it there.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Wilser, I've seen this picture before, and I've wondered how you do you run your setup...is it all electric,

Yes, simple ghetto heatstick basement brewery....2, 20 amp GFCI circuits / 2, 2000 watt elements (can actually power a third element for the occasional 15 gal batch )

kettles or coolers, BIAB or batch sparging very flexible.
Sorry thread jack complete

 

[Homercidal]

I never used a vent when I brewed 5 gallons inside. For me it was a temporary rise in humidity and evened out pretty quickly. If you brewed constantly and had a small house and a large batch size, then you might want to watch for mold building over time. Otherwise, unless your wallpaper was peeling, you should be fine.

 

[mmb]

Yooper, you leave your door open for the full boil? Do you have a screen door or do you just let the UP Air-force inside?

 

[Yooper]

Yooper, you leave your door open for the full boil? Do you have a screen door or do you just let the UP Air-force inside?

haha- no way could I go without a screen! There is a screen door, and that is closed until the boil, then I open the screen door. I have one of those "As Seen on TV!" bug-away screens. It was about $15, and it has velcro on the sides to attach to the door so I can go in and out but keep out the flies and mosquitoes and bees.