Large fan or hood?

[ImperialDrHops]

I have a shed that is being converted to my brewhouse. It's 10x14 and about 12 feet at highest point (A-frame). There are two small windows on the side along with double barn doors. I'm trying to figure my ventilation needs based on using my new 20 gallon Spike Solo.

Can I simply open the windows and doors and use a big fan to blow the steam out? Or do I really need a hood type system? The other option is the new Spike steam condenser lid but I really don't like the idea of using that much extra water.

If I go the fan route, I'm thinking about something like this: Fan #1

Or maybe even this: Fan #2

Any thoughts?

 

[cubalz]

Honestly you will need a hood if you want to get all of that steam out of your shed. Trying to blow it out of a window with a fan will prove futile.

 

[myndflyte]

What about something like a 6" inline fan and run the pipe to the window? Just cut a hole for the fan in a large mixing bowl. I'm assuming you're doing electric. I think if you're using propane, you may need something else.

 

[Franktalk]

Honestly you will need a hood if you want to get all of that steam out of your shed. Trying to blow it out of a window with a fan will prove futile.

If you have a water source, you can get a condenser which will do the job for a fraction of the money with no noise or heating loss. It doesn't use that much water, and you can capture the water an use it to water your plants.

 

[cubalz]

If you have a water source, you can get a condenser which will do the job for a fraction of the money with no noise or heating loss.

I understand that but in the original post he did not like the idea of using a bunch of extra water so I offered another solution.

 

[ImperialDrHops]

I like the idea of the mixing bowl/fan which seems a lot cheaper than a hood. I also really want to like the condenser lid but an extra 20 gallons of water to worry about just seems like quite a lot. I will also have the water from chilling to use. Does a 6" fan really have the power to remove that much steam?

 

[cubalz]

In my brew room I had a custom made 6' x 3' 22" deep condensation hood with a Vortex 6" inline fan blowing all of the steam and heat through a wall vent. My boil off rate is around 1.5 gal per hour and my humidity does not even move throughout the entire boil as monitored by a thermo hygrometer. That proves how much steam those fans move!

 

[myndflyte]

Does a 6" fan really have the power to remove that much steam?

The size of fan you need is also totally dependent on your fuel source. This is take from The Electric Brewery

• Electric based brewery: Divide the element size (in watts) by 17.6 to obtain the required CFM (cubic feet per minute). In our case we use a 5500W element in our boil kettle. 5500 / 17.6 = 312 CFM. We therefore require a fan that can move a minimum of 312 CFM in order to ventilate our electric brewery properly. Fans this size are readily available and reasonably inexpensive.
• Gas based brewery: Divide the burner’s BTU/hour rating by 30. Because of the inefficiencies, a 80,000 BTU burner produces approximately the same amount of heat in the kettle as a 5500W element. 80,000 / 30 = 2666 CFM. We would therefore require a fan that can move 2666 CFM in order to ventilate a gas setup properly. A fan this size is not readily available. A commercial restaurant exhaust fan is likely required.

So a 6" inline fan can move about 400 CFM. If you have the fan pretty close to your window without any long runs, it should be pretty close to what you need. Obviously bends and a long run of pipe will drop the total output.

 

[day_trippr]

I will be the contrarian and say if a leeward window can fit a standard cheap 20" box fan, with the boil vessel stationed below the cross-ventilation will be more than adequate.

Been there, done that..

Cheers!

 

[Punx Clever]

I brew in a shed exactly the same as you describe yours.

I have a box fan in one window. I hang a box fan in the doorway with both doors open.

In the summer (now) it gets hot in the shed, but I am able to control the steam. Both fans blow in.

As for steam condensers... The Spike lid seems to be a a huge water hog at 20 gallons over an hour... but the Steam Slayer from Brew Hardware only uses 5-6 gph and people seem to be very happy with them.

 

[ImperialDrHops]

I will be the contrarian and say if a leeward window can fit a standard cheap 20" box fan, with the boil vessel stationed below the cross-ventilation will be more than adequate.

The fan #1 I listed from Home Depot is an 18" fan I can mount to the wall above and to the side of the kettle, pointing directly towards the open shed doors. It is rated 3800 CFM which according to the info above from Electric Brewery, is MORE than enough for my electric setup. The windows on my shed are quite narrow and a box fan can't fit there, but the shed doors are probably five feet wide so I really believe most steam will escape with the push from the fan.

As for steam condensers... The Spike lid seems to be a a huge water hog at 20 gallons over an hour... but the Steam Slayer from Brew Hardware only uses 5-6 gph and people seem to be very happy with them.

I looked into this as it's much cheaper than Spike and uses less water, but I'm not sure of the compatibility. It seems I would have to add a port into the kettle and this is just more work, time, and cost. The Solo kettle's ports are both on the bottom.

Punx Clever, is your shed wooden/drywalled/tiled? Mine is exposed wood (framing) on the inside with no special insulation.

 

[Punx Clever]

I looked into this as it's much cheaper than Spike and uses less water, but I'm not sure of the compatibility. It seems I would have to add a port into the kettle and this is just more work, time, and cost. The Solo kettle's ports are both on the bottom.

you are right, it's not a turn key solution. But, it is the direction I'm going to go in the near future.

Punx Clever, is your shed wooden/drywalled/tiled? Mine is exposed wood (framing) on the inside with no special insulation.

previous owner insulated, elictrified, and plumbed the shed. Walls have plywood and panels. Ceiling is (poorly installed) drywall. Must be doing something right with the steam... the drywall hasn't started melting, sagging, or growing mold in the two years I've been brewing 10 gallon batches one or twice a month inside it.

Looks like this with the Solo+ in it.

 

[ImperialDrHops]

I already put down vinyl tile and am thinking about insulation. Probably next year. Electric was easy but plumbing is a big challenge (cost!!) You seem to be doing exactly what I plan on. I think I'm going with the big fan for minimal cost. If condensation is an issue or the steam isn't clearing easily I will have to look into another solution.