Mother of a Ferm Chamber question

lorne17 · May 21, 2015

Hello there,

I am planning on brewing my barley wine come Monday. I need a fermentation chamber by then, but have no room for one permanently in my small house. So with that said this is the direction I'm leaning, please let me know if you have a different or better idea or simpler!

I found this: http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/38DD-Mother-of-a-Fermentation-Chiller and plan to make this chamber out of 2" rigid board. However, I was going to use Dowels and ducttape (or another kind of tape that is better) to hold it together. This way I can cut the tape seam and collapse the whole thing until my next brew time has come! Honestly I don't brew too often so if I can collapse it, store it and pull it out when I'm ready that'd be best. I need to put it in sketchup so I can actually see how much space it will take up with collapsed. If it's not too much different it may not be worth the trouble every time. But let's just assume I will go the collapse method. I have a few questions:

Do you have any other suggestions to make this collapsable?
Do I need a computer fan to push the air? Or can I just make it, put ice in it and call it a day? My basement doesn't get much above 78-82.
I assume I want ice compartments on the bottom?
How do you recommend I hold the chamber together and seal the seams? Duct tape? Cheap and easy to cut through when ready to take it down. But if that isn't going to hold on rigid board or even be thermal enough then I can get something else? Suggestions?

That's it...tell me if I'm crazy or if I'm close to a good idea or if I am no where close to a solution! I was gonna go to Home Depot manana.

Thanks,
Lorne

madscientist451 · May 21, 2015

When you are Home Depot, pick up a 24"x 24" x 18" box, if they still sell those there or go to U haul or Staples and get one. Cut your rigid foam to fit inside the box. I use gorilla glue brand duct tape I got at walmart to seal all the seams. You don't need to collapse it when you're done, just use it to store your brewing equipment. 1/2 gallon plastic milk jugs and 1 or 2 liter soda bottles fit in the corners with the fermentor bucket in the middle. You can get 10-15 degrees below ambient temp depending on how much ice you use and how often you change the ice. Get a cheap thermometer to put inside the box. Note that the fermenting beer may be higher than the temp inside the box as read by the thermometer.
Its a somewhat primitive temp control, but better than not having any.

pricelessbrewing · May 22, 2015

A swamp cooler is extremely effective alternative. Get a tub of water, place bucket in it, wrap bucket in cloth dipped in the water so it's wet. The damp cloth will pull heat from the bucket to evaporate the water. This will bring it about 5 degrees below ambient~. Need to go lower, get an stc1000 and a fan. The fan will speed up evaporative cooling down as low as 15-20 degrees below ambient maximum. Plenty cool enough for ale yeast.

beergolf · May 22, 2015

Get one of these..
http://www.cool-brewing.com

ChefDougAU · May 22, 2015

How 'bout a lowly swamp cooler?

lorne17 · May 22, 2015

What about something like this? It's cheaper and can be used on end and top like a door?
Coleman 72 Can Collapsible Cooler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DLSQ98K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

lorne17 · May 22, 2015

I went to Home Depot and ended up getting a roll of reflectix insulation, two 24"x24" rigid insulation boards and a collapsible outdoor trash bin. I also got a trash can lid to fit. Basically I'll have rigid on top and bottom and the reflectix inside. Hopefully it'll work! I may line the perimeter with cardboard outside the reflectix so it stands a bit easier. I'll try and remember to post pics when I'm done and how well it performs. All in all a collapsible fermentation chamber for about $40.