My shamelessly cheap $12 DIY stir plate

[DakotaRules]

Will these work?

That's what I use!

 

[FoshM]

What a great cheap stir plate. Just ordered a fan from amazon!

 

[barrooze]

Will these work?

Yup. Just bend the bracket with a couple pliers to get the magnet off.

 

[djelemenohpee]

Yup. Just bend the bracket with a couple pliers to get the magnet off.

Great! Thanks

 

[DakotaRules]

I got my 11 today and if I could do it again I'd get the larger one. The 11 will be fine for my 2000ml flask but I wanted this one for my 5000ml. I may order the order also.

I retract my statement about the size of the fan, this thing rips! No need for the larger sized fan at all!

 

[msh227]

All my materials are in, going to put this together tonight. Just thinking about the washer being used. Curious is the washer needed, it is said to be used to shield the field from the fan motor. Won't the magnetic field pass through the washer and still make it to the fan? With the magnets I bought, the field can pass through my finger and attract each other, very strong magnets.

Has anyone tried not using the washer?

 

[IFMracin]

Anyone wondering the quality of these fans, I have two that I have been using in my entertainment center for 4+ years with no issues.
One is on 24/7 to exhaust air from around my DVR and the other comes on automatically with my PS3.

I would buy these fans again in a heartbeat.

 

[CS223]

Curious is the washer needed, it is said to be used to shield the field from the fan motor. Won't the magnetic field pass through the washer and still make it to the fan? With the magnets I bought, the field can pass through my finger and attract each other, very strong magnets.

Has anyone tried not using the washer?

You definitely need the washer or some ferrous material to shield the motor. If you have disk magnets you could use a flat bar. Or you can space the magnets above the motor some distance using a plastic spacer of some sort. That's how Stir Starters makes theirs. If you're using two individual magnets, be sure you have one with the N pole up and the other with the S pole up.

 

[jathorp]

I bought one of these awesome thermaltake fans from Amazon (free shipping with prime) and was able to convert it into a stir plate with just a single trip to the hardware store.

For all those who are curious, I couldn't get my hands on a hard drive, but Lowes had a pack of magnets for $2.50 that work just fine. I've doubled them up on each side, but it would also work to just use one on each side.

I glued the washer to the back of the fan, but as of now, I am just letting the magnets sit freely on the washer. They're strong enough to hold themselves in place. (I was too afraid to glue them because if they were out of place it would be hell to remove and re-attach them.)

I just took the back grill off completely instead of bothering to cut the wire.

Here's a video of my awesome 'shamelessly cheap' stir plate in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN0Xi0ymSH8&feature=youtu.be

As you can see, I don't have a frame or box so for the time I'm using two books. This fan moves really fast, It's way more than I need for a 1L flask.

This took less than 3 hours including ordering, trips to the hardware store, etc. Thanks for the great idea.

 

[jlachesk]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LIHGFC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This laptop cooling pad may also be an option. Same price point as the Thermaltake. Likely significantly lower quality, but might be a good option to adapt to stir plate duties.

I'm planning to switch my stir plate from the current monstrosity of a project box to something compact like this.

 

[taulpepper]

I did the same thing, but I put this fan inside a wood cigar box, which was $5 a local cigar shop, but you might be able to get one for free. I drilled some holes in the box and used the screws that come with this fan to attach it to the lid. I bought neodymium magnets from K&J Magnetics. At some point I'm going to clean it up and mount the speed control knob properly.

 

[Matteo57]

subscribed. Awesome idea!

 

[Matteo57]

Thanks again, works great

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Good option for people who dont have access to a soldering iron or any of the other necessary parts.

 

[KurtB]

Can anybody think of a reason not to use the larger fan? The price difference is only $3 right now.

 

[boxofjibboo]

I have a 0.4 Amp fan in my box, it only whirlpools. Is this too strong of a fan? Is bad for my starter if it goes this fast?

 

[redshift76]

Same fan/controller mounted in a plastic container. Super easy.

 

[acidrain]

I built one last weekend. Thanks for the links... works perfectly.

 

[taulpepper]

KurtB - the smaller one seems to have a higher RPM range than the larger one (1300-3000 vs 800-1500), so I'm not sure why you would need it. I have the smaller one and I have to keep it on a low-medium setting or it will throw my stir bar, which is 1.575" long.

I also have one of these in my keezer. It reduces condensation and the frequency of the compressor coming on. The flat cord is nice too, because I can close the door on it and did not need to put a hole in the keezer to run it through.

 

[KurtB]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about sticking a fan into my keezer and did not even think about using one of these. Great idea.

 

[Ibrewaletx]

Thanks for the inspiration CS223 & redshift76. It cost me $13.76 for the fan via the Amazon link, $2.99 for the 10 pack of magnets and $3.00 for the USB plug in adapter. Not as cheap as some, but not bad!

 

[tre9er]

I love the use of tupperware on these. I might do that as well. Just go get some cheap, sturdy tupper ware and do that. I do like the look of a cigar box though. Otherwise I'll find something. I always do. The fan itself can be made into a stand but I don't know about there being much grip on the grille to keep the flask from vibrating off. Def don't want that.

 

[tre9er]

built this over the weekend (Friday). Used the Thermaltake 12, which is larger, just in case I wanted to do 3-5L starters (currently doing 1 and 2L). I mounted the fan to a piece of 1/2" MDF with a 2" hole drilled in the center, then slid a 2x4 under either side of the MDF to slightly elevate it/support it. I glued a zinc washer to the fan's center and just stacked 3 neodymium magnets to either side (6 total), didn't glue them down. Using a 1.5" stir-bar but had issues with throwing in a large pickle jar (my 2L, well, 2.36L "flask") due to non-flat bottom, even at lowest speed. So I put dip-tube o-rings on either end of the stir bar (it has the fulcrum in the center) and ran it just slight above lowest speed on a 2L starter beginning Saturday night. Wasn't a big vortex but I had good krausen and in about 18 hours it fell. I let it go and pitched Sunday around 3PM, so just under 24 hours since it was on the starter. Worked well for about $35 total, including fan, washer, magnets and stir-bar.

 

[NewBrewB]

So i built one and it works. Only cost was the stir bar.
Lucked out with the box i chose (thickness of lid/space between magnet and the lid) and the strength of the hard drive magnet, because it spins in liquid without a speed control (or an on/off switch).

Here is my question:
How do I use it?

I boiled about 1ltr of water, added 3/4 cup DME, boiled another ten to fifteen mins, left it covered, let it cool

When it was cool, i opened my yeast--white labs 007, shook it until mixed, and dumped it into the glass vessel on the stir plate. Fired it up and got a nice cyclone in the middle. Left it running for about 5 hours.

Still no signs of life. Didnt have another vial so i got nervous and pitched it on my freshly brewed and aerrated wort.

Im reasonably confident it will kick off by morning but im also sure my "starter" did much more than increase my chances of an infection.

...sigh...maybe i shouldnt have experimented until i was more sure of the process...just got excited about using the new DIY homebrew gadget..

 

[tre9er]

my starter took about 18 hours to show krausen. leave it be, it should be fine

 

[barrooze]

So i built one and it works. Only cost was the stir bar.
Lucked out with the box i chose (thickness of lid/space between magnet and the lid) and the strength of the hard drive magnet, because it spins in liquid without a speed control (or an on/off switch).

Here is my question:
How do I use it?

I boiled about 1ltr of water, added 3/4 cup DME, boiled another ten to fifteen mins, left it covered, let it cool

When it was cool, i opened my yeast--white labs 007, shook it until mixed, and dumped it into the glass vessel on the stir plate. Fired it up and got a nice cyclone in the middle. Left it running for about 5 hours.

Still no signs of life. Didnt have another vial so i got nervous and pitched it on my freshly brewed and aerrated wort.

Im reasonably confident it will kick off by morning but im also sure my "starter" did much more than increase my chances of an infection.

...sigh...maybe i shouldnt have experimented until i was more sure of the process...just got excited about using the new DIY homebrew gadget..

To make a starter, an ideal ratio of water to DME is 10g DME for every 100mL water. Brewers yeast on a stir plate should be left for at least 24 hours to allow sufficient cell growth. You won't see much activity (if any) after just 5 hours. Make sure there's some sort of cover over your glass vessel. Sanitized Aluminum foil works great. It can be easily secured over the top, but still allow sufficient airflow to help the yeast growing. Just an FYI, don't put an airlock on your starters.

 

[NewBrewB]

Fermentation kicked off just fine, so just like 90% of the posts on here, I was worried about nothing.

Thanks for the 24 hr timeframe estimate. I will plan my next brew day much better and try to pitch at the height of the starter activity, after a day's worth of dizzy spinning yeasties.

 

[Matteo57]

I can't get my stir stick to stick to the magnets on the fan... Are they just not strong enough magnets ya think? I have tried two different sets...one I got to stay for around 2 minutes or so but slowly but surely it comes off and I can't turn it up full blast without it coming off. Stronger magnets? I have a washer between the magnets like the OP says also...

 

[tre9er]

I can't get my stir stick to stick to the magnets on the fan... Are they just not strong enough magnets ya think? I have tried two different sets...one I got to stay for around 2 minutes or so but slowly but surely it comes off and I can't turn it up full blast without it coming off. Stronger magnets? I have a washer between the magnets like the OP says also...

run it slow. no need to run it fast. ican't get mine to run fast either, but no problem, just keep yeast in suspension

 

[seatbelt123]

Same fan/controller mounted in a plastic container. Super easy.

That is a great solution. My starters have, more than once, tried to escape. A bead of silicon on the washers would be my choice.