son of fermenter

[CJ-3]

Hello all,

I have been going through the posts and I see several people have built the Son of Fermenter chamber. I like the idea of it as it is cost effective and can be moved when not in use.
It also looks like a fun DIY that I can do with the kids.
I am thinking of a small change, using an STC 1000 as opposed to a thermostat but otherwise following the online specs.

My questions to those that have one are : does it work well for you? Are you glad you did it? Does it reasonably hold temps in the lower 60's?

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[kevink]

I built one but was unhappy with adding ice to it all the time, so I put a small window AC unit in mine. It works perfectly! You can even fit two carboys in it because you'll no longer need the divider in the back. I use a Love TSS2 controller, but the STC 1000 is a better option because it's a lot cheaper. I forget how low mine went when using ice, but with the AC I've held low 60s for days. Never had a need to go lower than that.

 

[CJ-3]

That is a nice clean build. Nicely done!

 

[djt17]

I built one; I can keep it in the upper 50's with 1 gal jug of ice every 12 hrs. Good enough for me. I use a thermostat, took awhile to correlate it's setting to the wort temp. I now have markings on it for lagers & ales.

 

[CJ-3]

Heck, if you can hit the 50's that is better than I hoped for.

 

[Staestc]

I just built one and have my first beer in it. I went the STC-1000 route. I just love it. I'm watching temps closely but it is working great and I am only having to put ice in every 60 hours or so. When I get a few spare minutes I will post build Picts and cut and wiring diagrams. And lessons learned. A window A/C or even a dorm fridge would keep you from having to fool with the ice, but if you are on a budget and have room in a freezer for two gallon jugs this is hard to beat!
Travis'n'Texas

 

[djonesax]

Will an AC unit or a dorm/mini fridge conversion be enough to also cold crash the beer to 35ish degrees? I am pretty certain the AC unit could cold crash it if the temperature limiter were removed but what about the fridge. I have seen many builds were they build a box out from the open fridge door and I wondered if the fridge could actually put out enough cold air to lower the entire box to close to freezing temps in order to cold crash.

David

 

[CJ-3]

Wen I get a few spare minutes I will post build Picts and cut and wiring diagrams.
Travis'n'Texas

A wiring diagram would be great if you have one to share I would certainly appreciate it.

 

[Staestc]

It's all PDF files because I did it all in Visio. Don't know if I can post them here. If not, I will post them somewhere and post links to them here.

Any help on how in can share PDFs would be appreciated!