Terminology overload: keezer, ferm chamber, etc.

[psuhammer14]

I think I am suffering from terminology overload and I can't seem to find a simple answer to what i am looking to do.

I want to make sure my fermentation temperatures are stable. I have gone the swamp cooler method, but its not accurate or stable enough for my tastes. I don't mind some DIY work, but I know next to nothing about wiring, so a full DIY is probably not feasible unless I am over-complicating things...

So...
1.)Can I use a chest freezer as a fermentation chamber? Since freezers are obviously meant for freezing temps and not fridge temps, are they still suitable for use as a fermentation chamber?
2.) Is it as simple as plugging the freezer into an external temperature controller like the inkbird or other device? Do I have to modify the freezer somehow? Does this just entail plugging the freezer into the temperature controller and positioning the temperature probe inside it and setting the temp?

What about keezers? are those just fridges or freezers modified to be fermentation chambers, or are they primarily for use as kegerators?

 

[Sailingeric]

I have a chest freezer and I plug it into something similar to the STC-1000 I got off of Amazon for less than $20. It cools in the summer and in the winter I turn off the freezer and stick in some kind of heat source- currently a light bulb, but I have used a heat wrap made for kombucha but my wife has take control of the wrap currently for her kombucha brewing.

 

[normonster]

Yes and yes.

A keezer is a term used for a kegerator made from a freezer, but could also be a fermentation chamber (like a kegarator could be)

I'd recommend a fridge with controller instead. Keezers are simple to put together in that basic sense but there are issues that arise that you have to deal with....overcooling even after the controller kicks off, temperature stratification retiring the use of a fan. Eventually I'm ditching mine for a fridge. Lots of people love them though. Up to you.

Cheers

 

[Zepth]

This is going to be so ninja - posted...

Yes. Some temperature controllers are simply plug in the power cord and life is good. Depending on the style (STC 1000 or power bar style) will change exactly what you need to do. Since I rarely need to heat anything above room temperature, I tend to only use the "cold side" circuit.

Keezers are keg freezers. Modified in almost an identical fashion to the fermentation chamber. Idea is to over-ride the internal thermostat, hence the STC / inkbird. Some choose to modify the appliance to get the device just how the want it, or reduce ground clutter nearby but modifications aren't needed in most cases.

I had a keezer before a ferm chamber. Since I prefer cellar temperature beer (10 C, about 50 F) I did ferment a couple lagers in there while serving other kegs. Not the best idea, but it did work well enough for me.

 

[beskone]

I think I am suffering from terminology overload and I can't seem to find a simple answer to what i am looking to do.

I want to make sure my fermentation temperatures are stable. I have gone the swamp cooler method, but its not accurate or stable enough for my tastes. I don't mind some DIY work, but I know next to nothing about wiring, so a full DIY is probably not feasible unless I am over-complicating things...

So...
1.)Can I use a chest freezer as a fermentation chamber? Since freezers are obviously meant for freezing temps and not fridge temps, are they still suitable for use as a fermentation chamber?

Yes they are totally suitable, if you use one make sure you put in something to absorb moisture so you don't get mildew.

I use this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H0XFD2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

2.) Is it as simple as plugging the freezer into an external temperature controller like the inkbird or other device? Do I have to modify the freezer somehow? Does this just entail plugging the freezer into the temperature controller and positioning the temperature probe inside it and setting the temp?

Yes it's that easy, especially with something like the Inkbird 308's (no wiring plug and play), temp probe in the beer is preferable but if you don't have a long enough probe or a thermocouple just tape the probe to the side of the fermenter.

What about keezers? are those just fridges or freezers modified to be fermentation chambers, or are they primarily for use as kegerators?

Keezer = Term for Keg Freezer. Usually if you use Keezer you're referring to a Chest or standup freezer that's been modified to serve as a kegorator.

If you've modified a chest freezer to be a fermentation chamber, you'd just call it a fermentation chamber.

Cheers!

 

[beernutz]

It is pretty simple to set up a fermentation chamber or a keezer from a chest freezer. I'm currently temperature controlling two chest freezers and an upright freezer. For the fermentation chamber chest freezer I built an insulated wood collar to expand its capacity for tall containers as it is small. I use a DIY STC-1000 based controller and also added a computer fan which kicks on when the freezer powers on. Since it is in an unheated space in my garage I use a small hair dryer to heat the insides during the few weeks here when the garage temp gets lower than fermentation temps.

My keezer was also created from a chest freezer but I bought a Johnson Controls temp controller since I didn't know at that time how easy making an STC-1000 based one was. It also has an insulated collar and a computer fan and is in the same unheated garage as the other chest freezer.

The upright freezer is even more unheated as it is outside under my deck. I keep it at 55 degrees all the time for wine aging using an inkbird controller (I didn't have time at the time to build one). It has no fan and uses a small heating pad when the outside temps fall below 55.

Like beskone I also use an Eva-dry device http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LVN7BM0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 in my keezer/chambers.

So it can be as simple as plugging in the freezer to a temp controller that you buy as I did for my upright freezer but it can also be more complex if you want to add a collar and insulate it of if you are talking about a keezer, adding taps/regulators/hose/etc so you can serve draft beer.

 

[joshesmusica]

I use the inkbird temperature controller on a freezer I use for fermentation. Here's my review (basic gist, I highly recommend):

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=568879

 

[psuhammer14]

thanks everyone, I was on the right track. I was thinking i would have to do a lot of re-wiring or modifications in order to do it, but i am glad to see I dont need that right now. i've started to watch some videos on building a keezer for serving, so i may have to wake up the DIY side of myself and give it a shot down the road. i'm only doing extract 5G batches at the moment, so I will wait until i am at AG and larger batches to invest more in the keezer idea.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

To start i'd just buy an Inkbird-308, plug your fridge/freezer for fermenting into it, set the ferm temperature and insulate/tape the probe to the side of your fermenter and call it a day. If you want to get fancy get a $12 Thermowell off BrewersHardware or BrewHardware and shove your probe down it, personally i hated dealing with taping **** to my fermenter all the time.

Or if your in the mood for DIY build a BrewPi from the DIY/Fermenter forum to get all of its additional logging and other bells and whistles if that type of thing interests you. Its really not that difficult if you can read and follow the instructions and wire it exactly as shown, not to mention all the people who answer questions there very quickly. You could easily bang one out in 2-3 hours if you had all the parts in front of you ready. There's really no risk as long as your not dumb enough to try and fix wiring while its still plugged into the wall

But yes, Kegerator and Keezer are the same thing..a vessel for serving beer. One uses a freezer the other a refrigerator. Depends on the footprint you want. For me having a big tall standard fridge to store 4+ kegs in my living room just wouldnt fly, but its easy to turn a chest freezer into a piece of furniture of sorts that people can congregate around(IMO).
If yours is just hiding out in the garage then who really cares, stand up fridges can fit more kegs per sqft of ground space, so if space is a concern a stand up of some sort is probabl your best bet...i know some people have fit quite a few kegs in a stand up before on this forum.

When it comes to fermentation chambers, i prefer stand up freezers. Chest freezers work but your back will hate you trying to lift 40lb of wort in and out of a chest freezer after awhile depending on how tall you are. The problem is you need frost free versions, these are freezers that dont have their cooling lines running through the shelves, and they are a bit harder(but not impossible) to find used. If all of the shelves are not removable, its not a frost free freezer and it will severely limit the number of fermenters you can put in as the shelves are usually at very inconvenient spots too low or too high. Some people go through the hassle of trying to bend these cooling lines and shelves back and out of the way to fit in fermenters, but this forum is also full of stories of people asking if they ruined their fridge when they bent the line too much and pinched it and all the freon leaked out ruining the freezer. Freezer's can give you a bit more options when it comes to lagering or cold crashing if those matter to you, depending on the size and power of your fridge it may not be possible to get 5-10 gallons down that low in refrigerator.

 

[joshesmusica]

To start i'd just buy an Inkbird-308, plug your fridge/freezer for fermenting into it, set the ferm temperature and insulate/tape the probe to the side of your fermenter and call it a day.

Or if your in the mood for DIY build a BrewPi from the DIY/Fermenter forum. Its really not that difficult if you can read and follow the instructions and wire it exactly as shown. You could easily bang one out in 2-3 hours if you had all the parts in front of you ready. There's really no risk as long as your not dumb enough to try and fix wiring while its still plugged into the wall

Good point. You definitely need to tape the probe to the fermenter, then get some kind of insulation over the top of that. I use bubble wrap.

 

[psuhammer14]

More info, I love it... I am using 5G plastic buckets and I've wanted to get a thermowell for a while but can't seem to find the right size rubber grommet to keep it sealed. Bight have to look a wide mouth bubblers or carbons that have 2 hope stoppers. Plus I can actually see when fermentation is chugging along nicely and when it's done.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

More info, I love it... I am using 5G plastic buckets and I've wanted to get a thermowell for a while but can't seem to find the right size rubber grommet to keep it sealed. Bight have to look a wide mouth bubblers or carbons that have 2 hope stoppers. Plus I can actually see when fermentation is chugging along nicely and when it's done.

If your using a bucket its easy. Drill another hole in your lid and stick another drilled rubber stopper in it. All the thermowells from those sites fit snug in a typical drilled stopper you'd use for airlocks. I drilled one center hole for my thermowell, and one off to the side for the airlock.

 

[Horseshoot]

I was lucky, when I moved to my current house, because the basement had a small closet that was perfect for a fermentation chamber. I installed an air conditioner in it and put it on a temp controller. I also added extra insulation around it (and above it). It can keep my fermentations as low as 58F. And holds at least 8 carboys. In winter, I reversed the controller, and hooked it to a small space heater. Temp control has been easy. I am looking to try making lagers, and will employ a chest freezer, for that.

Mike

 

[inkbird]

Yes they are totally suitable, if you use one make sure you put in something to absorb moisture so you don't get mildew.

I use this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H0XFD2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20



Yes it's that easy, especially with something like the Inkbird 308's (no wiring plug and play), temp probe in the beer is preferable but if you don't have a long enough probe or a thermocouple just tape the probe to the side of the fermenter.



Keezer = Term for Keg Freezer. Usually if you use Keezer you're referring to a Chest or standup freezer that's been modified to serve as a kegorator.

If you've modified a chest freezer to be a fermentation chamber, you'd just call it a fermentation chamber.

Cheers!

here is the longer probe. You can consider it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A51OLR6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20