36 replies to this topic

[HerrHiller]

Now I gotta finish brutus before I do this...(for some reason brutus has been intimidating me lately.) anyways I need to get that done first...but when it is done....I mightbwant to build the window/ac ferm chamber. I have thought about these before....just never could think of a place to put it where my parents wouldn't flip about it....I have recently decided I would prefer to do it outside so they can't complain about it taking up room in the house....and also if I wanna move it won't be such a PITA....So then I was thinking basics like if it was outside..I'm gonna want some serious insulation..like some pink panther shit...but I dunno anything about insulation so this is where I'd need ur guy's help. I'd like to have it outside hooked to 1PSU and have a heater and a A/C each set to the same temp...each with the probes in some of that ice pak gel in a WL vial like you guys suggested.I figured for best results I'd have these units facing opposite eachother in the chamber...I'd like this thing to be like your average sized work shed as far as dimensions go....Anyone have a general idea of what I'm looking at with meterials and such price wise? Anyone with any tips? Suggestions? Schematics of how they'd do it? Anything you got would help...I'm the opposite of a handy man.. So this will be a task for me for sure.Thanx in advance-Herr Hiller

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I'd think you'd want to protect this thing from the elements. Any sort of enclosed outdoor areas you can use? I'd want a roof over it as a minimum.

[3rd party JKor]

get your own place?

[3rd party JKor]

$150-200 in materials.Be sure to seal the crap out of it and put a protective coating on the outside. Little animals and bugs WILL get in if there is even the tiniest opening.

[DubbelEntendre]

2" extruded polystyrene insulation. But that stuff is expensive. It's around $25 for a 4'x8' sheet at the orange store. for a 4' square shed you are looking at $100 in insulation alone if you go that route.

[stellarbrew]

What is the advantage in doing this instead of putting a control on a fridge? It seems to me that the cost for a used fridge and control would be less, and it would be more versatile because you can get all the way down to lagering or cold-crashing temps. An added benefit for a person who must adhere to his parents' standards for aesthetics is that a refrigerator is less unsightly than a homemade box.

[ChefLamont]

I framed mine like regular walls with studs. It has a 6" floor and 4" walls. Regular pink fiberglass insulation throughout. Mine is a dual chamber with 2 controllers and on ac unit. (fans pull air from the "cold" side with the ac unit to the other side in similar concept to the son of fermentation chiller).I don't keep track of building expenses for plausible deniability during spousal interrogation. But if I were to throw out a guess, 200 would be a bit low for a good sized one with an ac unit, controller, good insulation, and well protected from the elements. I would add at least another 100 to it. However, I do tend to overbuild things, so my estimation might be a little high.

[DubbelEntendre]

...for plausible deniability during spousal interrogation.

[3rd party JKor]

What is the advantage in doing this instead of putting a control on a fridge? It seems to me that the cost for a used fridge and control would be less, and it would be more versatile because you can get all the way down to lagering or cold-crashing temps. An added benefit for a person who must adhere to his parents' standards for aesthetics is that a refrigerator is less unsightly than a homemade box.

Answer: Volume.You can build a AC cooled box as big as you want and if you insulate it properly, you can get in into the 30s. I don't know HerrHiller's goals, but my plan for a lagering/aging/fermenting chamber would hold two 10 gallon fermenters and around 100 gallons of finished beer. Ain't no fridge gonna do that.

[HerrHiller]

Answer: Volume.You can build a AC cooled box as big as you want and if you insulate it properly, you can get in into the 30s. I don't know HerrHiller's goals, but my plan for a lagering/aging/fermenting chamber would hold two 10 gallon fermenters and around 100 gallons of finished beer. Ain't no fridge gonna do that.

As far as moving out..#### that for now. Ha ha my parents are pretty cool.. And I am saving a poop load of money this way....I have no reason or motivation to get out really. Nothing that outweighs the money I save..If I get serious with my girl we will see...My goal though is to have a place where I can brew as much as I want...as well as have as many kegs as I want virtually..that's the main reason I'm a ving brewer...I brew like 3 beers in a week...run out of room then can't for a while lose motivation brew again get re-addicted and do 3 in a week again. Ha...if I had more space I could just consistently brew...and hell maybe I'd even divide it into sections. 1 for ales 1 for lagers and 1 for serving.... And the serving section I could make a tap wall out of it..similar to what push did.

[3rd party JKor]

As far as moving out..#### that for now. Ha ha my parents are pretty cool.. And I am saving a poop load of money this way....I have no reason or motivation to get out really. Nothing that outweighs the money I save..If I get serious with my girl we will see...

1.) Pride2.) Having as much space as you want for beerHow many more reasons do you need?

My goal though is to have a place where I can brew as much as I want...as well as have as many kegs as I want virtually..that's the main reason I'm a ving brewer...I brew like 3 beers in a week...run out of room then can't for a while lose motivation brew again get re-addicted and do 3 in a week again. Ha...if I had more space I could just consistently brew...and hell maybe I'd even divide it into sections. 1 for ales 1 for lagers and 1 for serving.... And the serving section I could make a tap wall out of it..similar to what push did.

Sounds like you need to build a brew shed in your parents back yard. They should go for that. When you move out in 20 years, they get a free shed out of it.

[HerrHiller]

1.) Pride2.) Having as much space as you want for beerHow many more reasons do you need?Sounds like you need to build a brew shed in your parents back yard. They should go for that. When you move out in 20 years, they get a free shed out of it.

Haha I plan to move out in not too long. I'm only 23 man. And I save a crap load of cash to brew more beer.

[3rd party JKor]

And I save a crap load of cash to brew more beer.

touche.

[stellarbrew]

I don't know HerrHiller's goals, but my plan for a lagering/aging/fermenting chamber would hold two 10 gallon fermenters and around 100 gallons of finished beer.

100 gallons, eh? What kind of turn-over do you have?

[Patrick C.]

Lamont, what did you use for the inside walls and how did you seal it? My kegerator is a homemade 4" cube, same type of construction. It works great, but I must have an air leak somewhere because I can't keep the humidity under control.

[stellarbrew]

Lamont, what did you use for the inside walls and how did you seal it? My kegerator is a homemade 4" cube, same type of construction. It works great, but I must have an air leak somewhere because I can't keep the humidity under control.

A common HVAC problem is oversizing a refrigeration unit for a space. The result can be that the space is cooled too quickly, with a relatively small amount of air flow. By having a short run-time on the refrigeration unit, there is not a chance to eliminate much of the humidity from the space. I'm just throwing this out as a possibility; if you have a relatively powerful refrigeration unit for a small space, that could be the cause for your humidity problems. If your unit has a lower setting, you could try running it on low and see if the humidity decreases. Also, make sure that you have adequate vetilation through the space while the unit is running.

[djinkc]

Lamont, what did you use for the inside walls and how did you seal it? My kegerator is a homemade 4" cube, same type of construction. It works great, but I must have an air leak somewhere because I can't keep the humidity under control.

I have problems with mine this time of year due to the humidity. Freeze ups rather than condensation though. DampRid will help some. Also I have to take the thermostat bulb out of the thermowell and wrap it in a freeze pack outside of the fermenter.

[3rd party JKor]

Window ACs aren't completely sealed, so even if you seal everything else perfectly, moisture will still get in.

[HerrHiller]

Dehumidifier???

[3rd party JKor]

Dehumidifier???

You could do that if you have the space in the cooler. You can also use damprid, but you'll hve to replenish it fairly often.