Fear the summer heat no longer.

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Beerontwowheels, Jun 17, 2012.

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  1. Beerontwowheels

    Beerontwowheels Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2009 Maryland

    Hey all - I've recently taken a two month break from brewing because I didn't have a fermentation chamber to monitor/keep fermentation temperatures steady. Wasn't really looking to build a 'Son of a fermentation' chamber or a swamp cooler, just seemed like too much hassle.

    Anyway, the lack of brewing was really starting to get to me as I just started all grain brewing (BIAB style, for now) about 4-5 batches ago. Once I went all grain, I caught the brewing bug.

    Happy to say that today I bought a 7.0 cubic foot GE chest freezer that snugly fits two 6.5 gallon glass carboys. It ran me $242 after taxes, but hopefully, is well worth it. I looked the craigslist route, but I had a hard time getting emails/call backs from potential sellers. That, and half the time, you end up traveling 40-50 miles and don't know if the used unit you're chasing after actually works.

    Just purchased a Johnson Controls A419 temperature control on ebay for ~ $74. Will need to study up on how to connect that to the freezer, but hopefully it's within my skill set to make it all a pretty package.

    I should be able to start brewing again within a few weeks. Hell, I might even lager now, just because I can! Pretty damn excited!
     
    #1 Beerontwowheels, Jun 17, 2012
    drperry11 likes this.
  2. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    You plug the freezer's plug (male) into the A419's socket (female). That's it as far as the connections go.
     
    #2 VikeMan, Jun 17, 2012
  3. Beerontwowheels

    Beerontwowheels Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2009 Maryland

    Awesome! Thanks for the heads up VikeMan. Glad I don't have to do any soldering, but it would have been a good excuse to add a soldering gun to the tool box.
     
    #3 Beerontwowheels, Jun 17, 2012
  4. robinsmv

    robinsmv Initiate (0) Jun 24, 2010 Florida

    It usually helps if you also attach the temperature probe to a thermowell or the outside of your carboy which should be inside the freezer for the best results :wink:
     
    #4 robinsmv, Jun 17, 2012
  5. Beerontwowheels

    Beerontwowheels Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2009 Maryland

    :rolling_eyes:
     
    #5 Beerontwowheels, Jun 18, 2012
  6. MLucky

    MLucky Initiate (0) Jul 31, 2010 California

    I think you're going to be glad you took the plunge. I bought a chest freezer from Home Depot a couple summers ago for exactly the same reasons. Wanted to be able to brew in hot weather, wanted to able to do quality lagers, and couldn't find anything on flakeslist that was cheaper and reasonably reliable.

    The Johnson is the one that you have to set the temp control by moving the jumpers inside the unit, I believe. (ie, you have to set the circuit to either come on when the temp rises to a certain or when it falls to a certain level.) There's nothing to it, but it might be a little confusing if you've never done any electronics. Hell, if I can do it...
     
    #6 MLucky, Jun 18, 2012
  7. Beerontwowheels

    Beerontwowheels Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2009 Maryland

    Right on. I'm also thinking that I have no reliable way to bring my wort down to pitching temperatures, but I'm not prepared to spring for a plate chiller right now. SWMBO was already quite 'surprised' about finding a chest freezer in the garage today.
     
    #7 Beerontwowheels, Jun 18, 2012
  8. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    Get your wort as cool as you can with your current chiller, put it in the freezer, set to pitching temp, wait an hour or so (how ever long for the freezer to get it to temp), aerate, pitch, set to ferm temp and go. This is how I will be doing my lagers once I brew one. I can get to mid 60°s but will use fridge to get down to lower 50°s when I have a batch to ferment that low.
     
    #8 jbakajust1, Jun 18, 2012
  9. epk

    epk Pundit (849) Jun 10, 2008 New Jersey

    Also don't forget to plug the unit into an electrical outlet :stuck_out_tongue:
     
    #9 epk, Jun 18, 2012
  10. Beerontwowheels

    Beerontwowheels Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2009 Maryland

    Thanks for the advice. In the summer it's takes me quite a while to get the wort down to even 85-90 degrees with the IC & the water coming from the spigot. Transferring the wort to the carboy and then tossing the carboy in the freezer for an hour or two should do the trick. Should be able to clean up all the mess (IC, kettle, wait...I do BIAB, that's it! :sunglasses: ) in the interim, so that works out just fine.
     
    #10 Beerontwowheels, Jun 18, 2012
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