Question on Fermentation Chamber

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by phattysbox, Nov 5, 2012.

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  1. phattysbox

    phattysbox Initiate (0) Apr 18, 2008 New York

    Finally moved the fam to PA to begin my new job and I decided to upgrade my brewery (from a very small NYC apartment) to get back into the swing of things.

    I assume that the best way to make better beer is through great yeast health and accurate fermentation temperature control. So I'm focusing on the cold side of things (as opposed to wort production) and looking to purchase a fermentation chamber setup. I'm thinking a chest freezer rigged with a digital temp controller, but open to other options. The key question is - what size chest freezer will fit two 6.5 gallon better bottles?

    Thanks,

    J
     
    #1 phattysbox, Nov 5, 2012
  2. Travisurfin247

    Travisurfin247 Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2010 South Carolina

    I wouldn't rely on any advertised size of a chest freezer for dimensions. I would measure the better bottles, then take the measuring tape to the store to measure the inside dimensions of the actual freezer before buying.
     
    #2 Travisurfin247, Nov 5, 2012
  3. DubbelMan

    DubbelMan Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2009 New York

    #3 DubbelMan, Nov 5, 2012
  4. JebediahScooter

    JebediahScooter Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2010 Vermont

    You can trace the bottom of the fermenters a couple of times on cardboard and cut out the silhouettes to just drop into the chest freezers at the store. I have a 5 cubic foot chest freezer, and it just fits two cornies, so that size wouldn't work unless you built some sort of a collar to give you extra height and an extension to the compressor hump so that you could put one there.

    I ferment in a chamber built out of a dorm fridge with an attached insulated box (wood frame, pink rigid insulation panels, lots of silicone caulk). I have a ranco 2-stage connected to the fridge and a lightbulb inside of a paint can sitting inside). It has to work pretty hard during the summer if there are multiple fermenters (it can fit three...would build it slightly smaller if I had to do it again), so I occasionally supplement with frozen 2-liters. It's been in the low-40s at night here, and it's holding 67* right on the money right now. It was a lot of work, but I went this route because I had access to a dorm fridge and spare plywood, so I saved some loot.
     
    #4 JebediahScooter, Nov 5, 2012
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