Staying cool

Try playing some Miles Davis?

 

Haven't tried it, but I've heard that one of the popular methods is to wrap a bunch of wet t-shirts and towels around your fermenter and point an electric fan at it. You have to re-soak the towels every half-day or so, I believe.

 

Google "swamp cooler"

 

On a serious note, and kind of touched on by Mongrel, maybe try a zeer pot setup.

 

Swamp cooler works. Better to get a chest freezer/Johnson controller.

I was able to score a chest freezer on FreeCycle. Sure it was 20+yrs old and died after 1.5yrs of use but it was FREE. I've since picked up a 7ft^3 chest freezer for $169. Or check craigslist for chest freezers, you never know what people are getting rid of.

 

Even a new chest freezer is not necessarily a big-budget item, IMO. Do it. You won't regret it. And even if you give up brewing, there are other uses for a chest freezer.

 

Wait. What is really going on here? There are replies about chest freezers and the OP is talking about digging holes in the ground??? I'm just trying to see the big picture. Do you have access to electric or are you trying to cool this without? I mean, if you have electric, fuck the MacGyver shit and get a used chest freezer and temp controller.

 

Homebrewers are a DIY bunch. MacGuyver is a role model. As to the OP's plan to dig a hole, well that's probably a California thing.

 

Free appliances are like free puppies. The beer fridge(s) are a big chunk of my utility bill. And that's set at cellar temps.

 

What temp you keep your house at?

 

You can keep it in an ice bath-- in an actual bathtub or other large bucket. I think that's the 'swamp cooler' method others are mentioning.

Some heat tolerant yeast I frequently use (cuz I have this same problem) are hefeweizen yeasts, and california lager yeast. It still isn't supposed to tolerate 80, but pretty much anything below that isn't terrible, and even 80 will work for beer if you're desperate.

 

A modern day GE 7 cu. ft. chest freezer running at freezer temperatures year round has a cost estimate of $30 per year.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-7-0-c...CM7SUWW/203547578?N=5yc1vZc3nr#specifications

 

I am pretty sure that the 30 bucks estimate are not for PECO rates or likely for California electricity rates.

Cheers!

 

Fair enough. California would be $45 per year according to this chart....

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_5_6_a

February 2014 rates in California were just over 16 cents per kilowatthour and that chest freezer quote is based on 277 kwh of use per year.

 

Must be frugal, and don't use shit for electricity, or have a TON of freezers!! hah!

I've got 3, freezers in my garage. One is around a year old, another is probably 6 years old and the other.. hell I was pulling popsicles out of that bitch when I was 12, and I'm just about 30.

That said, All but one are pretty darn cold. Ones' a keezer, the other a full blown freezer for hops and food, and the other is a fermentation freezer that goes from 70-34* at various times, and they aren't shit for my electric bill. I'm under $275 in the summer normally for my bill. Thats with a wife who's home during the week, and cooling/running a 3100sq ft home with 2 units.

I'm looking to upgrade the two oldies soon and curious to see how much my usage drops.

 

Interesting numbers, though there can be dramatic variations depending on the supplier, particularly in areas where you're not forced to buy your electricity from a regulated utility. I'm in Illinois. My rate is 5.3 cents + about 2 cents for delivery. (Alas, that's likely to increase with the cost of NG this year.)

Back to the point - Due to the laws of Physics, chest freezers are far more energy efficient than upright. The observation of the cost to operate an upright beer fridge don't apply.

 

I'm feeling obtuse this morning. What are the physical underpinnings of this efficiency, and how much more efficient are we talking?

 

Cold air is denser than warm air, so it's heavier. When you open the door of an upright fridge, the cold air literally falls out, to be replaced by warmer ambient air. The compressor kicks in to fix it. A chest freezer opens on top, so the cold air tends to stay inside. That's why you see open freezer cases in the grocery store.

As to how much more efficient, I don't know, but I believe it's considerable, particularly when used as a keg cooler where you don't have 7.2 cu ft of frozen meat buffering the temperature swings.

 

During those years of teenage angst, you need to lock yourself in your room and learn to play guitar. Then you'll be really cool.