impur Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I made this for fermenting my homebrews. It depends on the style, but most homebrew ales needs to ferment at a temp ranging from 50 to 65 and needs to be constant. Fluctuations or too high temp result in off flavors in the beer. And lagers need to ferment even lower, around 45-55. So in an effort to cut costs i picked up this small cube dorm fridge off craigslist for $25. I'm going to control it with an HVAC thermostat that i will turn into a temp controller. That is the last part of my build, i hope to have the temp controller done this week. Door off and 6gal carboy for measuring 1" styro insulation Since i'm going to put this under one of my workbenches in the garage, and because the access is thru the top, i decided to built a platform and put casters on it to make it easier to move around I put a strip of weather stripping on each end of the styro. This is the bottom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 9, 2011 Author Share Posted May 9, 2011 I just continued to add sides and tape All done and ready to go, just need to finish up the controller! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 9, 2011 Author Share Posted May 9, 2011 I plugged it in and let it run for about 2 hrs. My thermometer read 40 degrees when i checked on it. I think this will work just fine. I'm also going to add a small computer fan to circulate the cool air inside the chamber. I'll have more pics of the temp controller later this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mohaynow Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Very cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 The DIY Master strikes again!!!! Looking forward to seeing the results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 I added a 6.5gal carboy filled with water and a thermometer to see how cold i could get it. Water temp started at 55. After 24 hours it was down to 48, i then added a small cpu fan wired to a wall wart and pointed it at the fridge controls, this brought the water temp to 46 in about an hour. I was worried about running a 160mA fan with a 100mA wall wart so i didn't run it any longer than an hour or so. This morning the water temp is 40!!!! Just awesome, looks like i'll be able to do lagers in this baby (rock2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 You really needed a second crazy hobby??? Good job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 haha yep. I'm running out of DIY projects for my tank, so onto brewing!! We gotta swap brews sometime Alex! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 awesome man im going to show this thread to my neighbor he's a brew nut too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mohaynow Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! +1 to that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! BEER!! (drinking)(rock2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Interesting. You may be directly responsible for me putting that chest freezer in the garage back to use again. (Just been taking of space for 8 years or so) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 Rick do it!! Do it!!! Do it!!! (laugh) The water in the carboy got down to 37 before i decided that was good enough of a test and unplugged it. I am very satisfied with building this and its going to work for brewing anything i want. Of course the summer temps will test it again, but i can't imagine it won't get cold enough to ferment ales. Now i just need some free time to brew the Maibock i've got ready to go....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Rick do it!! Do it!!! Do it!!! ....... I'm thinking about it. Been reading up on it and it looks easy enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 Yah i have a blast brewing. Let me know if you have any questions i'd be happy to help you out where i can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADBaxter Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Cool Miles! What does you brewery setup look like now? You were just starting when I was last active in the club. You did not enter any beers in our homebrew competition coming up this weekend so I will be unable to taste... When should we get together and swap beers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 My brewery setup is still portable. I store it in a closet and my garage when not in use, but here it is toward the end of a brew day Kegerator I want to go attend some local meetings and get involved in the local brew club soon, are you a member of one? Where/when is your homebrew competition?? I'd love to swap some brews, i need to get a decent batch done first though. I've had trouble with esters due to inconsistent fermentation temps, which is why i built this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 I got the temp probe done on my thermostat Thermistor removed and wires soldered to board - i used telephone wire. Sorry for the crappy pics Thermistor at the end of the wire Routed thru slots on bottom of the thermostat Done. Now i just have to open it back up and switch it to Fahrenheit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADBaxter Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Our club, Heart of the Valley Homebrewers [hotv (dot) org], is based out of Albany & Corvallis. Competition is this Friday PM and Saturday AM in Albany. You could come and judge if you wish. Check out Cascade Brewers in Eugene. We teach and hold an exam for Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) every year. Lots of drinking DOH! um... studying...tasting... to configure your palette. Lots of other beer style knowledge to learn also. Looks like you are using a manifold in a cooler for your mash tun and a immersion chiller. Did that for years and it works great. Esters can be from a variety of things, yeast being the largest. Most ales keep you fem. temp between 60 and 64F. Oxygenate and shake the carboys twice a day for the first 2 days to keep the yeast in suspension. that alone will really clean up your flavors. I am managing the club brew days at Rogue Chatoe and we will be brewing there again in about 3-4 weeks. Let me know and you can come and party help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Cool yah i'll try to make that it would be fun! Yah i use a cpvc manifold in the cooler and IC. I use my turkey fryer for a HLT, and i've got a 8gal tamale steamer pot for my BK. I think my brews have been hitting 65 and a little higher, which i've read is where the esters flavors come in due to the yeast. I have not tried shaking the carboys the first 2 days, but that makes sense and can't hurt. Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 Cool yah i'll try to make that it would be fun! Yah i use a cpvc manifold in the cooler and IC. I use my turkey fryer for a HLT, and i've got a 8gal tamale steamer pot for my BK. I think my brews have been hitting 65 and a little higher, which i've read is where the esters flavors come in due to the yeast. I have not tried shaking the carboys the first 2 days, but that makes sense and can't hurt. Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Finished up the temp controller and put the fermentation chamber to work over the weekend. I brewed up my first lager, AHS Anniversary Maibock Relay Drilled some holes in the cover plate to mount the thermostat and for wires I'm just using the cooling part for now Power supply Power to the relay Power to be switched by relay and power for other receptacle socket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Power to be switched by the relay Everything into the box Testing set at 50 On Off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 This is just a show off of your diy skills!!!!! :P Great job Miles. I want to build something similar for curing meat. But I need to control humidity too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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