brew cupboard chilling ideas please?

[robsan77]

Hi All,

Just wondered if anyone out there has any good idea for keeping the temp down in my brew cupboard. Until now I have just been recycling frozen water bottles but I know there will be a better idea. Heating is easy, chilling a little trickier. I have an old fridge that I was planning on stripping down for a keggorator. Likewise if anybody has a plan that can keep 100litres (either 2 x50l or 4 x 25l buckets) thermostatically controlled please point me towards it.

Thanks

 

[Cussword]

I''ll also be very interested in following this thread. :thumb:

 

[Carl]

Whilst at Alemans last week he showed me his ferm that was temp controlled, he was using a cooling coil run by a small flash cooler and was run by an atc........looked spot on to me!!

 

[Polymath]

I think what your really needing is something to keep the temp down when it gets too warm and the heat up when its too cold.

So something that detects temp.
- When too cold give power to the heater
- When too warm give power to the cooler instead.

Perhaps your fridge idea would help. Perhaps power is given to a small fan that blows into the "fridge", then out from another hole into your cupboard? That way no matter what the temp is outside the room, inside there is always some technology trying to keep it the right temp inside.

 

[ano]

Couldnt you just use the fridge? Or isnt it big enough?

 

This is a problem I've kicked about for years.
In the days before PID's etc, I modified an old fridge with a heater and 3 bi-metalic strip thermostats.
It worked very well, but was limited to one one FV/Keg.
I've dreamed of an air conditioned room/shed with a cooler section for serving, but that's as far as it's got.
I too, am open to any ideas!

 

[Growler]

One little hint whilst you are looking for a solution
When using Ice packs to cool put them at the top of the cupboard not at the bottom and they work better as cool air is heavier than warm air :thumb:

 

[robsan77]

One little hint whilst you are looking for a solution
When using Ice packs to cool put them at the top of the cupboard not at the bottom and they work better as cool air is heavier than warm air :thumb:

Thats what i have set up at the moment. I've been looking on you tube and a lot of the americans use converted chest freezers. :hmm:
and they double up as fv chambers and kegorators. Plenty of room in them but where will i put it?

 

[Aleman]

I've been looking on you tube and a lot of the americans use converted chest freezers. :hmm: and they double up as fv chambers and kegorators. Plenty of room in them but where will i put it?

That is not the issue . . . can I ask how comfortable you will be lifting just 25L fermenters into and out of your chest freezer? (I've been there and it gets really silly when you upgrade to 60L fermenters). I would recommend using an upright fridge for a fermenting cabinet just for those reasons. Using something like a Fortext TC-10 or one of These Chinese Clones.

However as Carl says I no longer use a FV Cabinet but directly cool the wort in the FV (Still using a TC 10 though to control the python pump on my bar chiller and a heating belt when heating is required.) . . . The chest freezer serves as a kegereezer . . . and it's still tricky lifting cornii in and out . . . Chest freezers are not tall enough generally to hold a corny so you have to add some sort of collar (It gives you somewhere to drill to run gas lines / install taps etc ) . . . but that means extra height . .. and mine is in a damp shed which means it sits on some 2 by 4 . . . and more height.

If I had some extra space I would build my own fermenting chamber using 50mm Celotex . . . and dismantle the insides of a fridge to provide basic chilling (Main chilling still being provided by pumped cold water though)

 

[robsan77]

the tc-10 looks like the answer to my prayers. Thanks aleman.