building a fermantation chamber

[brewpete]

hi all am gonna build a fermantation chamber under the stairs have the size is approx 1sqm
it tapers off from that for about another 1m to floor
have ordered a tabletop freezer to fit in the drop space gonna put a fan in the freezer
thinking of lining it with 25mm kingspan and getting a 2ft tube heater
does it sound ok

[Dave S]

hi all am gonna build a fermantation chamber under the stairs have the size is approx 1sqm
it tapers off from that for about another 1m to floor
have ordered a tabletop freezer to fit in the drop space gonna put a fan in the freezer
thinking of lining it with 25mm kingspan and getting a 2ft tube heater
does it sound ok

Why do you need the Kingspan?

[brewpete]

just thought it was the best way to keep the temp where i want it
forgot to say its already a cupboard

[aamcle]

It does but if you look around homebrewtalk.com there are plenty of chamber builds to look at.

aamcle

[Kev888]

The freezer is cooling a much bigger space than the manufacturers intended, but if the insulation is good and the temperature not nearly so cold then it should work out okay in terms of cooling load. Presuming you use a thermostat with compressor/cooling delay and all that. It would be worth making sure the 'door' seals well though, and any other gaps too - that 'squirty-foam in a can' stuff is quite useful for filling awkward joins.

I vaguely recall that someone had trouble with their freezer rusting, due to moisture (rather than ice) at our temperatures - which freezers aren't designed for. So could be worth keeping an eye on yours.

[brewpete]

hi am thinking all i have to do with it is take the reversible door off and have still got a years warranty
and also gonna fill gaps with that foam stuff and ali tape
but its prob not far from 2sq m

[Kev888]

Sounds fine to me then. The devil is in the detail and all that, and of course you need to make sure the hot side of the freezer can get plenty of air outside the chamber to dump heat into, but I can't see any major problems with the idea itself.

[brewpete]

should i vent the freezer into the space under the stairs
ie cut into the plasterboard it would give me more space

[Kev888]

It depends on how much space you can create, but it would likely be better if the venting could be done into the room outside the stairs. If the area around the warm side of the freezer gets hot, then the freezer will be less efficient at keeping the chamber cool (and will use more energy in trying). Also, if the chamber becomes surrounded by hot air then that will fight against the insulation as well.

It may not be terrible, fermentation chambers aren't as cool as keggerators unless you want to chill after fermentation. But an enclosed freezer isn't a good idea, even before extending its chamber. You would probably have to test it in mid-summer to find out, but perhaps a fan & vent into the room outside the stairs, or the door propped open a couple of inches, could be enough.

EDIT: there is also the thing about plasterboard being somewhat more fire-resistant than wooden stairs, which may be best not to breach if you are putting appliances under there.

[brewpete]

its a 3 story house ie a lot of stairs think there will be no prob if i knock out all the plasterboard behind the face of the freezer
might use 50mm for the front of the freezer

[Fil]

imho think again, the major drawback in the plan is how to contain all the cold air you need to keep in the immediate area to cool your brew.
any break in the containment will allow all the cold air to fall out, only to be replaced with house temp air resulting in the fridge compressor running 24/7..

using the fridge to maintain a mass of cold water for pumping through a hex coil in the beer might be a bit more destructive creating sealled in/out feeds but should manage temps without doubling your lecky bill.

[kisslikeether]

As someone currently considering how best to expand that capacity of both my fermentation fridge and the one I use for dispensing, 3 weeks ago I wouldn't have given a second thought to what you're planning. Two weeks ago my sister's fridge freezer developed a fault, caught fire and burnt through to the upstairs bedrooms. They were lucky to all get out alive and it'll be 6 months before they'll be able to live there again.

I suspect this will seem ridiculously alarmist given the scale of the risk - even the fire brigade told her that it was unusual for a fridge/freezer to go up like that. However, I couldn't live with myself if I let this post pass and something happened.

IMHO I'd think again about putting this in a confined space under what is presumably your family's primary route of exit in a fire.

[brewpete]

hi i never gave it thought until now
there is risk in all things but it is a worry
there is gonna be about 80l of beer in pet contaners in there that may help

[brewpete]

hi just done a search and found automatic dry powder fire extinguishers 1kg and 2 kg size

[Tomp]

As someone currently considering how best to expand that capacity of both my fermentation fridge and the one I use for dispensing, 3 weeks ago I wouldn't have given a second thought to what you're planning. Two weeks ago my sister's fridge freezer developed a fault, caught fire and burnt through to the upstairs bedrooms. They were lucky to all get out alive and it'll be 6 months before they'll be able to live there again.

I suspect this will seem ridiculously alarmist given the scale of the risk - even the fire brigade told her that it was unusual for a fridge/freezer to go up like that. However, I couldn't live with myself if I let this post pass and something happened.

IMHO I'd think again about putting this in a confined space under what is presumably your family's primary route of exit in a fire.

Seconded. Wouldn't put a fridge there....... Way too much risk........ Fridges are filled with flammable gasses these days as we can't use CFCs so double jeapordy....

its a 3 story house ie a lot of stairs think there will be no prob if i knock out all the plasterboard behind the face of the freezer
might use 50mm for the front of the freezer

And on that subject, I definitely wouldn't remove the plasterboard. This is there to provide fire protection (you get 30 minutes from standard plasterboard) so everyone can get out in case of a fire......

............ and yes I'm an elf'n'safety bod......

I'll get my coat before the heckles start