Do You Have A Pool?

[rimrunner]

hi brewing people! i'm a nooby brewer, only onto kits ATM but i've been doing far too much thinking.

my biggest problem ATM is getting a nice stable temperature to ferment at. i've been wracking by brain trying to come up with a solution that fits my wallet and my wifes tolerance.

*brain wave* the bottom of a pool during winter! large masses of water do not change temp very fast at all. and they are hugging the ground which is quite cool once you go a few feet in.

so before i go and rig up some waterproof fermenters with snorkels/underwater valves and the biggy... nag my far too christian sister if i can borrow her pool during the colder months. i'm asking some of you adventurous types to chuck a thermometer into your pool and get some temp readings for me. an early morning reading and a afternoon one would be extra sweet.

please

i'll name my first pool brew after you! B)

 

[mika]

:huh:

 

[hughman666]

you may run into issues with the water pressure at the bottom of a pool, among other things. will this affect the yeast and also, how would you stop the fermenter floating around?

if your budget is constraining you, just get a 100 can cooler and stick some frozen water-filled milk bottles in there. that did me well for 2 years which included 2 x perth summers and the temp held around the 18c mark.

 

[newguy]

Charlie Papazian mentioned in one of his books that he met a homebrewer from the Southern US (maybe Arizona) that fermented a beer in a pool. It doesn't sound feasible and you'd also have to make sure the fermenter was wrapped in some light-proof material because the sunlight would skunk your beer. As has already been mentioned, some everyday items and a little thought will allow you to ferment beer at the proper temperature without a dedicated fridge.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

hi brewing people! i'm a nooby brewer, only onto kits ATM but i've been doing far too much thinking.

my biggest problem ATM is getting a nice stable temperature to ferment at. i've been wracking by brain trying to come up with a solution that fits my wallet and my wifes tolerance.

*brain wave* the bottom of a pool during winter! large masses of water do not change temp very fast at all. and they are hugging the ground which is quite cool once you go a few feet in.

so before i go and rig up some waterproof fermenters with snorkels/underwater valves and the biggy... nag my far too christian sister if i can borrow her pool during the colder months. i'm asking some of you adventurous types to chuck a thermometer into your pool and get some temp readings for me. an early morning reading and a afternoon one would be extra sweet.

please

i'll name my first pool brew after you! B)

This one wins the prize as the kookiest line of thinking yet. I can get a reading of the temperatures of a pool in Thredbo if you like but it does ice over a touch in winter. Since you haven't put your location in Rimrunner, it may not help you.

Cheapest solution - get a large cardboard box and line it with foam rubber or insulation foam. This will keep the fermenter temps stable. Especially if you can find a corner of your house that has a stable temperature.

Leave the swimming pool idea for the tadpoles.

 

[schooey]

Dude... :huh:

The airlock/blow off tube for a 'bottom of the harbour pool' style fermenter should be interesting :blink:

Hunt around for an old freebie fridge, lashout $50 on a fridgemate, it's not really that expensive.

 

[braufrau]

What temperature does the pool get down to say in July?
I think you'd have nice stable lagering temperatures by then.

I think there are more convenient methods of temperature control, especially if the pool is not yours.

Maybe a cardboard box, some wheat bags and a doona would work. The reverse of the cardboard box, frozen bottles and
blanket I use in summer??? Or even some container you can put boiling water in?? The fermenter full of wort has quite a high thermal mass so its not that hard to keep at a stable temperature.

 

[Stuster]

*brain wave* the bottom of a pool during winter! large masses of water do not change temp very fast at all. and they are hugging the ground which is quite cool once you go a few feet in.

What time of day did this brain wave occur and was any alcohol involved?

Thanks for starting my day with a laugh. Now to clean the coffee from the screen.

 

[Tseay]

There was a post on Grumpys a couple of years ago, from a guy who used to cool his wort in his pool prior to pitching. Unfortnately the boiler up ended in the pool producing the ultimate in lite beer and amber pool water. The post was joined by a numebr of wags who estimated the number of kgs of yeast he'd need to ferment it etc. Also followed was a discussion on how to estimate OG etc. Worth finding if you've got the time

 

[petesbrew]

There was a post on Grumpys a couple of years ago, from a guy who used to cool his wort in his pool prior to pitching. Unfortnately the boiler up ended in the pool producing the ultimate in lite beer and amber pool water. The post was joined by a numebr of wags who estimated the number of kgs of yeast he'd need to ferment it etc. Also followed was a discussion on how to estimate OG etc. Worth finding if you've got the time

I actually attempted this in January, while trying to chill a partial boil. I stuck the stock pot, full of 12litres of hot wort into the pool, slooowly let go and watched it float, and thought to myself, "this is going to end in tears in a big way". Took it straight back out.

I also was thinking of the sh!t SWMBO would dish out on me when she saw the new pool colour. It would've been intense.
Leave the pool for drinking beer in.

 

[pint of lager]

I always like the way out ideas that brewing generates. Often the practicalities mean it won't work.

The image of a pool changing colour due to 20 litres of stout is funny and sad at the same time.

Using the thermal mass of the pool water could be done by utilising a tub, pump and large light proof vessel, like an overgrown garbage tin, 200 litre drum etc.

Put your fermenter in the drum, put the pump in the pool and pump water into the drum. Organise a tube from the drum so that the overflow water goes straight back into the pool. Probably a low powered pond pump would do the job. It all depends on your level of commitment, how much bits and pieces you have lying about and your skill level.

Do not bump the tap in any way when moving it about. They have a nasty habit of jumping a thread and slowly leaking. I had one leak 10 litres over an hour. Also, you will want to sanitise the tap before racking or bottling. If the fermenter is floating in the drum, it will also run the risk of bumping the tap, so you want the overflow tube from the drum to be lower than the level of the wort in the fermenter.

We have a dam and have thought about floating a fermenter in there for temperature control. The issue of leaking wort wouldn't matter in a dam as it would in a pool.

A spare fridge and fridgemate is the best option, you always need more fridges once you jump into brewing (you know you will end up kegging.) Otherwise just use the insulated container plus a few frozen drink bottles option.

 

[Thommo]

My mum has a pool, unheated, in Normanhurst (North West Sydney).

In Summer, it used to get to 22 degrees, but not very often. In winter, it would get down to down to about 10 - 12.

HTH.

 

[Lobsta]

the first mental image i got from reading this post was of 5-10 fermenters bobbing up and down in a pool with snorkels and goggles and floaties on. :lol:

yeah, i +1 to pretty much everything ppl have said here. the way i keep my fermenter cool in the warmer days is with one of those 60L plastic rectangular storage tubs that you can get from crazys for like 5 bucks (we have a bunch sittting around, so i turfed the lego out of one and looted it for my brewing). i just put as much water as will fit in that with the fermenter in it (about half full), and i have 4 frozen 3L milk bottles that i rotate throughout the day. wrap the fermenter in a wet towel also, and you are set. that is more than capable of keeping the temp at a good brewing temp. just remember to sanitise the tap before bottling.

Cost of tub: free
Cost of water: Free (unless the council finds out...) nah, i use the rain water tank for this
Cost of milk bottles: free

compared to

Cost of using sister's pool: having to deal with sister on a regular basis
Cost of snorkels for fermenters: maybe you have the stuff lying around the house
Cost of draining and refilling sister's pool when your fermenter springs a leak: depends how much one way tickets to mexico cost... :lol:

Using the thermal mass of the pool water could be done by utilising a tub, pump and large light proof vessel, like an overgrown garbage tin, 200 litre drum etc.

Put your fermenter in the drum, put the pump in the pool and pump water into the drum. Organise a tube from the drum so that the overflow water goes straight back into the pool. Probably a low powered pond pump would do the job. It all depends on your level of commitment, how much bits and pieces you have lying about and your skill level.

Do not bump the tap in any way when moving it about. They have a nasty habit of jumping a thread and slowly leaking. I had one leak 10 litres over an hour. Also, you will want to sanitise the tap before racking or bottling. If the fermenter is floating in the drum, it will also run the risk of bumping the tap, so you want the overflow tube from the drum to be lower than the level of the wort in the fermenter.

... or maybe he could put together a robot that does all the brewing for him. think ya makin this process a little more complicated than it needs to be...
Lobby

*EDIT* speelllign

 

[brettprevans]

the first mental image i got from reading this post was of 5-10 fermenters bobbing up and down in a pool with snorkels and goggles and floaties on. :lol:

better still the image of rimrunner with a snorkle on trying to take a temp reading and SG sample. using the bath tub or similar full of ice and water is simpler and safer and you can then use the water on the garden. although if I had a pool i'd possibly be tempted to do it. maybe bang up some sort of pool rig. afterall we know us brewers like to build things for th sake of it.

 

[Lobsta]

...us brewers like to build things for th sake of it.

hahaha, dont you know it... like large robotic brewing machines, or brew stands with steps... hahaha

 

[schooey]

you always need more fridges once you jump into brewing

Be warned! They tend to breed...

 

[rimrunner]

i thought you guys might get a laugh out of my idea. :lol: that's ok i was pretty convinced it was a nuts idea anyway. although in my defence throwing a sixpack into the creek is a time honoured tradition and it works a treat at keeping your beer cold while camping.

but i notice the slight pause you all had mentally. it might work, maybe.

i'm interested in hearing more about the problem of pressure and fermenting. how much does pressure affect fermentation, how does it change it and what happens to the end product. since i'm bottle carbonating it would be nice to read up on it a bit.

also i like the way you think pint of lager! B) thats probably a safer way to do it but would need some extra work.

it also occured to me that my motherinlaw has a dam which isn't doing much. perhaps i might experiment there...

do goats drink beer?

 

[SJW]

Beleive me your are going to have enough problems wondering why a certain beer tastes like shit without wondering if it got contaminated with pool water :wacko:
Spend a dolloar and buy a Fridgemate and pick up a $50 bar fridge. Its only the cost of a slab or two of the shit you used to drink!

 

[rimrunner]

it's not the dollars that's the issue it's where to put it. it would end up being at the in-laws anyway.

contamination is always a factor either from air or whatever. since my frementer is currently sitting in the bath tub up to it's waist in water, the tap is already a concern and as mentioned needs to be looked at before i pour anything out of it.

the next batch will definatly need something extra. i'm not too happy with the 4 degree daily fluctuation. 20-24 isn't good.

 

[sqyre]

or brew stands with steps... hahaha

:huh:

Sqyre.... <_<