Fermentation Fridge, fan forced vs static

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PTG

Well-Known Member
Joined
3/9/17
Messages
52
Reaction score
10
What’s everyone using? And what works best?
I have to buy another FF as wasn’t worth moving it 2000 Ks when we have gumtree these days. Last one was fan forced and i liked that, my theory was that for the short times that it was cycling it was rotating the cool air around the chamber where i thought a static would run for longer periods due to no air movement and end up over chilling the chamber.
Interested to hear opinions
 
I ferment like the first pic, then move to the coolroom to dry hop and cold crash.
20181016_165541.jpeg
20181119_175802.jpeg
20181119_175800.jpeg
 
I have the same line of thought.
My fermentation fridge is fan forced and runs like a charm, temp stays on target. My keezer on the other hand wasn't fan forced, and i did have issues with overshoot. I installed a small fan and now runs like a dream. Go with another fan forced mate.
Just my 2 cents.

Nice setup Stokesy, i wish i had room for a coolroom!
 
Nice call on the fan. Id forgotten about that. Will put one in my keezer as soon as im back.
 
My new fermenting setup, i have a little 2 bedroom flat on the property which im using to ferment and cold crash in, the split system holds a nice even temp at 18 degrees, just waiting on the power bill to see if its worth doing. Its a good spot to be on a hot day.
Happy brewing [emoji482][emoji482]
1547260954925.jpeg
1547260972433.jpeg
1547260995793.jpeg
1547261013796.jpeg
 
I run mine 24-7 all year, admittedly a smaller room, a pain in the arse on the heating cycle in winter but summer doesn't miss a beat and the room is well insulated. My power usage went down and the only thing I had done was repair a seal on an old freezer.
001.JPG
 
I like ya setup mate, nice and compact, i hope the power usage here is reasonable otherwise the minister of war and finance is gunna shut my little brew house down.
 
Got my electricity bill today, the old freezer I spoke about my wife replaced with the one Aldi had on special, the usage was 7.95 as against 11.34 / kWh for the same time last year, not bad when the air conditioning for the fermenting room and the cold crash fridge (-1 to -2) is running constantly.
 
What's the climate like where you are weal im on the nsw side of mildura, at the moment its still in the 40's , 9 pm. The split to run my fermenters is doing its job, but its running flat out.
 
What's the climate like where you are weal im on the nsw side of mildura, at the moment its still in the 40's , 9 pm. The split to run my fermenters is doing its job, but its running flat out.
We have had 39 for the last couple of days but I would say an average would be somewhere around the low 30 /high 20's. I do have a lot of insulation though and solar power which I get 66c /kWh, I got $49 credit this last bill.
 
Last edited:
I run mine 24-7 all year, admittedly a smaller room, a pain in the arse on the heating cycle in winter but summer doesn't miss a beat and the room is well insulated. My power usage went down and the only thing I had done was repair a seal on an old freezer.
View attachment 114719

How do you run your fermentation process in a room like that Weal? ie; d rest, cold crash and so on. Especially assuming each of those fermenters are a different beast.
 
Pretty much the same, English ales stout, bitter, mild, brown ale 18 degrees C. Got a great recipe for mild, probably have been drinkinking more of that of late, keeps me sombre the wife hardly nose I have had a drink.;)
Cold crash for two days at -1 to -2 always in secondary so most of the yeast is left behind, bottle or cask, if I have a line like in the photo (is pretty rare that was catch up) usually only 2 or 3 on the go at any one time.
 
I think they are asking how you manage to cold crash in the fermenting room.
ie. you've got brew X fermenting at 18C but it's time to cold crash brew Y.
I'm assuming you use fridges/freezers we don't usually get to see.

And if you do, are they outside your fermenting room?
 
I think they are asking how you manage to cold crash in the fermenting room.
ie. you've got brew X fermenting at 18C but it's time to cold crash brew Y.
I'm assuming you use fridges/freezers we don't usually get to see.

And if you do, are they outside your fermenting room?
No inside the fermenting room, on the opposite side to the fermenters. The lowest a air con can go is 17 degrees C. 2 days is usually the time it takes for beers to clear, rarely more than that, in saying that it is yeast dependent.
 
No inside the fermenting room, on the opposite side to the fermenters. The lowest a air con can go is 17 degrees C. 2 days is usually the time it takes for beers to clear, rarely more than that, in saying that it is yeast dependent.

Cool, I had a room that usually sat around 16-18C even on hot days but when I put the chill fridge in there it got warmer hence asking the question.

Now I've just got a tiny area enough for 1 fridge, but I'm planning a small insulated room in the big shed I'm building out back.
 
Cool, I had a room that usually sat around 16-18C even on hot days but when I put the chill fridge in there it got warmer hence asking the question.

Now I've just got a tiny area enough for 1 fridge, but I'm planning a small insulated room in the big shed I'm building out back.
I had the same concerns about the fridge I mentioned it in a post a year or two ago the heat from the fridge may cause a problem but it doesn't if the ambient temperature in the room is 17 to 18 degrees then the compressor is not cutting in as if it was out side.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top