Fermentation Fridge Setup – Thoughts?

[bazfletch3]

[SIZE=medium]Hi all[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]I have a little project on the go to finally put together a temp controlled fermentation fridge – up until now my fermentation control has basically been in the lap of the gods.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]I’ve trawled through all the posts I can find so that hopefully this question comes from some level of understanding…. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Basically I have a little bar fridge which with some minor panel beating now fits a 30lt fermenter, with stuff all room to spare except for some free space towards the back above the “step” (under which the compressor sits). I’ve got an STC-1000 and a bag of goodies from Jaycar, along with a 12V PC case fan and a 20W flimsy film kind of reptile heat mat ($10 off ebay from Hong Kong).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]My cunning plan is to wire up the controller as standard, stick the heat mat to the back wall of the fridge, (which will give it some separation from the fermenter and hopefully stop any localised heating) and then mount the PC fan on a rail in the space above the “step” facing up down. Given that there’s very little free space within the fridge once the fermenter goes in, I’m guessing a fan to circulate the air is pretty important. Then I figure if I wire a relay in on both the heating and cooling outputs, I can trigger the fan to come on only when something is “happening”, rather than 24/7 while there’s something in the fermenter.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Does this (specifically my though of not having the fan running 24/7) seem logical? It would be easier to have it running all the time, but I figure a PC fan wont last too long running flat out, and my gut feel is that when there’s no heat or cool function happening and the fermenter is just sitting at temp, that the fan wouldn’t be achieving much? Having said that if I have to replace a $5 fan every so often its not such a big deal either![/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Happy to take anyone’s advice on this; the wiring and circuitry parts of the equation are a no brainer for me; the practical outcome of it all is the bit I’m still learning about![/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Cheers[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Baz[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium](No posts in 5 years, 2 posts in half an hour – look at me go!)[/SIZE]

 

[gordo_t]

Computer fans are pretty much designed to run 24/7, and they chew through bugger all power, prob cost you more for to wire up the extra components than the cost to power the fan for a yr or two.

Given there's not much room in the fridge as you've said, you might be able to get away with not even needing one i.e. the fermenter will be so close to the walls/cooling lines of the fridge. That being said, it certainly couldn't hurt and it's always fun to build.

 

[bazfletch3]

You're actualy right on that; 240V relays are about $16 and I would need 2.....as aposed to buying a new $5 fan every so often maybe. I could well be getting over excited on the circuitry; I come from that sort of trade background.

My dumb thought process was that i would need to fan even more so given that space is so tight within the fridge......

Cheers

Baz