Fermenter Chiller

[dan_pilbara]

Well it's bloody hot up here in the pilbara and it doesn't get cool enough in the winter to brew a larger. I've researched different types of fermenter chillers (not wanting to get another fridge) and thought i would build a styrafoam box and place a peltier cooler/fan in the lid. But i don't think this would give me the drop in temp i require. So i was thinking of using a styrafoam vegitable box to make an extension for my engle fridge which is idle at the moment and placing a 12v pc fan inside for circulation.

Any comments? would this do?

Dan

 

[fraser_john]

Peltier coolers are actually very efficient if set up correctly, I have seen some pictures of a well set up one producing frost on the cool side using high efficiency heat sinks on BOTH the cooling and heating sides, allowing for rapid transfer of heat across the peltier. When run like this, the current draw was quite low as well. Where you are you could even run the thing on solar panels!

If you search around on this board you should be able to find tons of results about cooling fermenters, most people tend to run another fridge.

I though Engels used peltiers anyway?

I intend to do a similar thing, build a second cool box using 2" coolroom panels (used) and use CPU fans to pull cold air from my fridge into the fermenter chamber.

 

[Zizzle]

I've seen one bloke use and esky big enough to fit his fermenter: sit that on the fridge with fermented inside. Have some cold water in the fridge that is circulated by a pond pump through some copper coils in the fermenter. Use a mashmaster to switch the pump on when needed.

 

[Batz]

I spent 25 years in the Pilbara Dan,believe me mate you need fridges
My back patio had 3 brewing fridges in a line.
Do you buy your grain etc from the guy in Karratha?


Batz

 

[Sammus]

Nope, my engel uses a compressor - sounds and feels like it anyway.

 

[dan_pilbara]

i am pretty sure engel uses a swing motor more efficient than a compressor. batz i can understand where you are coming from but i didn't want to get another brewing fridge and i didn't want to start cutting holes in my current one. I might give the peltier a try fraser_john as i am a bit of an electrical geek being an electrical engineer. i'll post how i go

 

[ausdb]

i am pretty sure engel uses a swing motor more efficient than a compressor.

The engel swing compressor is basically a solenoid type arrangement that rapidly energises and de-energises and the little piston in the middle of it goes up and down and pumps the refrigerant. As it only goes up and down and not round and round > then up and down like a normal reciprocating compressor there is a lot less to go wrong or seize up than a normal compressor in its normal application of the back of a car or 4wd.

A peltier would probably struggle in the Ambients that it gets up to in the Pilbara

Batz I am surprised you didn't manage to have an air conditioned shed except everyone would have thought your were growing those funny hydroponic tomatoes

 

[roach]

You could always build a son of fermentation chiller as per http://home.elp.rr.com/brewbeer/chiller/chiller.PDF

 

[Batz]

i i am a bit of an electrical geek being an electrical engineer. i'll post how i go

I am a fitter Dan,I sure you get the joke

Batz

 

[big d]

Im with Batz.Your not a true Territorian(spent over 24 years there) or pilbarite unless you have at least 4 fridges-last one as a lager fridge and an air cond box room.

Cheers
Big D

 

[jjeffrey]

Whip down to dick smiths and buy a little water pump- it'll cost you about $30. You can cut sick with a temp controller as well, but if you're short- just turn it on and off yourself. Fill your fridge up with water and rig them up to a bit of hose or tubing running through your fermenter via glands in the lid (also from dicksmith). This way, you will get awesome temp difference.

PIECE OF PISS

 

[Pumpy]

This is my version uses solar pipes and manifold

 

[0M39A]

i tend to use the frozen chicken method. I get a frozen chicken still in it's vacuum seal bag, then put it inside another water tight bag (very important as raw chicken juice will give you food poisoning), and put it inside the fermenter. I find anything over a size 14 chicken is hard to get through the opening on the top. If you need to warm your wort, cook the chicken first

wtf?

 

[brettprevans]

i tend to use the frozen chicken method. I get a frozen chicken still in it's vacuum seal bag, then put it inside another water tight bag (very important as raw chicken juice will give you food poisoning), and put it inside the fermenter. I find anything over a size 14 chicken is hard to get through the opening on the top. If you need to warm your wort, cook the chicken first

mate use a frozen plastic milk bottle or something. its just as simple and you can sterilise it. no way am I sticking a raw chicken anywhere near my beer (or plastic bags). Or buy a 100can cooler and have ice or anything outside of the cooler. no sanitising necessary.

If you really want to make the ice in a container last, super saturate the water in salt first (it mix salt into hot water until no more will dissolve), then freeze. The salt content of the water means that it will have a lower freezing temp (ie lower than 0C) so it will take longer to defrost.

 

[Hutch]

If you really want to make the ice in a container last, super saturate the water in salt first (it mix salt into hot water until no more will dissolve), then freeze. The salt content of the water means that it will have a lower freezing temp (ie lower than 0C) so it will take longer to defrost.

Hey cm2,
It does have a lower melting temp, but the reason it works better is because of the high latent heat of the salt solution below 0deg, meaning it absorbs a lot more energy in heating up to 0deg. Pure ice takes a lot less energy to reach 0 deg. Once melted, however, pure water has a higher specific heat than salt water. Crazy stuff.

...Can't beleive I'm quoting thermodynamics on a brewing forum! :blink:

 

[dan_pilbara]

Well i taped a foam vegitable box to the top of the engel fridge and put in a small 12v computer fan to circulate the air. It seems to be holding the temp well at around 20deg. I am still going to build a peltier chiller out of 2 large foam boxes and see how that goes.

 

[fraser_john]

Check out.... Linky

Made it out of one of those cheap electric six bottle wine coolers!

 

[Simon W]

FJ, I meant to ask you about this but forgot.
What kind of businesses stock that pink foam?
I've not had much luck finding it here in the west.

 

[Doogiechap]

FJ, I meant to ask you about this but forgot.
What kind of businesses stock that pink foam?
I've not had much luck finding it here in the west.

Bloke, there is a mob in O'Connor called Joyce. I used to buy pink high density foam from them in Townsville for lining roadcases. They might be able to help you out.
Cheers
Doug

 

[deckedoutdaz]

I bet a few of you guys have converted 50l kegs to fermenters.....any photos???


Daz