Beer Forum

Alright, I was sitting around the back porch the other day sketching out in my head a fermentation chamber and had either a brain storm or a brain fart, not sure yet. There is no where in my house that stays a constant temp thru out the day. My last IPA experienced temp changes from 60f to 80f. So, I wanted to build something that I could keep the fermenting wort at a more desirable/constant temp. I started looking at ways to build an insulated box with ice and air flow to cool (like the Son of Fermentation Chamber). Then I realized I already had an insulated box. I had a couple of friends that moved away a few years ago and when they moved they gave me their dishwasher. It's not been used since and I'll probably not use it since I already have one.

SO... anyone have any input on turning this into a ferm chamber? I thought about using some of those ice packs like you put into drink coolers to cool it down. It will probably stay in the basement which is usually cooler anyway (65f-75f). But, then again the basement itself isn't too bad to store the wort so if that would really be a waste of time, I thought about cooling it down even more and maybe do my first lager and let it age in there.

Any thoughts? anyone know how well insulated or air tight a dishwaser is?
~Matt

I can't offer any input on the dishwasher idea, although it seems reasonable enough. But my cheap, low-tech fermentation chamber is just a big bucket full of water. With its high specific heat, a water bath's temp changes quite slowly, so the saison I've got bubbling away in my garage right now has stayed comfortably in the 70s (F), even as this week's heat wave has seen air temps spike up to the high 80s and even low 90s here in usually mild coastal SoCal.

Hmmm, I just had our dishwasher yanked out this last weekend, and since I spent an hour with it working on it, I can tell you about mine...

The insulation on mine is foil-covered fiberglass about an inch thick, and I suspect it is only there for sound-deadening purposes. Probably not much thermal value there, but I could be wrong.

Great idea, though, I'd try it.

The solenoid on the water supply valve is absolutely useless to you... send it to me. It makes for bitchin' pneumatic Halloween props.

Push Eject

Hey Push, I will send you an inventory of everything in my home. Just let me know what you want...

Speyedr wrote:Hey Push, I will send you an inventory of everything in my home. Just let me know what you want...

What's her name?

Push Eject wrote:

Speyedr wrote:Hey Push, I will send you an inventory of everything in my home. Just let me know what you want...

What's her name?

JP

Lars wrote:

Push Eject wrote:

Speyedr wrote:Hey Push, I will send you an inventory of everything in my home. Just let me know what you want...

What's her name?

JP

That's just not right.