I brew 10 gallon batches. I would prefer to ferment in my garage. My garage stays between 40-55 F year around (subterranean on 3 sides). I need a solution that both heats, and cools my wort as needed. An obvious solution is a heated/cooled conical from More Beer, but at $1800, I'd like to investigate other options. Here are a few solutions I've came up with, but I'm having a hard time choosing.

1) Buying a plain conical, attaching a heating pad, putting it in a cheap fridge and controlling temp with a 2 stage controller.
Advantage: Easy. Good cold break/trub/yeast transfer and management.
Disadvantage: Expensive

2) Building/have built sanke keg fermenter(s) and using the same system as above to heat and cool.
Advantage: Possible cheaper, depending on fabrication costs.
Going with a chest freezer, I could have multiple fermenters.
Disadvantage: Loosing conical functionality - cold break/trub disposal and easy yeast harvesting.

Also, with option 2, I could even go so far as to have a dedicated fermenter and a dedicated bright tank (with carbonation). Set the freezer at 35-40 F, heavily insulate the fermenter, and rely on the heating pad to heat the fermenter. The bright tank, located in the freezer could be used for further aging, and also used for carbonation.

This leaves option number 3. I haven't yet defined number 3. What would be the "Denny" solution to this problem. I absolutely need heating and cooling to ferment in my garage, and fermenting in the garage is non-negotiable. How would you (who ever *you* are) solve this problem?

Come on guys, I've been trying to figure out a solution I like before I get tired of dealing with it, and write More Beer a check.

Thanks!

Nic

Using a Son of a Fermentation Chiller or a chest freezer sounds like the best bet to me. You'd want the 2 stage controller mentioned above at least for the freezer, but for heating in such a small enclosed space I believe even a light bulb would work. Jamil Z has information about how he build his cold room on his website http://www.mrmalty.com/brewstuff.php which used insulation and an A/C unit.

To me the benefits of a conical far outweigh the price, but that's just me. $1800 to control a single fermentation is outrageous.

My plan this summer is to convert the space under my workbench into a large fermentation closet/ grain storage box. I built the workbench 8' long and something like 3.5' wide with enough room underneath to store carboys, buckets, cornie kegs, and even my 14 gallon plastic container I also use as a fermenter. The plan is for 1/2 to be for grain storage and the other for fermenting/ keeping kegs out of the heat, which will be double walled and insulated (wood is cheap these days).

As BoonieBrew stated a light bulb should suffice for heat in colder times. For cooling I plan on making a glycol cooler run off of a freezer immediately adjacent to the workbench. I already have a hole in the back of the freezer where the ice maker could go (I guess).

I've seen plans where the glycol was pumped, from a reservoir in the freezer made from a Tupperware tub, using a submersible pond pump. Both the line out and one returning will be insulated for the run to the box (only a couple of feet). For a heat exchange I plan on pumping through something like a motorcycle radiator (the most expensive part) with a 4" computer fan in front of it. The pump and the fan will be triggered by a temperature controller and only need to run when the temp changes.

If that doesn't do it in the full heat of summer I can always add ice buckets to help keep the box cool. Most times my garage is the perfect temperature but I wanted something that would allow me to be more precise year round.

All told this probably isn't the option you were looking for but thought I would chime in with a fairly cheap and possibly versatile option.

Sounds pretty good to me though Sheldon. As alternatives to the motorcycle radiator you could try looking for a heater core from a junkyard, I've seen them used in extreme PC watercooling systems, I believe those from minivans are pretty popular and should be very easy and cheap to find in a junkyard, or an autoparts store. Parts for motorcycles seem like they'd be much less common and thus more expensive.

Do your research before building a walk-in. I just finished mine and I'm battling condensation in the ceiling, even though I completely covered and sealed the outside of the room with 6 mil poly. Yes, the vapor barrier goes on the warm side. It's been very humid in East Texas the last few weeks and damp air can sneak in from just about anywhere. You don't want wet insulation.

Keep the ideas coming I use a bomb shelter that has a narrow stair case that I would like to use for controlled fermentation temps.

JP

if i were you guys i would head to a pet shop (that sells reptiles) and get a heat bulb. they are ceramic and don't put out any light, but are very efficient at making heat.

http://www.petsparade.co.uk/reptiles/heating/?p=1679

not a bad price for a thermostat http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-1000-Thermostat

That thermostat only goes down to 68F. Too hot for my beer.

yeah thats not good. i knew there was a reason it was so cheap.

Brewboy, you built a walk-in? Sounds pretty cool, you got any pics? SWMBO actually mentioned the possibility of building something in the backyard, knowing full well it would require temperature control (I'm in McKinney). I think she just really wants all of my brewing stuff out of the house!

Yeah and I'm fighting the humidity right now.

I don't have any pictures right now, but maybe in a few weeks. Not sure they would help you at this point. If you're doing a stand alone, I'd recommend looking for some used walk-in panels. I saw some on Craigslist a few weeks ago. Mine is part of my brew room and forms part of a wall, so the panels wouldn't work for me.