Home Distiller

I have bought some shelving 180 x 120 x 45. I am going to lag the rear, top, bottom and sides with rigid board insulation and make some doors out of board and lag them.

ambient temp in summer at best gets to 25c for a few weeks.

I was going to get an inkbird temp controller and a 120w tube heater.. then for cooling a fan.

however on reflection I am not sure I would need to cool the chamber down. for the few warm weeks I could just remove the doors..

and to keep temp warm enough I can get a tube greenhouse heater with a thermostat.

thoughts?

reason is the thermo tube heater isn't much more than a none thermo one and I wouldn't need the inkbird

The insulation "R value" may affect how much heat you need to add or remove to maintain a desired temperature.

Tells us more about the insulation board you're planning to use.
ss

p.s. - Do you have a plan for ventilating the CO2 produced?

The board is 25mm polystyrene - https://www.wickes.co.uk/Kay-Metzeler-G ... m/p/210823" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I wouldn't think I would achieve a perfect seal and wasn't planning on being obsessive about it, so was just planning on natural escape.

I use the 5 gallon buckets to ferment so could fit 2 comfortably on each of 3 shelves. Would also have room for a few 1 gallon glass demijohns.

It is going to be in my garage.

I use a big old chest freezer, which you can obtain for nothing on Freecycle if you put up a Wanted ad. I also use an egg incubator top for the heater, which comes with thermo control, but I reckon your thermo greenhouse heater would be fine, provided it goes up to 32 C ish.

I just let the CO2 "seep out" - but I did find the first time I lifted teh lid and stuck my head in there, I got a real "BELT" of CO2 and don't do that now. The fan on the heater soon blows the CO2 out in a few seconds and I expect if you open the door on yours, it will just "fall out" quite quickly - but do be a little cautious the first few times until you "Get the feel" of it.

I'm pretty sure 25 mm polystyrene will insulate it fine.

Keep a decent mouse trap loaded in the garage (They can get through the tiniest gap)

Looking fiorward to seeing a photo soon

I have the shelving on order already and wanted more space than a chest freezer would give me. I will look at the egg heater thingy..

Not sure what temp the greenhouse heater goes to, planned on getting it off amazon so if its pants I will just send it back.

Haven't had mice in a while.. I do however now have a sack of flaked maize in there and quite bit of sugar so do actually need to check my trap is still ok.

I have had the co2 hit after taking a lungfull when I opened a beer in full ferment! wont make that mistake again.

needmorstuff wrote:............ I will look at the egg heater thingy..................

I wouldn't bother if I were you - I used to keep birds and bought it for hatching quail eggs amongst others. It was just something I had available at no cost. works fine, but cheaper alternatives out there.

I did a quick search.. yes they aint that cheap.

I am going to get a 120w none thermostat tubular heater and the inkbird.. less to go wrong in the heater, more control using the inkbird and the ability to add a cooling circuit should the need arise.

Hi I use an inkbird controller but connect it to 3d printer bed heater as in the link at the bottom I stick it to a old tile to help conduct the heat find it works great and cheap

http://s.aliexpress.com/2IzmMzmu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Hope this helps
Manc

Needmorestuff said, ‘… I can get a tube greenhouse heater with a thermostat.’.
Still-stirrin said, ‘p.s. - Do you have a plan for ventilating the CO2 produced?’

Need, if you are interested in a greenhouse you can set it up (with heater or whatever you need); and vent the carbon dioxide into the greenhouse.

Plants love it, I believe.

Enviro friendly, two birds with one stone, all that.

Geoff

that would be an idea.. but I'm not. Just looking for a cheap suitable heater. Got one now.. hopefully have the whole thing built in about a week when everything arrives.

All you need is a box (ideally insulated), a heat source (space heater) and a temp controller (thermostat). I like to include a small fan for air movement (no hot spots or cold spots). If you build it right, it could be easily disassembled without tools and stored without taking up all that much space.

getting there, ordered the shelving, 175kg per shelf, 180x120x45. Big enough for 3 x 5 gallon fvs per shelf. Or any number of DJ's
100watt greenhouse bar heater
InkBird ITC 308
25mm polystrene sheets for insulation
2 x 12mm mdf sheets, 600x1800 (plus hinges etc.)

Hoping the last remaining bits all arrive today so I can get it built over the weekend.

Insulated mine and put it on a mobile cart.

Been using this heater in my old chest freezer/fermentation box.Amazing how well t maintains a consistent temp as verified by my lab grade therm. The only caveat is the variable therm setting which is reached by trial and error but once reached it does not vary.

Sign me happy as a clam.

https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HZ-315 ... B0006I9WHS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I have also used a smaller ceramic heater along with an Inkbird. My ferments can't tell the dif.

K.I.S.S. method applies.

Edited to add:

The 1800 w heater is much too large for a smallish chamber as it cycles on/off much too frequently IMHO. Iprefer using one much smaller but that would depend on how efficient your insulation is relative to the size of your box.

the build of the chamber is now done, just need to get the heater in and drill some holes on the shelving to allow heat convection to the upper levels.

Manc wrote:Hi I use an inkbird controller but connect it to 3d printer bed heater as in the link at the bottom I stick it to a old tile to help conduct the heat find it works great and cheap

http://s.aliexpress.com/2IzmMzmu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Hope this helps
Manc

Hi just an update this wasn't a good idea it melted the bottom of my fermenter and I had a leak I also had a piece of OSB board on one side that was severely charred and the polystyrene insulation had melted. I have been using for a couple of months and although I didn't have a fire perhaps I could of.
I haven't given up on the idea I'm thinking of thermal switch to stop getting to hot and maybe putting fermenter on bricks to allow air flow and a silver reflector to force heat upwards I hope I haven't caused any inconvenience to anyone
Cheers manc

thanks for the update.. I am going to place something in front of my heater to stop it being able to touch the fermenting vessel. It get's too hot to hold but I don't think it gets hot enough to cause any combustion... mines designed as a heater and not a printer part though.