Indoor fermenting

[Beef]

This will be my first winter with my new hobby, and I'm planning to move my fermenting bucket from the garage to a small storage closet in my basement since Canadian winters can get cold.

Anyone have an opinion on the amount of CO2 generated by the fermenter and whether that might create an oxygen-displaced atmosphere In a small space?

[FreeMountainHermit]

You surely have a valid concern but without some means of monitoring the CO2 you're driving in the dark.

Having said that I have two 16 gallon fermentors in our smallish bathroom without any apparent issues.

FMH

[pfshine]

Unless your gonna sleep in the closet with it you will be fine.

[NZChris]

There has been a death here in NZ. The coroner blamed the CO2 in the guys ferment room, so if it is 'walk in', I'd suggest piping the CO2 outside, or at least leaving the door open while you're in there.

[muscashine]

Just leave the door open a little. I've had two 7 gallon buckets going at once in the house. I don't have anywhere outside to put the stuff, so I have to do mine indoors. Some smells a lot better than others. I forgot the recipe I used once, but the house smelled like fresh baking bread for days.

[jb-texshine]

I'm using the spare bathroom and have three 15 gallon and three 5 gallon fermenters in there. Bathroom heater is on along with the fart fan. Stays between 78 night and 82 day. Been in there for up to thirty minutes with no ill effects,but fan stays on. If your worried about a small bathroom or closet there is probably some concern but with a bit of ventilation it'll be ok. In a large room I suspect that the levels would be ok.the bathroom I am using is off the spare bedroom and the bedroom is equipped with a standard co monitor that does work and it don't go off. The monitor is mounted at baseboard height about three ft from the bathroom door also. If I take it in the bathroom and turn off the fart fan it goes off in about thirty minutes.
Hope that helps,
Jb

[yakattack]

I on average have 100 to 200 gallons fermenting in different stages at any given time. Indoors. Never had an issue. Your in Canada so co2 alarms in your house are mandstory by law. Get one for your ferment room. Safety is piece of mind.

That being said. Don't sleep in your ferment room, no matter how tempting it may be.

Yak

[Secale]

Plants need carbon dioxide to live. So get a few and they'll clean that mess on ailse #6 for you.
In exchange, they'll spew out some oxygen for you so you can sleep better at night.

[Monkeyman88]

Plants need carbon dioxide to live. So get a few and they'll clean that mess on ailse #6 for you.
In exchange, they'll spew out some oxygen for you so you can sleep better at night.

Only during the day. Once it's dark, they start taking in oxygen and expelling co2 again.

[Massassi]

some fire alarms have a CO2 as well as a CO alarm. try picking one of those up. $40 for peice of mind is cheap.

i'd hazzard a guess that you have more risk based on the age of your house. if its really modern you'll have make up air systems in place and you wont notice it unless the fermenting room is sealed off. if its a really old house with no vapour barriers your're going to be good again - because the house leaks everywhere. its haveing one of those intermediate houses that would pose a risk. if you own, and if you plan to be there for a while you might want to consider a bathroom fan. there are switches that can be preprogrammed to turn the fan on at certain times. if it came on for a 1/2 hour a time once or twice a day i dont think it would matter how much you have going on in there.

all that said - if you start feeling dopey and sleepy its time to get out of the fermentation room

[bilgriss]

Been fermenting indoors for 30 years without any issue. If you have clothes in the closet, they may pick up some interesting aromas.

[Secale]

Been fermenting indoors for 30 years without any issue. If you have clothes in the closet, they may pick up some interesting aromas.

You ferment in a closet?

[Danespirit]

I can understand your concern about the CO2 (larger ferments generate a lot).
I have a spare room at about 12 squaremeters...fridge is in there and i made a office there too.
Never had any issues even when fermenting 50 L at the time.
So unless you are going to sleep in the same room or you have a really big ferment going on, i don't see it could be a issue.

[kiwi Bruce]

CO2 is a heavy gas and in order for it to displace the air in an enclosed space it would have to be sealed tight. Bring it indoors, don't sweat it.

[yakattack]

I can understand your concern about the CO2
So unless you are going to sleep in the same room or you have a really big ferment going on, i don't see it could be a issue.

I'll say again.if you ever feel like sleeping next to your ferments. Don't. Your ferment chamber isn't a bed chamber .

[Danespirit]

+1 Yak

[gungatim]

a 20 gallon batch fermenting gives off roughly the same amount of co2 that the average person would if you stayed in the same area 24/7...I fermented about 25 gallons at a time in my old basement over the winters pretty consistently and never even snuffed out a pilot lite on the water heater!

[GrassHopper]

A canary in there would do the job.