I'm building one but don't have an effective way to cool it. 9 months out of the year it's no problem... typically. But last year we were breaking records like crazy & this year isn't looking too promising. It's already 10-15 degrees above average & the forecast for this weekend is another 10 degrees hotter than what it already is.
The 'problem' is the size of my system. I can't brew 5 or 10 gallon batches on it. To keep both conicals cool I need a unit the size of a 2-3 door commercial refrigerator; with the system plus the kegerator, I'm already getting concerned about the floor. It's fine now, but there's no way I could put in something like that without going through it. I live in a pretty small shithole so space is an issue. So is the slumlord's history of 'maintenance'. The building's falling apart & everything their idiot contractor does makes it worse. I'm trying to get out of here, but options are very limited.
The 'chamber' started out as a dual purpose shelf. I needed a place to store my kettles inside & the cat started getting on top of the fermenters. The skeleton was a little flimsy with all the weight on top of it, so I added walls to the sides & back, now it just needs some doors. I thought about lining the inside with Reflectix since there's not enough space for anything thicker. The trick is going to be cooling the inside of it. I've thought about several different ways, but none are going to be effective & practical at the same time. I might have to revisit an old system that was working somewhat ok a couple years ago. Cooler, frozen 2 liter bottles & an aquarium pump that circulated the water through tubing that 'jacketed' the small conical. In order to make it work for both units at the same time, it's not looking cost effective. Plus I'm not wasting money on random hair-brained ideas that may or may not work. I've got an end goal with this system & have put a ridiculous amount of thought & planning into it. All my money is going towards that end goal & getting the hell out of this place.
Edit:
I'm getting there, but it's not happening overnight. I was really hoping to be much further along by this point (& that summer would just kind of skip us this year) but I had enough setbacks in the past 6 months that cost me what would've almost bought 1 of the new fermenters. Now that I'm getting fucked by the idiots I work for, it's progressing even slower. I started on an addition to the plan 3 months ago. It's going to be another week or two before I find out how well it's going to work. I'm not allowed to talk about it, but I have a pretty good feeling you guys will know about it soon enough
I've added a 7th 'P' to Doc's Rule of the 6 P's. Patience.
BN Army // 13th Mountain Division 
