Temp Control

[HogieWan]

So as I get close to this marriage thing, I've been moving my stuff to what will be our house (she's living there now) and getting rid of some things. One of the things we were getting rid of is a dorm sized fridge. I was also fighting for carboy space in a closet somewhere.

Saturday morning I realized that my carboy almost fits inside. I figure a 2x2 could easily be made into a collar to extend the width (I only need 3/4"). This way I can have temp control and put the fridge outside so that I have room for conditioning bottles.

I'll be ordering a Johnson Control sometime soon. I can't wait for better ale fermentation and also something that many Louisiana homebrewers never get a chance to make - LAGERS!

[Derekt2]

What if you took out any door shelves? I cut mine out, sealed the area with foam, and it's perfect. I could have applied some lexan to it to make it sexy but decided in the end I didn't care.

[HogieWan]

I removed the door shelves (which hold the rubber gasket in place) already and it still doesn't fit. I know a lot of people have used a wooden collar on their kegerators, so I don't see a problem building one for this.

[Fast_Eddy]

You can always ferment in a cornie - which will fit in the fridge if a carboy almost fits. Just connect a gas QD to a hose(and onto the gas post of the cornie) and put the end of the hose in a bottle of water to make an airlock for the cornie.

[HogieWan]

The wooden collar will be easier/cheaper than a corny. Plus, I like using the carboy to see what's happening in there. I'm going to put some kind of sealant/insulatoin/caulk in the seam where the wood meets the door and attach the rubber gasket (or whatever you call that) to the wood. I'll drill a hole into the top and bottom of the collar to fit the hinge. Seems pretty straightforward.

[I'mRocketMan]

Sounds good, Hogiewan!! Good luck!!

[HogieWan]

I'll have pics of the modification process. I'm not even thinking of startin on this until well after I get back from the honeymoon, so it'll be a few weeks.

[HarkJohnny]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
You can always ferment in a cornie - which will fit in the fridge if a carboy almost fits. Just connect a gas QD to a hose(and onto the gas post of the cornie) and put the end of the hose in a bottle of water to make an airlock for the cornie.

duh! why didn't I think of that! on that note, I need to get some more cornies.... anyone have a suggestion for where to buy?? obviously... the cheaper the better!

http://www.bdequipment.com/The%20Keg%20King/ has then 4 for $75 but needs o-rings replaced and cleaned up.

[HogieWan]

Any other suggestions on a shorter airlock?

[danno]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
You can always ferment in a cornie - which will fit in the fridge if a carboy almost fits. Just connect a gas QD to a hose(and onto the gas post of the cornie) and put the end of the hose in a bottle of water to make an airlock for the cornie. I haven't tried it, but I hear good things about Five Star's Foam Control product, which keeps krausen away almost completely...

[Tweek]

how come you dont want to try that little gizmo I posted on the other thread? If you are actively fermenting you dont need to worry about an o2 barrier, if you are storing or aging just use a solid bung.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by Tweek
how come you dont want to try that little gizmo I posted on the other thread? If you are actively fermenting you dont need to worry about an o2 barrier, if you are storing or aging just use a solid bung.

I didn't think about using a solid bung for conditioning. When would I switch?

[toneyc]

You could also use a 1/4" elbow in your bung and run a tube down the side into a container of sanitizer solution. Kind of a mini blow-off tube kinda thing.

:)
Toney.

[HogieWan]

Toney, I think that's what I'll end up doing