Fermentation Chamber from freezer

[killjoy08]

I have not seen many of these, so I thought I would post my build/progress. The other day I received a free freezer. To my luck, they had the shelves with the coils in it. So instead of trying to bend the shelves and possibly ruin the freezer, I decided to expand. Very similar to what people do with the mini fridge.

Before the build:

Floor placed in w/ one wall:

Wall Number 2 Up:

The Roof:

All put together:

The walls are simply
plywood||r-13 insulation||moisture resistant board

The 2x4's are about 16" apart to accommodate the insulation. There is R-13 insulation around the whole collar. The edges inside the walls were all caulked to increase air tightness. The inside walls are all caulked in the corners as well.


Next Steps:
1. Order/Install Temp. Controller
2. Paint the collar white to match the freezer.

 

[killjoy08]

Controller Installation and Results:

 

[phoenixs4r]

I've been thinking about doing this with my freezer. SWMBO would kill me though.

 

[killjoy08]

Controller came in today. Ordered a Love TSS2-2100. Hopefully will get it installed sometime this week!

 

[Esmitee]

Controller came in today. Ordered a Love TSS2-2100. Hopefully will get it installed sometime this week!

killjoy08, Sweet Idea, that thing is huge now.

Only thing is, If it were me, I woulda put the door on the side instead of the end. It's kinda like a LiL walk in. Its now very deep, How ya going to get to the back of the freezer?

But whatever, It's pretty cool.

 

[killjoy08]

killjoy08, Sweet Idea, that thing is huge now.

Only thing is, If it were me, I woulda put the door on the side instead of the end. It's kinda like a LiL walk in. Its now very deep, How ya going to get to the back of the freezer?

But whatever, It's pretty cool.

I thought about that once I mounted the door. I never had a solid solution to getting all the way to the back. The great thing is that this thing is wood, and wood is very easy to manipulate. I have been thinking about swapping the door for several days now. It wouldn't be to much of a PIA, but it would take some time.

My only worry is how would I secure the door to the side. In other words, when I close the door, I would I lock it? The old seal is crap and done for, which is why i did not continue to use it.

 

[Esmitee]

killjoy08, It was just my 2 cents, I could have done the same thing while building it.

Alot of times when I build something, It never comes out the way I thought it would, Cause I get an INSTANT idea and change it. Sometimes at the right time, AND Sometimes after I just get done!!! LOL.

Anyway, ya have a cool idea there. Good luck with it.

 

[NewBrewB]

I've read a lot of DIY threads on here but this is the first "walk-in collar" i have seen. Nice effort.

(a lock is a good idea since this is a great place for kids to hide and that never works out well for the kids. A little inconvenience could save a wayward youngster.)

Kickass project though. Did you do anything to seal the edges of the white panels? If not, some metallic moisture barrier tape could do the trick for about $10

 

[killjoy08]

I've read a lot of DIY threads on here but this is the first "walk-in collar" i have seen. Nice effort.

(a lock is a good idea since this is a great place for kids to hide and that never works out well for the kids. A little inconvenience could save a wayward youngster.)

Kickass project though. Did you do anything to seal the edges of the white panels? If not, some metallic moisture barrier tape could do the trick for about $10

Thanks! I don't have any kids yet (knock on wood) but yes its always a nice safety feature. It also helps the door keep its seal! I did seal between the white panels with some white caulk! I did use some moisture barrier tape to help seal the gap between the freezer and the collar.

 

[killjoy08]

killjoy08, It was just my 2 cents, I could have done the same thing while building it.

Alot of times when I build something, It never comes out the way I thought it would, Cause I get an INSTANT idea and change it. Sometimes at the right time, AND Sometimes after I just get done!!! LOL.

Anyway, ya have a cool idea there. Good luck with it.

Thanks, I know how that is. The design efforts never go perfect, things always change on the fly. I have been thinking about switching, not too much effort in it. I will have a decision in the next day or so. But I will keep updating, either way!

 

[Esmitee]

Thanks, I know how that is. The design efforts never go perfect, things always change on the fly. I have been thinking about switching, not too much effort in it. I will have a decision in the next day or so. But I will keep updating, either way!

Cool , Love to see what ya did, and or doing.

 

[killjoy08]

So I decided to move the door to the side, like Esmitee suggested. Below are some pictures of the progress. Ran out of screws and 2x4s so I have to make a trip to Lowes to get some more supplies. But in the meantime, where do you guys think would be a good place to put the controller? On the door, side of the unit, or something I am missing?

 

[Esmitee]

Killjoy, WOW ya did move the door !

I know it wasn't the hardest thing to, just a little PIA LOL.

In my own opinion, And I'm supposing YOURS too. You will be more pleased with your build now. Having access right there in the middle.

Nice work brother! Good luck with it and let us know how it's working after you use it!

 

[killjoy08]

Ok guys, sorry for the late update, but here are some of the more final pictures. It is functional! I will make an effort soon to make a little more eye appealing. The temperature controller is installed and maintains a 68 degree area. Still have a little more tweaking to do.


Controller Test:

Side:

Door Side:

Heater Used:

 

[day_trippr]

Wow. I use that same 1500 watt heater to warm up my wee workshop (16x12x10) during the coldest months of the year...

Cheers!

 

[Esmitee]

Hey killjoy , Looking Sweet and working well too?

Has it been holding the temps well. I thought you were just going to leave your controller on the top, But I see ya out it throught the door.....Nice touch.
Maybe just paint the OSB White to match your freezer. What did you end up using as a gasket for the door?

Anyway, Nice job.

I got the cheapy Stc 1000 from the Bay. I was going to mount it in my fridge, but changed my mind. I figured if I didn't mount it, I could move it from Frige, freezer, etc .

So I made a small box... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/eb...roller-build-163849/index204.html#post3431556

Im so glad I did, cause I just picked up this LiL neato freezer , freebie........... Stay tuned for up coming "NEW BUILD"

 

[killjoy08]

Hey killjoy , Looking Sweet and working well too?

Has it been holding the temps well. I thought you were just going to leave your controller on the top, But I see ya out it throught the door.....Nice touch.
Maybe just paint the OSB White to match your freezer. What did you end up using as a gasket for the door?

Anyway, Nice job.

I got the cheapy Stc 1000 from the Bay. I was going to mount it in my fridge, but changed my mind. I figured if I didn't mount it, I could move it from Frige, freezer, etc .

So I made a small box... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/eb...roller-build-163849/index204.html#post3431556

Im so glad I did, cause I just picked up this LiL neato freezer , freebie........... Stay tuned for up coming "NEW BUILD"

So far temps hold well. I am keeping it at 70ish for fermentation. I just picked up some kegs, so it might be turned to a kegerator. I can fit 8 corny kegs on the lower section, bottles on the shelf. I was thinking about making a shelf to utilize the upper space that would be above the corny kegs but not sure what I would put up there. Any ideas?

For the gasket, I picked up some weather stripping from lowes. The door locks shut to make sure there is a tight seal. At the time, I couldn't think of many options.

White paint will be the next touch to make it look nice. Thinking about also, making a small platform with wheels to put the whole creation on to make it move a lil easier.

Your freezer looks sweet. It has a lot of opportunity! Could get really creative with that.

 

[bergman1118]

Awesome build! Just today I got a mini upright freezer almost identical to yours (shelves = cooling coils) and have been searching around to see what to do with the thing. I contemplated bending the shelves to accomodate one carboy, but I was reluctant to do this for fear of damaging the freezer. I also figured someone out there had built a collar/extension for a similar unit, making it a larger fermentation chamber. I'm glad I ran across this and now see that it's feasible.

Are you still getting good performance from this build? Any tips, suggestions, or things you would change in hindsight (besides the door)?

Thanks so much for posting about this!

 

[killjoy08]

Awesome build! Just today I got a mini upright freezer almost identical to yours (shelves = cooling coils) and have been searching around to see what to do with the thing. I contemplated bending the shelves to accomodate one carboy, but I was reluctant to do this for fear of damaging the freezer. I also figured someone out there had built a collar/extension for a similar unit, making it a larger fermentation chamber. I'm glad I ran across this and now see that it's feasible.

Are you still getting good performance from this build? Any tips, suggestions, or things you would change in hindsight (besides the door)?

Thanks so much for posting about this!

Well I am glad to hear that I was not the only one that ran into the thought, and hope anything I have shown helps. One thing, a space heater inside is way too powerful as the heater and freezer will begin a battle. I am going to test out a reptile light I believe next. Make sure you get to the painting quick so a certain someone won't complain about it. That is on my to do list for today. I would also considering putting it on a cart with some lockable wheels to allow easy mobility. It is pretty heavy and bulky. The final dimensions came out to be about 29"x58 so it takes up a lot of floor real estate.

The things I like is that I will bottle condition in there on the shelf, and when I am not fermenting, I put all my extra stuff in there so it doubles as a storage unit. There is a lot of head room in there so I have thought about adding a shelf in order to utilize that space, but not sure if it would properly fit all the fermenting heights. Let me know if you have any more questions

 

[bergman1118]

Great! Glad that it is working well for you.

I do have one question right now - I have not seen many ferm. chambers that actually use the fridge/freezer door as part of the setup. Do you find that using the existing freezer door works OK in sealing the unit? How did you end up getting it to fit tight and close securely? I see that you have a latch on the last picture, but I can't see how you have it installed.

I have also wondered if just making a box from foam board would be sufficient.. It would certainly be cheaper & easier, but I have a feeling I'd lose a lot of cold air. I'm sure the air gap you have in between the exterior and the foam really helps keep the whole thing insulated, but I'm curious to see if just foam could be used for the box. Looks aren't an issue, as this is in an area that SWMBO has no care for appearances

Thanks again, I'm sure I might have a few other questions as I get started on this (hopefully sometime in January).

 

[killjoy08]

Great! Glad that it is working well for you.

I do have one question right now - I have not seen many ferm. chambers that actually use the fridge/freezer door as part of the setup. Do you find that using the existing freezer door works OK in sealing the unit? How did you end up getting it to fit tight and close securely? I see that you have a latch on the last picture, but I can't see how you have it installed.

Ok, So going with the original door comes one problem, sealing it. The old seal from the door was trashed so I could not put up a a trip of metal to utilize the magnetic properties of the original seal. So what I did was drilled a two holes in the door, upper and lower. Then I put the gate latches on there as you see. I used some weather stripping from lowes to put between the door and the unit. The latches keep it very snug which helps with the sealing issue. I used the dollar bill method to test the seal in random locations around to make sure there was an adequate seal. This picture might help, ignore the hole underneath as that was a failed attempt at a solution.

I have also wondered if just making a box from foam board would be sufficient.. It would certainly be cheaper & easier, but I have a feeling I'd lose a lot of cold air. I'm sure the air gap you have in between the exterior and the foam really helps keep the whole thing insulated, but I'm curious to see if just foam could be used for the box. Looks aren't an issue, as this is in an area that SWMBO has no care for appearances

I am not sure if foam would just cut it. Take a look at the R value and see how it compares. I just built it like I would a small room, as I had a lot of wood laying around. I sealed between the plywood and the 2x4's to help keep it air tight. Between the plywood and the R19 insulation, it does a decent job. I would have gone with the foam, since the foam I was looking at I could have yielded a higher R value for that thickness, but budget did not allow it. What happens when you have many projects in college lol. I think if you keep just foam, and layer it enough, the R value should be adequate but just make sure you seal it good. The weather tape stuff works well in conjunction with caulk and any other methods.

Hope that helps

 

[bergman1118]

That's what it looked like from the picture, but I wasn't positive I was seeing it right. Thanks for the more detailed picture.

How is the box attached to the freezer itself? Is it just snug with the freezer and sealed with caulk / weather tape? Sorry for the noob questions, I'm not that handy and these types of things don't always come naturally to me!

 

[killjoy08]

That's what it looked like from the picture, but I wasn't positive I was seeing it right. Thanks for the more detailed picture.

How is the box attached to the freezer itself? Is it just snug with the freezer and sealed with caulk / weather tape? Sorry for the noob questions, I'm not that handy and these types of things don't always come naturally to me!

Oh no its fine. I am engineer and I can vision it all in my head with one picture. Sometimes I forget that not everybody can do that. So for the connection between the freezer and collar, there is a set of weather stripping between the two. Then I use two ratchet straps to fully bring the two units together for a snug fit. Once that was done, I put some tap on the inside to help insure air tightness. I got the ratchet strap idea from another build, it was for a small fridge but I applied it here since I thought it would be good. I was going to run a screw, or lag into the fridge to secure it, but wasn't sure if there were lines running in there and didn't want to test that theory at the time.

 

[bergman1118]

Cool, thanks for clarifying. I may try just building a wooden base and then constructing the sides and top out of foam board (including the door/opening) to save on material cost and labor. But who knows? I may change my mind again.

In any case, thanks for sharing your work. I can't wait to get started and will post some pictures of my build when it's done. I realized that it looks like you have a full upright freezer. Mine is a mini (probably somewhere between 4-5 cu. ft.) and will be smaller in the end, though I would like to be able to fit 3 carboys.