[ddcurtis69]

When purchasing my conical fermenter a few years ago, I just couldn't swallow the extra cost for a cooled unit.  I purchased the un-cooled version and lived with it for a year or so.  However, as my geek nature wasn't happy with lack of temperature control, my creative juices started flowing.  Attached are pictures of the peltier cooling and heating (with block heater) setup I built for my 14 gallon conical fermenter.  It is working great and has been able to get 14 gallons down to 33F with an ambient temperature of 67F.  I am loving this thing and now moving into lagers with my newfound temperature control.  I also fitted my 7 gallon conical with the same setup, except only 2 peltier chips instead of 4.  I have way less in this build than buying a pre-made peltier cooled fermenter.  Cheers!

COOLING BLOCK WITH PELTIER CHIPS AND HEAT SINKS MOUNTED

FERMENTER SHOWING ONE OF TWO BLOCKS INSTALLED


FERMENTER MOSTLY INSULATED


CONTROLLER&POWER SUPPLY OUTSIDE BREWERY


BULLET PLUGS INSIDE BREWERY TO "PLUG IN" FERMENTER


ICE ON ALUMINUM BLOCK


ICE ON INSIDE OF FERMENTER

[morticaixavier]

cool (pardon the pun).

how's the power consumption? do you have anything between the chiller and the conical to improve thermal transfer?

[ddcurtis69]

cool (pardon the pun).

how's the power consumption? do you have anything between the chiller and the conical to improve thermal transfer?

I am not measuring power consumption, but am about as efficient as I can be I think.  I had the blocks lapped to make them very smooth and use heat sink thermal paste not only on both sides of the peltier chips, but also between the aluminum blocks and the conical.

[kramerog]

I had no idea that Peltier coolers could do this.  What are the 4 Peltier coolers rated for power-wise?

[ccfoo242]

Sweet!


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[dkfick]

This is the same method of cooling as the MoreBeer heated/cooled conicals use.  I considered doing the same to my conical but the inefficiency and actual work involved kept me from doing it.  Good on you for actually doing it.  Def saves you a lot of space compared to an upright freezer like I use. lol

[ddcurtis69]

I had no idea that Peltier coolers could do this.  What are the 4 Peltier coolers rated for power-wise?

They are approximately 180W max each.

[mchrispen]

Nice. This is similar to the MoreBeer Ultimate Conical - dual peltiers to handle a hotter external climate. While I love mine and the ability to ferment at stable temps - it freaks out when the weather is hot and humid.


Something to keep an eye on - in humid environments the peltier can build ice which will reduce efficiency - and potentially create issues with the fans and heatsinks. You don't want ANY ice building up into a niche between the conical and the sink surface or creeping up to the fan. When cold crashing mine - I have to cycle the system in humid weather to make sure the ice doesn't create a problem about once a day for an hour. You may want to seal all of the edges with silicone to prevent moisture seep into the thermal paste - looks that way from the pics - but not sure.


Same issue with PC CPU peltiers - for the record.

[ddcurtis69]

Nice. This is similar to the MoreBeer Ultimate Conical - dual peltiers to handle a hotter external climate. While I love mine and the ability to ferment at stable temps - it freaks out when the weather is hot and humid.


Something to keep an eye on - in humid environments the peltier can build ice which will reduce efficiency - and potentially create issues with the fans and heatsinks. You don't want ANY ice building up into a niche between the conical and the sink surface or creeping up to the fan. When cold crashing mine - I have to cycle the system in humid weather to make sure the ice doesn't create a problem about once a day for an hour. You may want to seal all of the edges with silicone to prevent moisture seep into the thermal paste - looks that way from the pics - but not sure.


Same issue with PC CPU peltiers - for the record.

Thanks for the tips. Fortunately mine is used in my basement where I don't have a lot of humidity swings from the house a/c. I'll keep an eye on it.

[brycel]

I've been thinking of doing something like this for a while now, glad a ran across this thread.  I'm not too familiar with peltier devices. Do you simply apply one the opposite direction of the other to control both heating and cooling? Would the peltiers easily wire into a ranco type controller?

[euge]

When it's humid they'll drip a lot of condensate. I love TEC's. This is the best example I've seen yet and makes far more sense than a glycol chiller.

The heat sink is key really. I'd like to see them even bigger.

If I sourced a conical this is what I'd want to use to control the temp.

[gmwren]

Where did you get the aluminum block?

[ddcurtis69]

I've been thinking of doing something like this for a while now, glad a ran across this thread.  I'm not too familiar with peltier devices. Do you simply apply one the opposite direction of the other to control both heating and cooling? Would the peltiers easily wire into a ranco type controller?

From what I understand, you need to change the polarity of the peltiers to heat.  I did not do this but rather installed a 120v adhesive block heating pad to the conical to do the heating for me.  It was much simpler, and I believe cheaper, than switching polarity based on cool/heat need.  As for wiring, you power the peltiers with a computer power supply with 12v.  This power supply would then plug into the ranco type controller and the controller would turn on/off the power supply.  There are some wiring issues like jumpering wires on the power supply that you need to do.  I have all the details if you need them.

[ddcurtis69]

Where did you get the aluminum block?

I was fortunate enough to have a friend of a friend who milled them for me free.  I bought the aluminum bar stock online.  You need to find someone with a CNC machine to do the milling.  There should be a shop with this equipment near you somewhere.

[brycel]

I've been thinking of doing something like this for a while now, glad a ran across this thread.  I'm not too familiar with peltier devices. Do you simply apply one the opposite direction of the other to control both heating and cooling? Would the peltiers easily wire into a ranco type controller?

From what I understand, you need to change the polarity of the peltiers to heat.  I did not do this but rather installed a 120v adhesive block heating pad to the conical to do the heating for me.  It was much simpler, and I believe cheaper, than switching polarity based on cool/heat need.  As for wiring, you power the peltiers with a computer power supply with 12v.  This power supply would then plug into the ranco type controller and the controller would turn on/off the power supply.  There are some wiring issues like jumpering wires on the power supply that you need to do.  I have all the details if you need them.

Great, thanks. If it's not a big deal for you to send over the details on the wiring, that would be awesome. Electrical is not my area of expertise by a long shot so any help I could get would be a huge help!