I think maintenance is more to do with the insulation on the fermenter, and insulation internal to the glycol chiller, with the reservoir. If we assume perfect insulation of your fermenter, and perfect insulation of the glycol chiller - AKA no heat loss to the environment on either, then the...
So I just spent a few minutes emailing back and forth with Eric from Penguin and placed an order for the 1/2hp unit. At the end of the day, cold crashing or trying to bring down a warm wort to pitching temp, the bigger BTU capacity of the 1/2hp unit will more than compensate for a larger...
I'm currently debating the same. The 1/5hp SSBrewTech is $900. Penguin Chillers has a 1/3hp chiller for $880. The Penguin one has better cooling capacity, but a much smaller tank at only 1.25gal. It also has shorter / wider layout. They also have a 1/2hp refurbished chiller for $900 with a...
I went with a hardware based solution as I'm no good at software. I installed a motion detector connected to an SSR relay. Ran 12v from a wall-wart through the PIR to the input side of the relay. Ran 120v from an outlet through the control leg of the SSR to a plug end. Plug the monitor into...
The Super Glaze was really easy to use, just mix it VERY well in a 1:1 ratio, pour it on, and use a foam brush to spread it. The first coat should be thin to seal the wood and keep out bubbles but the following coats can be thicker. Use a torch or a heat gun to help get out the bubbles and...
Thanks! I wasn't quite sure where I was going to go with the bar top but I liked the idea of wood and stone. When I wandered through the lumber-wonderland that was the exotic hardwood store, I looked at a few sexy curved pieces before this one jumped out and told me it was time. The piece is...
The door to the left in the first photo goes into what was originally supposed to be the dark room when the original owner had the house built. I had zero intention of moving interior walls as part of this project, so I used the room that was already there. It's around 100+ sqft so while...
The bigger power supply works great. I also figured out a way to shrink the adapter quite a bit. The shaft from the mill fits perfectly inside the hole for the axle on the motor. Using a piece of 2x2 square tube, I cut some notches out much like the original post, welded a plate on it, and...