Garage brewery ventilation

[C38368]

Hi all,

I know that there are a few threads around here already on the subject, but most of them seem to deal with folks who live in ill-tempered climes and who wish to brew indoors in the winter, or in a basement.

Me, I live in Riverside, CA, so basically a desert. Even when it's raining, it's pretty dry (or so it seems). The wife & I are planning a move into a larger, more modern home in the next year or two, and I'm hoping to convert my current propane-based operation to a semi-permanent, all-electric operation after that. And because the wife is far more likely to let me spend money when I can show that I've actually thought something through, well, I'm thinking this one through now.

The situation is (likely) more or less thus: I'll probably stay small, using 10 gallon vessels to make five gallon batches, with all heating being performed with electrical elements, as noted. Not sure if the brewery itself will wind up sitting against either the attached wall, or one of the unattached sides (will depend on the house). Either way, the garage in question will be, at least, the two car variety, and there is no particular reason why I cannot have the door wide open during the brew process.

With all that in mind, just how necessary would a dedicated exhaust fan be?

Thanks in advance. Way in advance

 

[crusader1612]

As a Person who works in the ventilation industry (HVAC) I specialise in fans.

a General Extract will do something, but ultimately, unless you remove the steam from directly above the kettle (extraction hood) it won't do alot.
Have a loo karound on the DIY for 3 vessel systems, alot of people have built wooden hoods or fabricated steel ones.
But looking at their fans, they're generally underpowered.

but in saying that, if you brew in a garage with an open door and your all electric doing 5 gal batches, i dont think its worth the extra cost of building a hood, buying a fan., and isntalling the ductwork etc to suit.

your biggest issue would be condensation anyway IMO. as if you brew with your garage doors open the airflow throug hthearea will be sufficient enough for ventilation. where as the condensation precipitating on your roof or eaxtract hood would be a bigger concern for me. 9that is where a fan can come in handy, as it will extract the steam that causes it. but you'd need a fan big enough to remove 90% of it.

your extract hood if your building one, should be a minimum of 150mm (sorry i work in metric) wider then your brew space in all sides excluding the backside which will be against the wall and then depending on your hood size will depend on the hole size require for ductwork. I don't have the calculations, but contact fantech.com they'll probably be able to point you in the right direction based on your hood size etc.

 

[Queequeg]

you could go down the condensation hood route. basically is a large stainless steel hood without or without extraction that acts as massive condensor with a drain attached

or a ducted kettle lid directly connected to an extractor.

just thoughts

 

[raysmithtx]

I EBIAB in Texas in my garage/shop. I leave the door open but the steam from the boil was causing the texture from the ceiling to wick the moisture and pieces would fall into my kettle. No infections but not something I wanted. I ended up putting an oscillating fan near the kettle to disperse the steam during the boil. I haven't had any more problems. I know it's not an elegant solution but it was cheap and it works for me.

 

[RedlegEd]

I EBIAB in Texas in my garage/shop. I leave the door open but the steam from the boil was causing the texture from the ceiling to wick the moisture and pieces would fall into my kettle. No infections but not something I wanted. I ended up putting an oscillating fan near the kettle to disperse the steam during the boil. I haven't had any more problems. I know it's not an elegant solution but it was cheap and it works for me.

+1^^^^ this. I do the same thing blowing the moisture laden air out the garage door. I live in the Memphis area, so my humidity is much more than yours. I've had no moisture or condensation issues. Why spend a snot load of $ for something you really don't need? I'm sure your bride will appreciate your having thought this through. Ed

 

[C38368]

I EBIAB in Texas in my garage/shop. I leave the door open but the steam from the boil was causing the texture from the ceiling to wick the moisture and pieces would fall into my kettle. No infections but not something I wanted. I ended up putting an oscillating fan near the kettle to disperse the steam during the boil. I haven't had any more problems. I know it's not an elegant solution but it was cheap and it works for me.

+1^^^^ this. I do the same thing blowing the moisture laden air out the garage door. I live in the Memphis area, so my humidity is much more than yours. I've had no moisture or condensation issues. Why spend a snot load of $ for something you really don't need? I'mean sure your bride will appreciate your having thought this through. Ed

Yeah, this is right up my alley! I have, more or less, the same concerns about the long-term condensation effects of whatever the ceiling material winds up being, more so than anything else. And if a house fan circulating air around is enough to make it work in Tennessee, I can't possibly imagine it not being enough in SoCal.

(Also, this means I don't have to exclude homes that aren't readily adaptable to an exhaust!)

Thanks all

 

[Homercidal]

I don't have any issues with condensation in my garage. For brewing, anyway. When I made maple syrup I found plenty of water running off the garage door (The steam was collecting on the underside of the door, which was in the UP position above it. I solved this by placing a cheap box fan behind the kettle and blowing the steak out the door.

I believe you will have no troubles if you can simply blow across above the kettle and push it across the room or out the open door. 5 gallons isn't a lot in a two car garage. You may also want to brew OUTSIDE the garage! I love this when it's not too sunny and hot. I'm not really that interested in brewing when it's 90+ out. That's when I feel like finding a lake or river to jump into.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Brewing in a bone dry climate in the garage...Duct the steam INTO the house...Might just help with dry lips

Seriously though a 2 car garage is a big area and 2 open garage doors is a ton of ventilation...I wouldn't worry

 

[crusader1612]

blowing the steak out the door.

I'd rather eat it.....