homebrew temp controled box?

[fettersp]

I was wondering if this would be a good idea or not for a project. I want to build an insulated box that has 4 different spaces to hold up to a 6 gal carboy. I will use a Peltier module and temp sensor for the exact heat or coolness I want with a brushless fan to circulate the air in the isolated area when its heating or cooling. My room is usually around 72 degrees but the yeast I use has an ideal temp range of 58 to 68 degrees. This will all be run on a 328 mega chip(Arduino microcontroller). Is this a good idea or just wasted money? It will cost about 20-30 dollars to build.

 

[BrunDog]

Peltier aka TEC’s are easy to integrate but are highly inefficient and struggle increasingly as you get colder and try to pull out more heat.

That said, they can be easy to integrate. Air:Air is not so good. I would do air on the cold side and a liquid heating block + pump + radiator on the hot. Condensation needs be managed too. Won’t be $30, I can tell you that. As you start to add up parts, you might find a cheap AC or dehumidifier convertible to a home made glycol chiller.

That all said, you’d be better off buying a used freezer off Craig’s list. Pretty much everyone who tried this route has... including me. And I did all three.

 

[fettersp]

well im kind of a hoarder and have all the parts mostly to make this I would just need the peltier modules. my work area has an aquarium in it already so I have a beefy dehumidifier in there already. I know that these are inefficient but I feel like it wont be the bad in an isolated area for for temps ranging from 60 to 70 degrees. did not think about a small radiator for the heat. I will have to make a small one at the cnc shop out of aluminum =).
This would be more of a project for fun so I want to make something that looks appealing whiling getting the job done.
would it be a bad idea to have the box water sealed and have a separate smaller box that cools or heats water to pump into the main box having the carboy say a quarter of the way in the water???
thanks for the advice

 

[BrunDog]

If you want to heat and cool water in an open container... go for it. It will eventually get funky and need cleaning... doubt you want to undertake that inside a 4 week ferment cycle.

I'll go ahead and offer a friendly warning once again... if you value your time, buy something. However, if you want to have fun as you stated - go for it. I'll watch and give moral support along the way.