Monty wrote:
snip[color=blue]
> I think the grommets were to somehow lock the top and front panels
> using some kind of pins. I just put an empty carboy on top to keep it
> sealed.[/color]

I see; well, I'm not that familiar with those chillers, so I didn't
recall the grommets.
[color=blue]
> The pink 2" is real nice high density rigid polystyrene. It doesn't
> crumble like the white bead-board.[/color]

My white bead-board doesn't get much exposure or handling, so I have no
problem with crumbling. The exterior of my chiller is wood-paneling on
the front and sides, and heavy corrugated cardboard in the back.
[color=blue]
> A Ranco or other controller would certainly work great to control the
> temp from the outside - at a cost of about three times what all the
> other components were. Slight overkill for an icepack-driven chiller!
> Of course, once you have that, you're half way to getting a used
> fridge and having a real fermentation chiller![/color]

Well, I started out making a frame to hold my conical that my in-laws
gave me as a Christmas gift, and since I couldn't figure a way to use
evaporative cooling, I decided to enclose and insulate it, and chill it
in a similar fashion to the Son of Fermentation Chiller. Aside from
that, I really don't have a place to put a chest-freezer that would get
the stamp of approval from my wife right now. Plus a chest-freezer is
not tall enough for my conical. Likewise with a refrigerator --
difficult to find a place for a great big frig that can hold just a
single conical.
[color=blue]
> There's many ways to skin a cat, many ways to chill a lager. Hope
> your's tastes as good as I know mine will. Cheers![/color]

My chiller will be a good way for me to make and try a lager before
investing in more equipment.

Bill Velek -- remove the "--NO-SPAM--" from my email address