where do you keep your primary ferementer?

The basement has a bar. Kit is mixed on the floor, the fermentor lifted gradually up to it via a chair and the freezer. Nobody seems to *really* mind too much ...

When not in used it's all stored away in the attic.

I live in Maine so ambient temps are a problem. I store my idle equipment in the basement, but when I'm fermenting I ferment in the basement in the summer and in the upstairs loft (heat rises) in the winter. Although my wife is an enthusiastic consumer of the product she doesn't participate too much in the making so she doesn't comment too much on having fermenters sitting around the house.

Ah, basements, I miss them so. I moved from the north to the south, where basements are rare - something to do with red clay and humidity I guess. So I store my 3 primaries, 3-6 gallon, 3-3 gallon, and 9-1 gallon secondaries in the attic. When I start a batch, we have a formal dining room that is never used, so I have a corner of that with three to 12 containers at most in operation. My wife seldom drinks, but loves helping make the wine and sharing with our friends, so she doesn't mind me using the space - or the yeast/wine smell when you walk into the 1st floor. (only during primary times) I have found putting down towels (old ones from the garage)under the primaries and secondaries works. I use those large flower pot plastic bottoms (cheap at hardware stores) to put under the secondaries until I know it is settled down. I lay a towel over the primaries and secondaries to shade from sun, though it's not in direct sunlight.

When we downsize the house, I hope to build a house with a basement, I mean, we have the technology now to have swimming pools that don't leak and dehumidifiers - surely I can build a basement here in NC. In fact, I'll probably seek a double door into the basement, and a small wine celler at the far end.

This hobby is fun. I have 400+ bottles filled all over our house. Closets, behind couches, where ever a case or wine rack can be placed. :*)

DAve

Tater wrote:

I keep my primary in our walk-in closet off our bedroom. And a lot of secondaries. My wife doesnt like the smell but tolerates it for the couple of days per fortnight/month when it smells.

I am pretty lucky, I think: My basement has two areas, a cooler area, of which used to be a garage, and the other part which has our wood furnace/wood storage and my laundry room. In my laundry room, I have sink a table that holds either a carboy and a primary or, as is the case now, two carboys. I have a pegboard where I hang my tubes, hoses, brushes,and spoons and I have shelves for other incidentals. My laundry keeps a pretty constant temperature 65 - 70F, most of the time.

If the temperature really dips down here in New Brunswick, I put whatever I have fermenting on a little cart and move it closer to the furnace.

The other part of my basement is much cooler, and about seldom climbed higher than 60F even on the hottest days last summer. My new "Hobby" is getting off the ground (have a Gwertztramener and a blackberry cabernet on the go for summer sipping) I have plans on building an insulated cupboard along one of the (cooler) outside walls to make sort of a "wine cellar". The temperature in that cupboard should be no greater than the high 50's.

Abby (enthusiastic newbie)

Tater, I built an addition and it has a winemaking room as the basement. It's 8 x 18 and keeps everything except finished wine which goes to a cold cellar. I make from 50 to 100 gallons a year plus beer in there. (I'm Italian, in this area it's not uncommon to have a second kitchen in the basement, that's really what this is.)

I'm not saying you should do that... :)

Joe

Basements aren't common here in south Louisiana, but I'm fortunate enough to have a seperate building (24' x 32') in my backyard, complete with HVAC. I use about 1/3 of the space for winemaking; the rest is used for storage.

Bart

Bart,

"I feel your pain". I too am from south Louisiana. I'm making my plans now to modify a small building in my back yard for the sole purpose of housing my homemade wine making operation. My wine making is effectivly on hold for the moment because while my wife loves to drink my wine, she dispises seeing it ferment on the counter.

I have a lot to do to the building. Insulations, AC, Expanded size... But I think it'll be worth it.

What city are you in?

Brad