May 28, 2016 - 5:07pm
DIY Bread proofer box
Hello everybody!
I'm currently planning my DIY bread proofer box, but have run across a few problems.
I have the problem of having a too hot kitchen on summer and a too cold kitchen on winter, so I wanted to build a proofer box that I could regulate the temperature to compensate the weather, which means my proofer box need some way to heat or chill. The heat part is easy but the chill part is proving rather difficult. So I came here to ask for help from experienced with making an proofer box. Any idea on how I could do it?
Another thing, is a humidifier necessary? My weather can get pretty dry during winter or even summer. Not sure if it's something I need to compensate for.
Thanks for your attention!
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Ive only recently joined TFL, but have made my own proofed which works very well. I wondered how you got on with yours and if you still needed any help or advice?
I would love some advice on what you have done to make your own.
Hi Paolo,
Im on my mobile so am unable to post images, but will try and talk you through things.
I started by buying two plastic storage boxes, one 27litre box and one 14litre box. The 14litre box is the same length and width as the 27litre one, but shorter in height, so they stack together leaving some space underneath you can fill with water. These are the ones I ended up getting, but I'm sure any two boxes which can stack together would work.
http://sistemaplastics.com/products/storage/27-litre-storage-bin
http://sistemaplastics.com/products/storage/14-litre-storage-bin
I put the 27litre box on some polystyrene to insulate it from the floor, then filled it with 20litres of water. I added some StarSan sanitiser to the water to help stop any bacteria growing in there. Again, there are iother sanitisers out there but I use StarSan extensively when brewing and know it works well.
https://www.amazon.com/Star-San/dp/B01N592OM6
So now we have essentialy a tub of water which we need to heat. I started by using a 25w aquarium heater, as we're only heating 20litres of water. Given that my house is quite cold in winter however, I found it was not powerful enough to raise the water temperature sufficiently. I therefore ended up going with a 50w aquarium heater with a thermostat so I can adjust the temperature as needed. This is the one I bought:
http://www.aquaone-parts.uk/thermosafe-50w-heater-aqua-one-parts.html
You then just put the heater in the water-filled lower container (it has handy suction cups on the heater unit so i stuck it on the bottom of the tub), set it to the required temp and then nest the 14litre box on top.
So far it jas worked brilliantly, and cost a fraction of the commercial units. Given that the heater is meant for keeping tropical fish at precise temperatures, it is also super accurate, keeping temperatures at a constant 26'C despite the chilly weather going on outside.
Let me know if you have any further questions, or if you'd like me to try and post some pictures later tonight when I get home.
Spring
That sounds like a simple set-up but also sounds like it works quite well. Basically, a smaller container nested in a larger one. The larger one is filled with water and a heater is present to set the temperature of the water. The upper chamber then, as a result, also gets heated.
I'll definitely give this a try. Pictures would be great too, but not really in any sort of rush.
Thanks so much for your reply!