I have an actual cellar in a 110 year old house. Its only about 5'6" high, cement floors, rock foundation. There is a ledge going around the outside of the cellar about 3' high and 2' deep, kind of a shelf built out of rock. There is quite a bit of dirt that has come in through the rocks over the years.
Up until a few years ago it had two sump pumps that ran often. They've gone dry because a neighbor drilled a shallow well for watering the yard. But if he stops pumping, the water could come back. So it has been damp in the past and still has a kind of musty, cellar smell. We are in Colorado so the air is very dry here.
It has an outside slanted door, stairs you walk down, and then an inside regular door. Over the last week the temp has stayed at about 70°. when outside temps vary from 55° - 95°. I don't know what the winter temp will be, but I've never seen anything freeze down there. The furnace and hot water heater are in one 'room'. There are two other 'rooms'.
Does this sound like a good place to keep my fermenters?
The only drawback is that it is dirty and dusty. I would have to haul the carboys and buckets upstairs, outside and to the kitchen to do any work on them. I don't even know if I would be comfortable opening a bucket to check on the must.
Funny story - It has a canning cupboard that had pickles in it when my parents moved in. They never used the cellar so the pickles just stayed there for over 25 years until my dad got worried the lids would rust through and attract rodents.
Up until a few years ago it had two sump pumps that ran often. They've gone dry because a neighbor drilled a shallow well for watering the yard. But if he stops pumping, the water could come back. So it has been damp in the past and still has a kind of musty, cellar smell. We are in Colorado so the air is very dry here.
It has an outside slanted door, stairs you walk down, and then an inside regular door. Over the last week the temp has stayed at about 70°. when outside temps vary from 55° - 95°. I don't know what the winter temp will be, but I've never seen anything freeze down there. The furnace and hot water heater are in one 'room'. There are two other 'rooms'.
Does this sound like a good place to keep my fermenters?
The only drawback is that it is dirty and dusty. I would have to haul the carboys and buckets upstairs, outside and to the kitchen to do any work on them. I don't even know if I would be comfortable opening a bucket to check on the must.
Funny story - It has a canning cupboard that had pickles in it when my parents moved in. They never used the cellar so the pickles just stayed there for over 25 years until my dad got worried the lids would rust through and attract rodents.
