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Indoor Roasting
peter_n
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Posted on 11/06/2017 9:40 AM
Hi, I'm new here and new to roasting. Been using the Poppery I and it's been great but now it's too cold outside for me to get it hot enough. I'm hoping to move indoors, build a chaff collector, and somehow vent the smoke out the window maybe.

1) I'm thinking of using some sort of mesh screen on my chaff collector, any tips as to what type of screening material works best?

2) I'm thinking of using some aluminum venting and maybe a window fan to vent the smoke outside. Anyone tried this or something similar before?

Any pictures of your setups would be great! I've been perusing the forum in hope of finding something, but a lot of the solutions I've found won't work where I'm living currently.

Thanks
 
ChicagoJohn
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Posted on 11/06/2017 2:24 PM
Hi Peter, I've tried to use some ducting and a small fan to vent the exhaust before. One problem is that it's hot, of course, so you have to have a fan that will withstand that. I used a chaff collector I made out of two food cans. One fit inside the other and the smaller one fit into the popper opening. I cut slots around the sides and made a donut shape out of a copper scouring pad unraveled and put that so it would act as a filter at the top of the smaller can in between the space between it and the outer can.

The chaff collector worked pretty well but some small chaff would get through. And there were also the vapors that would tend to condense on colder areas like the fan. I only experimented with that for a while and decided not to take the next step of making a fitted hole to put in the window opening.

My answer to the cold weather was to do a large amount of roasting before it gets too cold and after a day or two of letting it stand, I put it in 2 lb quantities in foodsaver vacuum seal bags and then in a deep freeze. I take it out and let it stand for 24 hours before opening to prevent condensation, but I've had it 5 - 6 months after making it and I can't tell any difference at all.

I have a larger air roaster now that I do 340 gm charges in, but my use has increased way more too. I just finished making 24 lb of finished roast for me and 15 for my wife who likes espresso, and all of that is now in the freezer vacuum sealed and we'll use it through March.

Let us know what you come up with as a way to deal with this issue.
So many beans; so little time....
 
mkane
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Posted on 11/06/2017 5:29 PM
You could switch roasters for cold weather. I'm using a Whirley Pop and if I don't peek inside very little smoke escapes. 8 oz max. I dump the beans outside.
Always learning
 
peter_n
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Posted on 11/07/2017 10:09 AM
Thanks for the replies! ChicagoJohn I actually did try out your chaff collector last week and it worked really well except that the scouring pad didn't catch everything, like you said. I'll keep trying out different filters and see what works. Also, I hadn't thought about the fact that the fan would have to withstand very hot air, thanks for the heads up.

mkane, good to know, I might have to resort to that if nothing else works.
 
Felkers
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Posted on 11/07/2017 12:24 PM
New at using Poppery ii and want to contain the chaff somewhat. What about aiming the outlet into a plastic container that has water in the bottom? Sort of like an indoor electric dryer vent setup? Thanks! Felkers
 
AudioBone
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Posted on 02/13/2018 3:03 PM
I'm curious about the fan usage. What is the typical exhaust temperature going through a duct from these hot air poppers?

My current theory is to use a shopvac in a duct wye to create a venturi effect at the end of the dryer vent. Maybe use a metal wand on it so it can withstand higher temps.

I live in a NY apartment, so this is nearly priority one for me, sadly..
 
btreichel
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Posted on 02/13/2018 11:18 PM
I just vented mine if a metal flex pipe out of a window.
 
BenKeith
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Posted on 02/13/2018 11:36 PM
It makes the garage stink bad enough.
The very first three roast I did was with a modified Poppery II. It was cold so I did them in the kitchen, on the cook top with the hood vent fan running full bore. Them being my first, I burnt the crap out of the first two roast. The wife wasn't home, but when she got home a few hours later, it was a decided fact, there would not be another coffee bean roasted inside "her" house (she took the "our" out of it real quick. I have to admit, you could still smell those stinking things the next day.
 
ChicagoJohn
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Posted on 02/15/2018 7:15 PM

Quote

BenKeith wrote:

It makes the garage stink bad enough.
The very first three roast I did was with a modified Poppery II. It was cold so I did them in the kitchen, on the cook top with the hood vent fan running full bore. Them being my first, I burnt the crap out of the first two roast. The wife wasn't home, but when she got home a few hours later, it was a decided fact, there would not be another coffee bean roasted inside "her" house (she took the "our" out of it real quick. I have to admit, you could still smell those stinking things the next day.


Very funny, Ben, because it brings back memories of a similar experiment I did. Lots of stuff is given off during roasting, and much of it will readily condense on cool surfaces and continue to smell. smile
So many beans; so little time....
 
jkoll42
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Posted on 02/16/2018 8:27 PM
When I first started roasting I roasted in an apartment with a poppery. I just used metal dryer vent and blew it out the window. My next apartment had an externally vented hood over the stove so I ran the vent into the center of a T. Bottom of the T had a ball jar and I had wire mesh just above the center inlet to the T to stop the chaff from blowing out the top which had a section of vent to the fan. It did a good job of disrupting the chaff enough for it to drop to the jar and just let the gases go to the hood.
-Jon
Honey badger 1k, Bunn LPG-2E, Technivorm, Cimbali Max Hybrid, Vibiemme Double Domo V3
 
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