How many different temps are you guys controlling at once, and how do you handle it?

I'm just curious as to different approaches. I typically handle my ferm control in a water bath. I have an aquarium heater and use frozen litre bottles. I typically have one fermenter in the bath at 65-68 and say, 50 bottles in a small closet carbing at 70ish... I currently have two fermenters going and 2 brews worth of bottles (100 or so) that are carbing up. I have the fermenters in the bath, but with the bottles I have limited room in the closet and with winter coming, that's not going to stay 70 anymore. I wish I had an easier way of control all these things temperatures AND at slightly different levels.

Use a converted refrigerator or drop freezer. That's what I use. I use an external temperature controller unit with a temperature probe placed on the inside and that can dial in within a half a degree of the fermentation temperature I want. I just duct tape it to the side of my fermentation bucket and it handles temperatures really well.

aiptasia said:

Use a converted refrigerator or drop freezer. That's what I use. I use an external temperature controller unit with a temperature probe placed on the inside and that can dial in within a half a degree of the fermentation temperature I want. I just duct tape it to the side of my fermentation bucket and it handles temperatures really well.

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This is exactly how I do it too.

And do you cabonate bottles or bottle condition in there as well?

IMHO, the most important temperature to control is that of your primary fermenter. Carbing can happen anywhere that's at or around room temperature ... yes, it will take longer if it's cool, but that's OK once you get your pipeline going.

I live in Texas, so my problem is keeping things cool, not warm. I use a chest freezer with a Johnson digital thermostat, and I love it.

One trick I've heard for keeping a space warm is using a 40W light bulb in a plug-in socket. I've never tried it myself but may end up putting one in my chest freezer this winter if it gets too chilly in the house.

I wouldn't worry to much about the bottles. As long as they are "room temp", they will be fine. If you have a light in the closet, that would probably be enough raise it a couple degrees if you have to. Otherwise, you could just use a heating pad or similar.

J187 said:

And do you cabonate bottles or bottle condition in there as well?

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No, I bottle condition in a spare room where the temperature stays between 68-70 degrees F. You need to maintain this temp range for 3 weeks minimum for bottle conditioning. My wife complains but I pretend not to hear and deftly change the subject.

Yea, this is what I normally do too. But my wife and I are going to be using a programmable thermostat in the winter to allow the house to go down to 64-65 while we are at work so I'm worried about the carbing bottles experiencing temp swings.

They will still carb with swings.