knewshound
Well-Known Member
Since the temps have come down to below what I can ferment at and SWMBO has forbade me from fermenting in the house due to the incident of the clogged bubbler and the subsequent carboy explosion, I have been experimenting using my fermentation chiller as a temperature controlled chest.
Here are my results.
I tend to ferment at somewhat lower temps than many, typically at 66 degrees F. In place of the area that I normally place the ice, I substituted a large pot from our kitchen.
Using very VERY hot water was far too warm for fermenting, the interior of the chamber quickly went up to over 75 degrees.
Since then, I have gone to a larger pot with only hot tap water. This tends to keep the temps I am looking for for a full 12 hours or more. Once the temps in the heat section are at 70 or below, I pull out the pot and refill it with more hot water. I had experimented with a heating pad but frankly it made me too nervous. Now I simply change out the water in the morning and evening and all is well.
In short, fermentation chambers can work well in the winter, depending on your circumstances. If I lived in a much cooler climate, I may have a different opinion but I think by just using a larger volume of water the same results can be obtained. We are supposed to get temps into the 20s in a day or two, I will update this thread as I get info.
Please note however that my chiller is equipped with “Flaps” that open and close by airflow and help greatly to separate the two sides.
My next steps are to add a heater for a fish tank in the pot, it will be interesting to see if temps can be manintained. With such a large volume of liquid, I believe even a small heater should work well once the carboys are brought to temp.
Comments, questions, smart a$$ remarks????
Cheers,
knewshound
Here are my results.
I tend to ferment at somewhat lower temps than many, typically at 66 degrees F. In place of the area that I normally place the ice, I substituted a large pot from our kitchen.
Using very VERY hot water was far too warm for fermenting, the interior of the chamber quickly went up to over 75 degrees.
Since then, I have gone to a larger pot with only hot tap water. This tends to keep the temps I am looking for for a full 12 hours or more. Once the temps in the heat section are at 70 or below, I pull out the pot and refill it with more hot water. I had experimented with a heating pad but frankly it made me too nervous. Now I simply change out the water in the morning and evening and all is well.
In short, fermentation chambers can work well in the winter, depending on your circumstances. If I lived in a much cooler climate, I may have a different opinion but I think by just using a larger volume of water the same results can be obtained. We are supposed to get temps into the 20s in a day or two, I will update this thread as I get info.
Please note however that my chiller is equipped with “Flaps” that open and close by airflow and help greatly to separate the two sides.
My next steps are to add a heater for a fish tank in the pot, it will be interesting to see if temps can be manintained. With such a large volume of liquid, I believe even a small heater should work well once the carboys are brought to temp.
Comments, questions, smart a$$ remarks????
Cheers,
knewshound
