Fermenting Temp

I just wanted to know if any of you had any ideas on how i could lower my fermenting temps from 5-10 degrees without the use of a fridge? I have heard something about wet t-shirts(and not just dealing with bar contests hehe ) Any other ideas........i know the fridge and temp control device is most probably best option, but unfortunately not an option i can do right now due to lack of space. Any and all advice will be much appreciated!!!!!!

Put water in a tub, put fermenter in the tub, put frozen water bottles in the tub. Change water bottles a couple times a day. Works fine for me.

Then some folks take it up a notch. That's where the t-shirt comes in. Pull the shirt over the fermenter so the bottom is in the water. Point a fan at the fermenter. That'll lower the temp even more. I get mine plenty cool without the t-shirt and fan, but I'm in the Pacific Northwest. Reaching the 80's is really hot here.

I've been successful using the technique described by ChshreCat except I use a square igloo cooler (my mash tun) instead of the bathtub. I usually add about a 1/4 cup of bleach to the water to keep from growing mold/mildew.
Also I use the re-freezable ice-packs (quart size) as they fit easily in the space between the fermentation bucket and wall of the cooler.

Do a search for "swamp cooler" or "temp control" and you will find one of the ton of threads and pictures on here...at this time of year there are at least one thread a day asking this same question.

In fact more than likely the "similar threads" box down below with all the "temp control" threads will have some answers as well.

ChshreCat said:

Put water in a tub, put fermenter in the tub, put frozen water bottles in the tub. Change water bottles a couple times a day. Works fine for me.

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i'm doing the same thing for the first time now, but i'm ending up with fluctuating temps. i put in a frozen bottle before work or before bed and the water temp drops to about 66-68 degrees, by the time i get home or wake up the temp is up to 71-72. the yeast is WLP008, which is good between 68 - 73 but i'm worried about the temp variations. any suggestions?

How many bottles are you putting in? I found it you put larger bottles in and/or more bottles, it will take longer for them to melt and will hold the temp longer.

You might also need more water in there since more mass will hold temp longer.

For me I would put in two 1qt frozen bottles in the morning, and 1qt frozen bottle in the evening, depending on the expected temp. The more you can insulate the better it is and the less you have to change out the ice. There are tons of Son of Sam threads out there on ice based controlled fermentation chambers.
The real question is how complicated do you want to get.
I got tired of giving a .... and bought a new Estar fridge and using the old one as a fermentation chamber with a basic JC unit.

ChshreCat said:

How many bottles are you putting in? I found it you put larger bottles in and/or more bottles, it will take longer for them to melt and will hold the temp longer.

You might also need more water in there since more mass will hold temp longer.

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i have a few 20oz bottles and a 1L bottle that are rotating, one at a time, typically use the 1L when i'll be away longer. i have considered 2 bottles at a time but if 1 can drop it to 66 i was afraid to go too much lower, but fock it i'll try it today anyway.

i've also already added about another 1/2 to 3/4 gallon more water than was there originally. this puts me around the 2.25 gallon marking on the side of my fermenter. i can't go too much higher than that cause i only have a 2.5 gallon batch. i think i'll add just a little more anyway.

I just have about 3 small water bottles in my swamp cooler. I change them every 1-2 days. The swamp cooler reduces the temperature from 80 to 64 for me.

I usually use a 1L and 2 20oz bottles at a time when the temps are 80+ outside.

Try this thread. I have worked out a system where I can keep the carboy 10 degrees cooler than ambient by adding a 20 ounce frozen water bottle to the water every 8 hours. By having a large amount of water (up to the 5 gallon mark), the temperature has been from 65 to 67 degrees, but generally 66 degrees for 5 days. That is pretty good temp control for really cheap.

I have also made another recipe that had yeast that works better at 62 degrees. I added 2 bottles three times a day with great success.

Eric

There should be a swamp cooler sticky

Just wanted to say thank you to all who replied....I think for my next brew i will try the "swamp cooler" idea. I am going to go to wal-mart and buy one of the big rubbermaid bins like revvy used and go with that. may not be able to do the fan, but i know i can keep some frozen bottles going in at a regular pace. again...thank you all. I am so glad i found this site...everyone seems both friendly and knowledgeable

EricCSU said:

By having a large amount of water (up to the 5 gallon mark), the temperature has been from 65 to 67 degrees, but generally 66 degrees for 5 days.

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yeah, pretty sure thats my problem, i've got 1/2 the water as you. just worried about my bucket bobbing around if theres way more water than beer. next time i may put in 4 - 5 gallons and put something heavy across the fermenter to keep it still.

Falcor said:

yeah, pretty sure thats my problem, i've got 1/2 the water as you. just worried about my bucket bobbing around if theres way more water than beer. next time i may put in 4 - 5 gallons and put something heavy across the fermenter to keep it still.

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The water comes up to right below the 5 gallon mark, but the beer is at about 5.25-5.5 gallons depending on the recipe. I've never had an issue with the carboy floating, so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

Eric

Another swamp cooler solution. >> Another use for an Ice Cube Cooler (60 qt) - BrewBoard

EricCSU said:

The water comes up to right below the 5 gallon mark, but the beer is at about 5.25-5.5 gallons depending on the recipe. I've never had an issue with the carboy floating, so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

Eric

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Falcor said:

i only have a 2.5 gallon batch.

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i was thinking last night of 4 holes on the lip of the bucket 90 degrees apart and running 2 pieces of small nylon string/rope to hold the bucket in place. now i'm thinking about just cutting a couple pieces of that thick foam insulation to make a lid. but that'll have to wait til my next batch in a couple of weeks

rek said:

I've been successful using the technique described by ChshreCat except I use a square igloo cooler (my mash tun) instead of the bathtub. I usually add about a 1/4 cup of bleach to the water to keep from growing mold/mildew.
Also I use the re-freezable ice-packs (quart size) as they fit easily in the space between the fermentation bucket and wall of the cooler.

Click to expand...

+1 on the bleach...I was in a rush last time I did this and forgot it. This morning I went to pull out the 10 g batch I had in the trash can so I could put in the RIS I brewed last night...It smelled like Satan's a hole in there. I'm really looking forward to cleaning that out after work.

A splash of StarSan will work also (I use no more than standard dilution) to keep the funk to a minimum.