Room Temperature

I was taking the temperature in rooms in my condo to find the best spot to ferment but every room is about the same temp(73). The heat is not on in any room. From what I have read on here this it too high a temp to ferment in. How do I get around this problem?

swamp cooler

bdupree said:

swamp cooler

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That or move to a colder climate!

swamp cooler, it's not too hard to keep the temps at 65 or 66 in a low 70 ambient temp room. Just monitor it, especially during the first few days when the fermentation is greatest. Those are the most important for proper can consistent temps.

73F is not too high for most yeasts. It's within the ideal fermenting temperature range of WLP001, which is the standard yeast for a lot of styles. There are plenty of other strains that like 73F as well, particularly belgians.

This should keep your temps in the 60's range.

I've been using this setup for 5 years and have never had any problems.





Basically it is a rubbermade bin, water, some frozen water bottles (you ca also chuck rock salt in) and t-shirts over the fermenters to act as wicks, drawing the cold water up and around the fermeters.

I have gotten the water in the swamp cooler down to the high 50's and the fermenter a few degrees higher.

A fan blowing on it can be used as well.

Thanks for all the help this site is great. How often does the water need to be changed to be effective? and how long to I need to do this for? just for the fermentation or the whole time in primary?

i don't ever change the water, you just add frozen "stuff" to it if you need it colder etc..

GateWay said:

Thanks for all the help this site is great. How often does the water need to be changed to be effective? and how long to I need to do this for? just for the fermentation or the whole time in primary?

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Get several water bottles and freeze them - then just cycle two or three, as needed. Keep it in the mid-60s for the best tasting beer - 73 might be at the top of the range, but you'll like it better if it ferments lower -

Active fermentation, first week, for sure. After that, room temp is probably okay.

I use a cooler big enough for my 3-1 gallon fermenters. It holds the temps really well and I only have to add a few ice cubes every 12 hours or so.

If I needed bigger, I might look into using two large Rubbermaid type containers sandwiched with spray foam insulation.

If you have a spare bathroom, the bathtub works well also. I can fit 4 carboys in there with no issues

Thanks all. Might have to go with a rubbermaid container of some sort in my spare shower incase of accidental explosion of wort.

Search "son of fermentation" chiller. You can build one for less that $75 and it works AMAZINGLY well and is incredibly simple! I modified mine to accommodate my conical.