Floating fermenter

Hey, I'm brewing up a batch of sake, but thought it might be wiser to post my question here as it isn't sake-specific. (I am following Mr Taylor's recipe and instruction.)

I have less than a quart of fluid (moto: water, rice, and koji) in my fermentation bucket which is resting in a rubbermade bin of cold water and ice packs. I need to chill it to about 50 degrees, but the bucket is naturally quite buoyant when mostly empty. I have it rigged right now with weights on top but they've previously fallen off. It's hard to center weights atop it because of the airlock and now have the airlock going thru the center of a plate. I'd hate for the weight to shift and break my airlock.

I know there are a lot of wise and knowledgable innovators here, so I thought I would post and ask if you guys have any better ideas than how I'm managing now. Please see the pics below.

Thanks for any input.

lower your water level. You should only need enough water to cover the liquid level in the fermenter.

Thanks for the reply. I kept the water level a bit higher so that it would stay cooler longer. Do you think that's a mistake?

I don't think it'll make a difference. If your liquid level is the same as the water level, you've got it as surrounded by water as it's going to get. More water=more effort to chill.

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

I don't think it'll make a difference. If your liquid level is the same as the water level, you've got it as surrounded by water as it's going to get. More water=more effort to chill.

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Yes but once it is chilled it is also more effort to heat, so less temp fluctuation I would guess. Bungy cords might help to hold it down, or just rope. You could get high tech with it and cut out a plywood/MDF sheet with a lip to fit over the bucket (with a hole for the airlock) and attach the bungy cords to that and another sheet that the cooler is sitting on.

well, wort when fermenting might be slightly higher temp than the surrounding water since its continually heating due to fermentation which would make it less dense if it is in fact warmer. Plastic bucket is less dense than water.

So, to prevent it from floating, make sure your water level surrounding the bucket is an inch or two lower than the beer in your fermenter. Or get less dense water. (joke)