Dual 110v temp controller- $120, decent price?

http://www.etcsupply.com/ranco-etc211000000-stage-prewired-temperature-controller-p-110.html

This is pre wired for 110v, and looks like what I need. My only problem is the price. $120 seems kinda high, given that I just paid $100 for the used chest freezer! Is there a cheaper, dual (i.e., two plugs, one for the heater, the other for the cooler) option?

It's what I have, except I went for the one that wasn't prewired. If you have a couple of old extension cords lying around, it isn't that hard to wire. If your not electrically inclined we can help you. Not sure if it's what you want anyway. It only has one temp probe...so not sure how it will work to seperate things, IE cooler and fridge. I have one I use for my fermentation fridge. Lets say I want to ferment at 69 degrees. The dual temperature controller means I can set the temp for the heat at 68 and the fridge to cool at 70. That way I can keep my fermentation temps where I want them.

What I have is an old fridge I bought for 25 dollars. It's in my basement. I drilled a hole in the door to run the temperature probe. I use duct tape to hold the temperature probe to my carboys. Since I use a dual temperature controller....I wired a receptacle below it. The top of the receptacle is used for the fridge. The bottom I use to heat the interior of the fridge. Since it's in my basement it can get pretty cold. I purchased a carboy heat pad...

http://morebeer.com/view_product/16674/

I used tywraps to hang it from the back of the fridge. It creates enough heat to keep the ambient temperatures in the fridge where I need them.

During the summer I only use the fridge control, and during the winter I only use the heat pad control. But, in the spring and fall I need to use both. By a little trial and error I can keep my fermentation temps where I want them to be.

I've been brewing going on 3 years now, and I agree with you that fermentation temps are very important to creating a quality product. But, having said that, you can still make great beer without spending a lot. For heat...many simply use a box over the fermenter, place over a heat vent. For cooling, many simply use a large top with water and a towel draped over the fermenter. The point is to try to stay in the temperature range of the yeast. If you have an area in your home that is within the range..your gold. Just remember that fermentation creates it's own heat and will often have the beer at a temperature 5-6 degrees above the ambient temperature.

Sorry about the long explanation.....I (and most of us that brew), love to talk about our hobby...lol. Hope this helps...some...lol.

Hammy

Interesting comment you brought up about the single probe. I would ASSume, that there is just a "spread" type feature, if its X degrees lower than target temp turn on heat, if X degrees higher than target temp, run cooler.

Anyone have one of these care to explain? Also, I'd assume you'd want X to be user definable, as some yeasts/styles can deal with larger temp ranges than others.

My goal is a no-fuss, set and forget system. Right now I use a homemade insulated cardboard box in my hallway with a frozen milk jug of water in it when temps are too high.

You could make your own analog version with a season switch from one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/HONEYWELL-INSER...608?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ade235308

I have one I don't use anymore but it worked out well for me. You just have to flip the switch for heat or cool depending upon what you want to do. You basically need an extension cord, light switch, outlet & box.

If you don't mind that it reads in Celsius:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

The controller is 2-stage and costs less than $30. After you put it in a project box and wire it up, it comes in around $40 total.

Walker said:

If you don't mind that it reads in Celsius:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

The controller is 2-stage and costs less than $30. After you put it in a project box and wire it up, it comes in around $40 total.

Click to expand...

Oh... and if you don't want to mess with the wiring... rebelbrewer.com sells that exact project, all ready to plug in and use, for $90.

Walker said:

Oh... and if you don't want to mess with the wiring... rebelbrewer.com sells that exact project, all ready to plug in and use, for $90.

Click to expand...

SCORE!

Thank you! I think I'll save the $50!

badmajon said:

SCORE!

Thank you! I think I'll save the $50!

Click to expand...

If you are going to DIY the ebay thing, note that there are several sellers. Most of them sell 110v and 220v versions. They ship you the one that is appropriate for your country of residence.

HOWEVER...

there is one seller, who happens to be the CHEAPEST by far, that sells ONLY the 220v version.

Make sure you get the right one!


edit: the sellers named quality_link2000, landmart, and globalconn are the ones that send you 110v if you live in the US.

Walker said:

If you are going to DIY the ebay thing, note that there are several sellers. Most of them sell 110v and 220v versions. They ship you the one that is appropriate for your country of residence.

HOWEVER...

there is one seller, who happens to be the CHEAPEST by far, that sells ONLY the 220v version.

Make sure you get the right one!


edit: the sellers named quality_link2000, landmart, and globalconn are the ones that send you 110v if you live in the US.

Click to expand...

I bought the quality_link2000 one. Man, this is so cool. I thought I'd have to spend $100 or more on this now it's only $40 or so.

Another thing though... I noticed on the main thread, alot of people were talking about getting rid of or messing with the thermostat in the fridge. I will be using a chest freezer. Do I need to mess with the thermostat?

badmajon said:

I bought the quality_link2000 one. Man, this is so cool. I thought I'd have to spend $100 or more on this now it's only $40 or so.

Another thing though... I noticed on the main thread, alot of people were talking about getting rid of or messing with the thermostat in the fridge. I will be using a chest freezer. Do I need to mess with the thermostat?

Click to expand...

My personal suggestion is to not muck with your freezer at all. If you put this thing in a small project box from Radio Shack or something and put an outlet on the box (or a dangling female extension cord end), then you can just plug your freezer into it.

Here's mine:


Fridge plugs into one outlet and a little lamp with a 40W bulb in it plugs into the other outlet. (I use mine to control the temp of a fridge that I use to hold my fermenters and i need cooling in the summer and heating in the winter.)

edit: this thing is velcro'd to the side of my fridge. the chart on it is a table of farenheit-to-celsius values so I can reference it quickly.

Hey Walker, I'm looking at the ebay site for the Quality Link temp controller. There are several of them available. I'm not sure which one I would need. I'm looking to get a chest freezer for a fermentation chamber. What do you think?

badmajon said:

Interesting comment you brought up about the single probe. I would ASSume, that there is just a "spread" type feature, if its X degrees lower than target temp turn on heat, if X degrees higher than target temp, run cooler.

Anyone have one of these care to explain? Also, I'd assume you'd want X to be user definable, as some yeasts/styles can deal with larger temp ranges than others.

My goal is a no-fuss, set and forget system. Right now I use a homemade insulated cardboard box in my hallway with a frozen milk jug of water in it when temps are too high.

Click to expand...

Easy to set. Pick a temp for plug 1 (cold) like 70deg, pick an offset like 2 deg, pick a temp for plug 2 (heat) like 64 deg, pick an offset like 2 deg.

Example using the above:

Refer will turn on at 72 deg and run until it hits 70. Heating element will turn on at 62 deg and run until it hits 64.

All done through "set" and "up/down" buttons viewed on the lcd. Re setting the whole thing takes less than 30 seconds. I love mine.

Blackhawkbrew said:

Hey Walker, I'm looking at the ebay site for the Quality Link temp controller. There are several of them available. I'm not sure which one I would need. I'm looking to get a chest freezer for a fermentation chamber. What do you think?

Click to expand...

Sorry... I almost missed this.

You want one of the grey and orange ones with 4 buttons on it, like this.

He has a bunch of them listed, but the prices vary a little. Sometimes he lists them with a higher item cost and lower shipping cost, or it might be a lower item cost and a higher shipping cost, or he might have it listed as an auction item.

That one I linked to is about $25 if you buy it as an auction and nobody outbids you.

Or you can just flat out buy it for $26.40.

Thanks Walker! When I do pull the trigger on this DIY project I may need some advice getting it set up.

Blackhawkbrew said:

Thanks Walker! When I do pull the trigger on this DIY project I may need some advice getting it set up.

Click to expand...

It's against my better judgment to help someone from Cleveland, but I'll make an exception.

Seriously though....Everything is in that thread I linked to, but the damn thread is so large now that people can't or won't read it. There's still people, after hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of posts that are still wiring them wrong or buying 220v models from the wrong sellers.

Just found this thread and love the build! I was looking for a temperature controller and thankfully found this before I splurged on a higher-end model.

Just ordered one from globalconn for $25.90 including shipping!

Cheers, all!

I got my controller today! Now all I need is the rest of the material, and oh ya - a chest freezer! I'm on my way.

What a coincidence, mine arrived today as well!