Keeping steady fermentation temps.

Ok, Ive looked at many fermentation chambers, and they all do a great job off keeping fermentation temps down.

Now being in the UK, its never usually that warm, and in the shed which I brew in, even in the summers its relatively cool.

My last batch i made a crude water bath, as it wouldn't start fermentation as it was too cold. It was crude, badly wired, and ended in disaster when my temp controller ended up shorting and boiling the water bath along with my beer.

Anyway it got me thinking, as I also brew cider post October, when the weather is a lot colder, that I would create a water bath capable of housing four 5 gal fermentation barrels/buckets. The would be submersed almost fully.

The water would be heated by an element connected to an aquarium temperature controller.

I see two problems with this. A bigger water bath means i would need someway to circulate the water when the heater is on. I was thinking, use a submersible pump situated in front of the element, to circulate the heated water to the far end of the water bath, creating sort of current, with the temp probe situated at the furthest point from the element until the whole bath was at the same temp.

Another worry is that, if I were to have four barrels in use at one time (probably only when brewing cider, as I press my own apples usually on one day with a hired press) would the heat from them fermenting bring the water temp up too much?

Which brings me to another question. If the water bath did need to be cooled. If we had say, a rouge week of hot weather that did raise the temp a tad too much, whats the best way to cool water.

Ice? It seems ice is an obvious answer, but its not automatic, and not great.

My tap water is always cooler than that of my fermentation temps. Even on hot days it is not much warmer than 15*C, I was thinking of using the cooler part of my temperature control to pump the warm water out and let the cold hose water in. not the whole lot, but I plan to have a valve to drain and one to fill the water bath, so is there something i could use that when powered, would open a valve on each side to allow cold water to flow in and warmer water to flow out, until the temperature is back within the range I want to ferment it at.

I know I can obviously go out, open the valve myself and stick the hose over the side until im happy, but it would be nice to have an automated system.

I know it probably sounds more complicated than a fermentation chamber, but for 70% of the year my problem is too cold temps rather than too warm, and the water bath is a much easier way of keeping ferm temps at a constant level, the only problem is how to, if needed, cool it.

I'm thinking a RIMS style setup that uses a submersible pond pump up in to the element tube, then back into the tub in a way that will cause the water to circulate. The pump would run full time, the element would switch on when the temp controller triggers it.

For cooling, you could trigger a solenoid valve on a tap water in line. When it needs cooled, the valve opens and lets cool water in. This means you will need a way for excess water in the tub to drain at a certain level in a controlled manner, or you will end up flooding your brew shed.

I would put your temp probe in the most recently filled fermenter.

So have an external rims tube with element in it, pumping the water through it constantly?then actually heating only when required?

Ill look into how to create a RIMS tube!

Also, the solenoid valve sounds ideal, Ill simple set an overflow pipe at the far end of the water bath, and the solenoid valve at the bottom of the other end, near the output of the pump. that way if it gets too warm, the cold water can be brought in, and the excess water flow out the overflow into a drain.

The only thing is, where can I find one of these valves. A Google search found me hundreds, but none that looked like i could connect a garden hose to one end. Also, would these run off a 220v UK system.

You will most likely need to fashion some kind of adapter to go from the hose to the valve. I looked on ebay.co.uk and found this 220v valve. There were many many more. I searched for "solenoid valve 220v."

Good luck!

I've got an aquarium fermentation vessel constructed out of an old deep freezer. Honestly, I just threw a single aquarium heater in there and it will keep 2 6 1/2 gallon and 1 5 gallon carboys at a nice 70 deg F all the time...+-2 deg F. I change the water bath out every month with 2 oz of starsan and 10 gallons of tap water. Works for me. Good luck!

or Brew Belts...

Yea but 4 brewbelts/fermwraps are abit pricey, and also don't help mt cooling problems.

Also I find it much more fun to try and make my own (failing or not lol)

I have a ceramic heat lamp inside my fridge it's all hooked up two a 2 stage ranco. Works like a charm.