Temperatures

What is the approximate temperature of 5 gals of fluid vs ambient temperature? Fluids tend to stay slightly cooler, don't they? I'm in the northwest and it's been 40-50 outside which might translate a little through the floorboards(?), but on the other hand the fermentation process generates heat, right?

I need to learn a good method for regulation in a home setting because I think my first brew (albeit a mediocre can kit) might have cooked a little for the first few days and I don't want to be digging into my fermenter with a thermometer too much. I initially kept a pint glass of water containing a thermometer on top of the fermenter but found the readings to be vastly different [from the wort] by 5 to 8 degrees.

The fermentation process does indeed generate heat.

To regulate the fermentation temp, you can either use the wet t-shirt swampcooler trick or use an icewater bath. I personally use the latter process and swap out frozen water bottles twice a day. I'm able to maintain 66-68deg temps.

You can't see the frozen water bottles in this pic, but you get the idea.

Looks like a good system. Are you actively monitoring your temperatures? Was there a point where you did? I would hate to risk infection from measuring and messing around too much.

To keep an eye on temps during fermentation just use an adhesive thermometer. Then there is no need to invade the beer to check temps.

yeah, I use a stick-on thermometer, but in a pinch, I've used a probe thermometer taped to the side of the carboy/better bottle/bucket.