So I had my honey hibiscus wit (using WLP400) in a swamp cooler for about a week to keep temps down at around 64 - 68*. I did this on the fly as I noticed the esters that my first batch threw off due to temps rising to about 75* using notty, and didn't want this to happen to this batch. Question is how far up the side of the primary does the water have to go in order for the swamp cooler to be effective? I had it almost level with the top of the wort. Is this necessary, or will 6" of water or so work? Also this yeast "the WLP400" threw off the rhino farts and after 2 Weeks still hasn't subsided much and still has krausen. Ambient temp in brew closet is about a steady 68*.
Swamp cooler water?
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cvstrat
Well-Known Member
Having half of the wort covered should cause convection, which would create a steady turnover of the word inside the carboy which would in turn keep it all relatively cool.
In addition there's a pretty good mixing action going on with the CO2 escaping during vigorous fermentation. Just remember that the lower the volume of water, the harder it will be to keep it cold for long periods of time.
In addition there's a pretty good mixing action going on with the CO2 escaping during vigorous fermentation. Just remember that the lower the volume of water, the harder it will be to keep it cold for long periods of time.
OP
OP
BrewScout
Well-Known Member
firebirdude said:
LOL!! First off, using my brain is against army regulations
I realize that the more touching water would work better but the container I use for the swamp cooler is large and takes up a lot of space. If I could get away with something smaller it would work for me a lot better. I guess I wanted to know what percentage NEEDED to be in contact with water to effectively cool it.DonutMuncher
Well-Known Member
No sense in irrelevant bashing. The poster's question asked if 6'' is sufficient. Some setups may prevent someone from filling water up to the wort level.
And I would agree that filling it at least halfway up (but preferrably higher) should provide sufficient cooling. I am not sure if 6'' is more than halfway up your wort level.
Agree, "Use your brain" is over the top and not necessary.
The science of only having part covered should work, however I stopped using the swamp cooler method unless it WAS equal to the wort volume. I was still getting off flavors if it was a partial fill.
On one of the brewing network show (which brewery and what show completely escapes me) I heard that a brewery was having problems with off flavors and it was cause the glycol raps on their fermentors didn't cover the top 10-20%. It was getting real hot up there and causing esters.
On one of the brewing network show (which brewery and what show completely escapes me) I heard that a brewery was having problems with off flavors and it was cause the glycol raps on their fermentors didn't cover the top 10-20%. It was getting real hot up there and causing esters.
NorthRiverS
Well-Known Member
I put my fermenting bucket in the laundry sink, put 8 inches of water in the sink, and threw in some frozen water bottles. Cooled it right down. Then just a frozen water bottle every once in a long while. Easy.
NRS
NRS
KavDaven
Well-Known Member
I use a typical camping cooler that my 5 gal bucket just fits into front to back. I have about a foot to spare on the left and rigt side. Without the use of my brain or reference materials, I filled the water up to about half the height of my wort. This was done without consideration of long winded and high minded words such as hydraulic gravity convection capacity. The only real reason why I stopped at half way up the wort was that I was tired of making trips with a pitcher from the tub to the cooler. Anyway I dropped a floating thermometer in the water and all the ice out of the freezer. Which did ok but wasn't exactly stable. So, I now have four large reusable blue ice blocks, two in the freezer and two in the cooler. I exchange them every afternoon. Then I cover the cooler and bucket with a towel. This keeps my water around 52/54 and the wort aroud 64/66. I'll keep doing this until I can afford a chest freezer or compact fridge.
In this forum I have pictures of my 'swamp cooler' before I knew what I had was a swamp cooler. I just thought it was a cooler with a beer bucket in it.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/advice-1st-batch-314309/
In this forum I have pictures of my 'swamp cooler' before I knew what I had was a swamp cooler. I just thought it was a cooler with a beer bucket in it.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/advice-1st-batch-314309/
