Recent content by cudaaar

Guess I am not the only one. I've been to Homebrew Depot a few times and left annoyed on every occasion. The guy who helped me (owner?) has a peculiar sarcasm and is rather condescending. Last time I went in, I was scolded for buying a March pump elsewhere. Who wants to hear that sort of...

Thanks Mike. Is "latency" in this case the extra time needed to raise the temperature of the bimetallic strip? On the Grainger site I see "Differential (Deg. F) 2h/4c". Do you know what 2h/4c means?

Jaybird: I intend to use it to control a small heat lamp. I have an insulated upper compartment in my refrigerator dedicated to to fermenting two carboys (serving temp in lower compartment). I just need to raise the temp in there by about 15F-- it maintains temp quite well once heated. When...

Has anyone used a line voltage controller (the cheap bimetallic type) for fermentation control? I've read that they are inaccurate, but that can be calibrated so long as a given knob setting corresponds to some average temperature. I've also read that they swing the temperature quite a bit...

Thanks BP. I've always assumed it negligible, but now I'll have to test the effect of stratification when I have some spare time.

BrianP: As fermentation proceeds, do you mix before taking a gravity reading? I never really thought about this-- how significant is stratification? 20 points worth?

only thing I can think of that can happen to a hydrometer is that the markings move relative to the glass. If it reads 1.000 in water then I would bet that it is fine. How could not mixing extract account for ~20 points?

G-E-R-M-A-N: the top stays warmer because of the foam board partition. here are some pictures: http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/lafunguspore/?action=view&current=fridge3.jpg http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii41/lafunguspore/?action=view&current=fridge2.jpg I get a huge temperature...

My buddy gave me an upright refrigerator a while back. It is perfect for fermenting four carboys. Right now I have some thick insulation partitioning the top from the bottom. I'm finding that the top stays warmer by about 20F naturally (its ~90F in Phoenix now), so I maintain the bottom at...

Usually the special weldless kits you find online are just a bunch of bits you can get at any hardware store. I bought complete kits for my BK and MT since I wanted false bottoms. For my HLT, I just grabbed a 1/2" brass valve, 1/2" brass nipple, 1/2" to 3/8" compression fitting for the copper...

I totally agree with assembling proper equipment and doing things right from the start. I also think that you should master the simplest methods first. Note that those two statements are not in conflict if you plan your equipment purchases appropriately. Here is what I did, with...

Yep, it is my first AG brew. Started with the kettle and burner for full boil extracts, and have been slowly assembling the bits for an AG system. A pump and digital thermometer will be my next two purchases.

Hi all, I'm hoping to troubleshoot and get some ideas for my next batch. Hopefully this is not too long-winded, but here goes: I did a Sierra clone in order to calibrate my new method. My new setup is the basic three converted keg system, two of them have false bottoms to filter with...