MagicSmoker
Well-Known Member
First off I want to say that this forum, along with the helpful staff at Southern Brewing in Tampa, are the two primary reasons I am giving homebrewing a second chance. My first attempts some 10 years ago started off well enough, but each subsequent batch tasted/smelled worse and I suspect it was a combination of poor temperature control of the fermenter along with so-so sanitation practices. I have Star-San to help with the latter issue, but to deal with the former I employed a little bit of inside the box thinking, so to speak, and bought a retail display cooler off of craigslist for $100 (True model GDM-7).
As a result of doing lots of searching here, I intend to use a STC-1000 to cycle the compressor of the cooler on and off as needed to maintain my 6 gal. Better Bottle primary at whatever temperature the yeast packet says is ideal.
The Better Bottle is approximately 11" in diameter and 25" high with the 3-piece airlock installed while the interior dimensions of the GDM-7 cooler are 24" wide, 30" tall and the minimum depth just barely squeaks by at 12", so it looks like a winner.
Anyway, the first picture is the front of the cooler with the access panel for the thermostat and fluorescent light fixture removed and the second picture is of the wiring in the rear (B = Ballast [disconnected]; C = Compressor; H = Hot; N = Neutral):
As a result of doing lots of searching here, I intend to use a STC-1000 to cycle the compressor of the cooler on and off as needed to maintain my 6 gal. Better Bottle primary at whatever temperature the yeast packet says is ideal.
The Better Bottle is approximately 11" in diameter and 25" high with the 3-piece airlock installed while the interior dimensions of the GDM-7 cooler are 24" wide, 30" tall and the minimum depth just barely squeaks by at 12", so it looks like a winner.
Anyway, the first picture is the front of the cooler with the access panel for the thermostat and fluorescent light fixture removed and the second picture is of the wiring in the rear (B = Ballast [disconnected]; C = Compressor; H = Hot; N = Neutral):