Apartment ferm temps

[dinnerstick]

I hate to nitpick, but you did say check the math. Your explanation was brilliant, except for the typo. I wish more people understood the wacky and wonderful properties of water.

thanks, me too. it's really to the brewer's benefit. unfortunately the -20 wasn't a typo! i just dropped the ball on the specific heat of liquid water being different from ice. thanks for the correction!

 

[scottyb332]

I was planning on letting 3/4 of the carboys (I ferment in 2 1 gallon carboys) sit submerged with a few 2L frozen coke bottles around them in the rubbermaid.

No?

I tried full submersion, partial submersion and having the carboy above water level. Having it above was far more effective. I figure its because having it underwater nullifies the cooling effect of the fan.

 

[scottyb332]

Hmmm .... Interesting. I was about to start doing the ice bath thing. But I live in the colorado mountains where there is no humidity so maybe this is a better option. Plus I'm only looking to lower my temps by a few degrees. So you don't actually submerge the carboy in the water doing it this way? Does it work less well if the carboy is partially submerged? In addition to lowering the temps I also liked the idea of the larger mass of water keeping the temp more stable.

OP I hope you don't mind me piggy-backing on your thread.

Nope. Not submerged at all. I put a small metal storage rack underneath the carboy and fill the water just up to the bottom of the carboy.

It's also a lot less maintenance doing it this way. I don't have to mess with ice jugs or anything like that. Set it up and forget about it but check the temperature periodically and adjust the fan speed accordingly as needed.