Automating circulation of hot/cold water for conical?

[LarryAppleton]

Hi all,

Previous home owner had washer/dryer in the basement and then moved upstairs, but I still have the hot & cold water hookups on the wall unused. Can I buy a stainless conical fermenter, coil hose around it, and somehow automate running the hot & cold water through it to control the temp of the conical fermenter? Are there any basic devices that can do this? Can I somehow leverage my STC-1000 aquarium temp controller?

Thanks for your expertise...

Larry

 

[Brewfreedom]

A lot more to it than just recirculating at the temp of your water supply. You need insulation too. At best you will probably be able to get a little lower than room temp/ambient. Look for a DIY glycol chiller and heating pad + temp controller to switch on the pump vs pad.

 

[oakbarn]

I have found that when fermentation starts, my Conicals are about 5 to 6 degrees above ambient. I f you basement is already coo or near your desired temp, that might work as you do not need to move the temp much. Once fermentation slows down, they are near ambient.

 

[Mike Howard]

For heating you might be able to make it work, cooling might be another issue as you typically need to get below ambient (as others have said) and your ground water will fluctuate throughout the seasons. In Texas our incoming cold (cool) water can sometimes be in the low 70's which would make it hard to keep fermentation temps below that.

 

[LarryAppleton]

A lot more to it than just recirculating at the temp of your water supply. You need insulation too. At best you will probably be able to get a little lower than room temp/ambient. Look for a DIY glycol chiller and heating pad + temp controller to switch on the pump vs pad.

Ok thanks, I’ll try it.