Ferm chamber temp vs yeast activity

[Redtab78]

Just a simple question for those of us that use a ferm chamber, do you set your ferm chamber to the temp you want and forget about it, or do you constantly change it as the activity heats up etc?

I usually set my chamber for mid range of the yeast, for example, I have a pale ale going right now using Wyeast 1056, the temp range on that is 60°-72°F, so I set my chamber temp to 66°, shut the door, and just let it be for the first 3-4 days without opening it (if I can stand it, lol). I have my temp probe for the chamber dangling from the ceiling about midway down the carboy, and the heat source (infrared amphibian ceramic bulb, 100W)is at the bottom of the chamber under the carboy

So it dawned on me, how do you guys adjust for the heat put off from the activity?

 

[JonM]

A temp controller does adjust temp according to activity. Some people put the controller's probe in a thermowell, lots of us put the probe against the side of the fermenter, take a chunk of styrofoam and cut a little channel out to accommodate the probe, and tape it over the probe so the probe is reading just the beer temp.

 

[deepbluegroove]

A temp controller does adjust temp according to activity. Some people put the controller's probe in a thermowell, lots of us put the probe against the side of the fermenter, take a chunk of styrofoam and cut a little channel out to accommodate the probe, and tape it over the probe so the probe is reading just the beer temp.

I went to the hardware store and got a strap with a click together piece (think like a backpack chest strap). That way I don't have to tape it to the fermenter each time.

 

[Redtab78]

I went to the hardware store and got a strap with a click together piece (think like a backpack chest strap). That way I don't have to tape it to the fermenter each time.

I have straps made up that double as carry handles, and I suppose I could tuck the probe into that, I just don't see how it would read any different being stuck between the strap and the carboy vs resting against the side of it.

 

[JonM]

The piece of foam insulates the probe from the ambient temp inside the ferm chamber.

 

[brewcat]

I tape (painter's) my probe to the fermenter's side and insulate to measure beer temp. Then I set fermentation temp on my controller. It works well. Ambient temp adjusts to keep beer temp at desired fermentation temp.

 

[PADave]

I tape the probe to the fermenter, with some foam to try to insulate it. During active fermentation, your heat source shouldn't even come on, unless your chamber is in a really cold location. The yeast give off plenty of heat, and the goal is to keep the temps down. After active fermentation I'll raise the temp a few degrees over a couple days to let the yeast finish off.

 

[SanPancho]

after the active fermentation has died down you can pull the probe off the fermenter and just let it hang in the chamber. with yeast slowing down there's little to no difference between wort and ambient temps.

 

[mongoose33]

The nice thing about using a probe against the fermenter is that you control the temp of the wort; if you just regulate the temp of the ferm chamber, the temp of the fermenter will never get down to what you want during active fermentation.

And you don't need a special strap; bungee cords will work fine.