Fermentation temp control, DIY or buy?

[pinemarten]

sorry guys one other question, If i was to add the heater inside the fridge I'd have to drill a hole in the fridge in order to run the cable through correct? What would i use to plug the whole to make it a usable fridge when then heater isn't in there?

I've had good luck just having the wires in the door seal. I got some two sided velcro tape and used that to keep it sealed tightly.

 

[pinemarten]

Hello guys,

I created another post the other day explaining how I wanted to transition over to all grain brewing. With some help and advice, I think I've made up my mind on which route of all grain brewing and what set up I will be using.

Whilst I was online getting my basket full of the bits of equipment I will need for my new set up I realised that If I'm going to do this, then I really want to get temperature control sorted as well, right? I don't what to invest in all this new gear and spend time brewing these beers if at the end of the day the beers aren't going to be great due to temp.

At the moment I am fermenting in a very small dark closet that I can maintain at around 67-69F. However, I am aware that ambient temp may well not be a true reflection of the temp inside the fermenter.

I was wondering whether or not someone could point me in the right direction for getting some temp control sorted. I've gathered that most people seem to go for the recycled fridge with a temp control unit fitted.

Here are my main questions I'm looking to be answered;

• Will my current closet fermentation tempature suffice for now at 67-69F?
• Is there some sort of fridge you can buy that can be set at around 60-65F without the need of altering it or attaching a separate temp control?
• Do I really need to make/buy a chamber if I am already fermenting in a room at around 67-69? Would a jacket/ cooler do the job?
• If I cant buy a chamber ready to plug and play. Is there any good videos on how to convert a fridge into a fermentation chamber quite easily as I am not very good when it comes to handy work? I have seen there are videos on here on building larger chambers that have the door of the fridge taken off but I do not have that much room. I would need a fridge that would just fit in a 6.5 gallon fermenter ( possible a second 6.5G ontop with a shelf between then.) I wouldn't have the room to fit a fridge that extends outwards further than the fermentor, only room for 2 on top of each other, not next to each other if you see what i mean.

Any help would be greatly appriciated! I really want to get my brewing to a good standard and I know temperature control is going to be my first step.

• 67-69 is nearly ideal for a lot of ale yeasts.
• There are commercial fridges that work at "high" fridge temps. Unfortunately, they are quite expensive ($700-$1000 USD new). A less expensive, albeit smaller, alternative is a fridge made for wine bottles. Those are built to be run constantly at higher temps. You'd need something in the 40-50 bottle size like this (http://bit.ly/2B7betI). If you want to have space for two 6.5gal fermentors, you should look for a used standing freezer and use an external temp controller.
• Maybe not, but remember the temp in the fermentor will be significantly higher than the ambient temp during the early phase of fermentation.
• There are loads of good videos on youtube. In the olden days, people had to mess with the fridge's wiring. A two stage inkbird controller will remove all that headache for $30-$40 USD.