HopHead73
Brewmaster at Jbyrd Brewing, Hophead
I just ordered a Fermwrap and Johnson Digital Temp controller w/ Thermowell stopper to control the temp of my fermentation during the cold winter months.
(During the summer I plan on upgrading from just a rubbermaid filled with water & frozen water bottles to an 60qt Igloo Cooler w/ a homemade lid made from insulating foam with a hole for the airlock to poke through and do the same with water and frozen water bottles in it to chill it and plan on having the digital temp controller give more accurate readings then just the sticky thermometer. And once I have a bigger house and more room I'll invest in a spare fridge for ultimate temp control)
But back to my question with controlling temperatures in the cold winter months. My house stays around 66 degrees when we are home (my wife won't turn the heat up at all), but the ambient temp can fluctuate from 58 to 68 during the night and day when we aren't home and she turns the heat down. So I plan on using the Fermwrap and Temp control to maintain my desired temperature. I've read of people saying you still need to insulate the carboy though, but can you insulate it with the Fermwrap on it? I have a carboy cover (Midwest Supplies 6 and 6.5 Gallon Carboy Cover) and I was wondering if anyone knows if its safe to use the cover to help insulate the carboy (and even use more blankets if necessary) with the Fermwrap taped directly to the carboy?
I don't want to put the cover on it and then have a freak accident and set the carboy cover on fire from the Fermwrap.
And if anyone has any other suggestions toward my chilling and warming techniques let me know!
(During the summer I plan on upgrading from just a rubbermaid filled with water & frozen water bottles to an 60qt Igloo Cooler w/ a homemade lid made from insulating foam with a hole for the airlock to poke through and do the same with water and frozen water bottles in it to chill it and plan on having the digital temp controller give more accurate readings then just the sticky thermometer. And once I have a bigger house and more room I'll invest in a spare fridge for ultimate temp control)
But back to my question with controlling temperatures in the cold winter months. My house stays around 66 degrees when we are home (my wife won't turn the heat up at all), but the ambient temp can fluctuate from 58 to 68 during the night and day when we aren't home and she turns the heat down. So I plan on using the Fermwrap and Temp control to maintain my desired temperature. I've read of people saying you still need to insulate the carboy though, but can you insulate it with the Fermwrap on it? I have a carboy cover (Midwest Supplies 6 and 6.5 Gallon Carboy Cover) and I was wondering if anyone knows if its safe to use the cover to help insulate the carboy (and even use more blankets if necessary) with the Fermwrap taped directly to the carboy?
I don't want to put the cover on it and then have a freak accident and set the carboy cover on fire from the Fermwrap.
And if anyone has any other suggestions toward my chilling and warming techniques let me know!
