How to keep fermenter at right temperature during the Summer

[Sam Cann]

So my wife keeps the house at 77 degrees during the Summer and there are no other viable options for keeping my fermenter during the Summer. What does everyone do to keep their fermenter at 68-72 degrees?

 

[mongoose33]

Get a small dorm-style refrigerator, the tall one. It's perfect for a single fermenter.

If that's not an option, any used refrigerator will do, they're just larger. You'll need a controller to manage temperature; the Inkbird 308 is a popular option. I have five of them.

If neither of those work, you can do the swamp-cooler thing; put the fermenter in a turkey pan with about 2" of water. Drape a t-shirt over the top and let it dangle in the water. It'll wick up the water which will evaporate, and it will gain you about 5 degrees of cooling. Keep it dark while you do this. If that doesn't lower temps enough, many do this: they'll use frozen water bottles in the turkey pan to further cool things down. They need to be replaced probably every 12 hours.

One final option is to try some Kveik yeast, which can handle temps up to near 100 degrees.

 

[kevin58]

Keep in mind that the ambient temperature of the room is not what the temperature of the beer is inside your fermenter. The act of fermentation creates heat. You would do well to use temp control year round.

 

[kh54s10]

5.0 cu.ft. Chest freezer (or bigger if you do 2 at a time) and an Inkird temperature controller. I would suggest finding room for that or a dorm fridge to make into a chamber. It is well worth the space and ease. Swapping frozen bottles of water in the height of summer is a pain and ineffective at worst. I would put 4 large sized water bottles in there in the morning and it would be 6 - 8 degrees warmer after getting home from work. But that was far better than nothing. Cooled every brew I have done for eight years.

 

[chezhed]

I know several people that use these with great success....and our houses are typically 78 or higher. Frozen water bottles work well with changes every other day.

 

[brewcat]

I like my freezer with temp controller. My only problem is I need a 2nd for lagers.

 

[balrog]

All good options but what's your budget and DIY-tendency?
The T-shirt "swamp cooler" is simplest, cheapest.
Buying a controllable freezer/fridge with STC or Inkbird type control is the other end of the spectrum. Well, until you go absolutely nucking futs and build glycol jacket cooled system.
With lasers.

 

[Fablush1]

Cool Brewing Jacket with frozen bottles or ice packs - works great. I've been able to ferment an Alt at 58-59* by switching a couple ice packs or bottles out 2x a day. I even lagered it at 35* for a month using 4 ice packs 2x per day. One problem with the jacket is you can't see the temp strip so I bought a meat thermometer on amazon for $15 and it works awesome. You have to jerryrig the line directly down into the fermenter by getting a good seal at the entry point but it works great. This is a cheap McGiver setup that hasn't failed me. The Alt I make in it is better than any I've bought other than Dusseldorf.

 

[yowzers]

If you can’t fit a dorm fridge or something else like that in your space or budget, I like something like this that can be controlled. For about the same price as a Cool brewing bag you can get precise control. I have two of them so I can do multiple fermentation’s at different temps. Www.ballandkeg.com temp control coil with a cheap fountain pump and controller.

 

[day_trippr]

Craig's List can be a friend. Negotiate some space and start looking. I bought a pair of 17 cf top-freezer fridges for a total of $225 - and one of them had never been used (still had all the blue tapes inside holding everything in place)...

Cheers!

 

[Bubbles2]

Get a small dorm-style refrigerator, the tall one. It's perfect for a single fermenter.

If that's not an option, any used refrigerator will do, they're just larger. You'll need a controller to manage temperature; the Inkbird 308 is a popular option. I have five of them.

If neither of those work, you can do the swamp-cooler thing; put the fermenter in a turkey pan with about 2" of water. Drape a t-shirt over the top and let it dangle in the water. It'll wick up the water which will evaporate, and it will gain you about 5 degrees of cooling. Keep it dark while you do this. If that doesn't lower temps enough, many do this: they'll use frozen water bottles in the turkey pan to further cool things down. They need to be replaced probably every 12 hours.

One final option is to try some Kveik yeast, which can handle temps up to near 100 degrees.

View attachment 633650 View attachment 633651 View attachment 633652

Are those two different ones? I ask because it looks like you got your BMB and Airlock to fit under the Freezer/unit part. I need something small like that due to space. Counting that and my Kegerator I have four appliances in the butlers pantry. LOL

 

[Tallgrass]

Are those two different ones? I ask because it looks like you got your BMB and Airlock to fit under the Freezer/unit part. I need something small like that due to space. Counting that and my Kegerator I have four appliances in the butlers pantry. LOL

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O2MB7BS/ref=twister_B0744STKVQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This one fits my fermonster after modifying the door. The cooling plate is along the back wall. 11" from front to the hump , 28 3/4" inside height. The one in the picture mongoose posted looks a little deeper though.

 

[chezhed]

Yeah door modifications are often necessary on the smaller fridges. An option is one made by Avanti. It's electronic....no compressor. They work. I have two that were my primary control chambers for years. They have no freezer so carboys and buckets easily fit....with a door modification.