Sanke Fermenter Chiller Help needed

[Dennisusa]

Could someone please suggest some ways to for accurate chilling of sanke fermenter (to within 2 degrees) - preferably down to lagering temps, but at very least to ale-fermenting temps. I was thinking of surround the keg with coils and insulating the whole fermenter, coils and all, with some kind of insulations. Thanks, Dennisusa

 

[P-Lay]

There are probably quite a few ways you could do this. I just put my carboys in a chest freezer with an adjustable thermostat. The temperature is taken from the air inside the freezer, but you could also put the temperature probe inside the beer if you wanted (and had a water proof probe).

There are more advanced ways like this too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/billjohnn/sets/72157601706400311/

Let us know what you come up with.

 

[Photopilot]

I think if you want to get down to within 2 degrees you will need a probe in the keg. Look at "Brewers Hardware" Sanke fermenter with thermowell. Place a probe in the thermowell and attach it to a temperature cotroller or PID to control a fridge or some source of cooling.

 

[Dennisusa]

My final fermentation temp regulation solution turned out to be a small kegerator-sized refrigerator (with the tower removed) controlled by a Ranco thermistat with it's temperature probe lowered into the thermowell of a Brewer's Hardware Sanke Fermenter Kit. Even without PID I'm getting incredibly accurate fermentation temps and no temperature overshoot. The temp delta between fridge air and wort is irrelevant as the thermistat is triggered off wort temp, not fridge air temp. Only downside was price of kegerator refrigerator but, in my case, necessary due to space constraints not allowing larger refrigerator. I'm seriously pleased and surprised by the results.