Stabilizing fermenting temp while away?

[DrewDown]

Hi guys. I'm concerned with my current method of fermenting. Currently I put the carboy in a tub of water and alternate frozen water bottles in. The only problem is I work 24hr shifts so I throw in some frozen water bottles in the morning before I leave for work, but by the time I get home the next morning they have obviously been long melted. Will the water alone help, even at ambient temp? I keep the set up indoors where my thermostat is around 77. I live in Arizona so outdoors/basement aren't an option. Any cheap solutions you can think of? Thanks in advance.

 

[arturo7]

Swamp cooler. There are many, many threads discussing this.

 

[DrewDown]

Thanks, I'll do some searching

 

[billvon]

Any cheap solutions you can think of? Thanks in advance.

Put it in the coolest place in the house (downstairs, basement etc)

Put it in a room and run the air conditioner all the time.

Build a box out of styrofoam around a window air conditioner, and put the fermentor in there.

Build a box out of styrofoam, take the door off a dorm fridge and bolt them together. You will need a thermostat though.

Will the water alone help, even at ambient temp?

Sure, if it's still cold. Fermentors have a lot of thermal mass. Get a thermometer or (better yet) a temperature logger. That will keep a record of the temperature of your beer so you can see what works and what doesn't.