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STC-1000 Temp Controller - Noobie question

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KW9375

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I purchased an STC-1000 Temp Controller, and I'm planning on using it with a chest freezer once I complete the wiring. However, being a noobie, I have a question. I've look at quite a few wiring diagrams, and I see that outlets are used for heating and cooling. Once I've built my temp controller "box"...won't I always just have my freezer plugged in to the cooling outlet? What would you plug in to the heating outlet?? I have a feeling that is a dumb question. :)
Thanks!
 
sometimes people have their freezer in a garage or something and it will get too cold in the winter. If you keep it inside where it's temperatures controlled you should be ok with just the cool side wired up. That's how mine is set up, nothing wired to the heater side at all.
 
Oh I see. So...then what would you plug in to the heating outlet in order to produce heat inside the freezer?
 
I'd suggest you shield your beer from the light to eliminate potential skunking. Some people use other low wattage heating elements, like reptile heaters, that do not emit light.
 
Good point. Maybe a standard bulb is ok if your beer is in fermentation bucket or something with an opaque covering...as opposed to a clear carboy. Even though it doesn't get very cold in Texas, I'm going to go ahead and wire the heating outlet, just in case we have a cold spell this winter.
 
Everybody has their own perfect answer to providing heat to their fermentation chamber. After trying other methods, I have settled on an old school, non-digital, run of mill, cheapo heating pad. The new ones with auto-shutoff will not work, once they turn off, they will not turn themselves back on.
 
I finally finished the wiring and plugged it in, and it works!! I don't have a heat source plugged in but I may soon because once the freezer 'cuts off, the temp continues to drop for several degrees. I like the heating pad idea!



In Secondary: Belgian tripel
Brewing next: Gateway IPA (original recipe)
 
I use a small cheap space heater, this one in fact. And it does get cold enough that you'll want to control this regardless if you're using the chest freezer as a keezer or fermentation chamber. It would really suck if your beer lines were frozen over the holiday's or if your fermenting ale hit lagering temps!
 
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I use an old heating pad wrapped around about half the bucket. The temp probe is on the other side of the bucket. Both are held on by 2 bungee cords that are wrapped around the entire bucket. The temp probe is under about 1" of cloth to shield it from the outside air and to ensure that the temp it is reading is the bucket, not the air. I've checked wort temps and it is spot on every time - amazingly accurate.
 
I don't have a heat source plugged in but I may soon because once the freezer 'cuts off, the temp continues to drop for several degrees. I like the heating pad idea!

Do you have the temp probe in a thermowell in a fermenter or pressed to the side of a fermenter/keg and insulated with foam, or is the probe hanging freely in the freezer? The ambient temp will over and under shoot the setpoint. If you are controlling based on the freezer ambient, you will get excessive cycling. If you are controlling based on the temperature of a large mass of liquid, the ambient will still over and under shoot, but the temp swings in the liquid will be much lower than the ambient. You can adjust the controller hysteresis (F2 setting) to be just higher than the maximum liquid temp variation, and cycling will be reduced significantly. Still a good idea to set the cooling on delay to the max possible to further protect the freezer compressor.

Brew on :mug:
 
Why would you heat fermenting wort? Saisons can be fermented up near 80F.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Do you have the temp probe in a thermowell in a fermenter or pressed to the side of a fermenter/keg and insulated with foam, or is the probe hanging freely in the freezer? The ambient temp will over and under shoot the setpoint. If you are controlling based on the freezer ambient, you will get excessive cycling. If you are controlling based on the temperature of a large mass of liquid, the ambient will still over and under shoot, but the temp swings in the liquid will be much lower than the ambient. You can adjust the controller hysteresis (F2 setting) to be just higher than the maximum liquid temp variation, and cycling will be reduced significantly. Still a good idea to set the cooling on delay to the max possible to further protect the freezer compressor.

Brew on :mug:

I learn something every time I read this forum. The temp probe is simply laying inside the freezer. I think I'll put it in a gallon or so of water to more closely mimic the temp in the fermenter. My thoughts right now are to use this freezer for fermentation. I have a spare fridge I will put a keg or 2 in. So to understand the adjustment of the controller hysteresis, how do I know what the maximum liquid temp variation is/should be? The yeast I used for my Belgian tripel that is fermenting at room temp right now said the "ideal" range was 59-68*F, although the acceptable range is 53.6-77*F. So, if I were to brew this again, and I set the temp at somewhere around 64-65, then what should I set the controller hysteresis at? I have it at 0.6 (celsius) right now, thinking it would be better to aim for only a 1*F variation from my set temp. Also, I put the delay on 1 minute, not realizing that could be bad for the freezer compressor. So you're saying it's ok if the delay is set to 5-10 minutes? I can't remember what the max delay possible is, but I can look tonight. Thanks for your help!
 
Putting the probe in water does not work IMHO. During active fermentation the wort temp increases. It would take time for the wort to heat first the air, then the water container and finally the water. Better to strap the sensor to the side of the fermenter and back insulate with a peice of rigid insulation, or such.
 
Putting the probe in water does not work IMHO. During active fermentation the wort temp increases. It would take time for the wort to heat first the air, then the water container and finally the water. Better to strap the sensor to the side of the fermenter and back insulate with a peice of rigid insulation, or such.

That sounds like a good point. What do you use for insulation? I don't have any insulation laying around... Alternately, could you just set the temp to a few degrees cooler during active fermentation?
 
For my first few years I used a block of styrofoam from a product package ( like the corner inserts in a TV box) and cut it square, cut a groove in the middle for the probe and duct taped it to the side of the fermenter. Last batch my ferm chamber was overrun with mold, including the foam block so I discarded it and replace it with a double layer of reflectix (since I had it leftover from my winter kettle blanket) Duct taped the sensor to one side of the insulation, flipped it over and duct taped the entire thing to the fementer with the sensor nearest the fermenter.
 
Ditto to Nagorg, the Lasko MyHeat 100's are amazing.

The best part is their auto thermal shutoff.

If something goes catastrophically wrong with your STC1000(which isnt really a problem ive heard of, but they are cheap devices made in China) i think the Lasko heaters shut off at 110F and wont turn back on until you manually toggle the power switch off for 15s then back on. Worst case your beer gets ruined, you dont start a fire when your away.

That in addition to the fan to keep the hot air circulating around(which is vital to prevent hot spots) really just makes it perfect for a ferm chamber.
 
Do you have the temp probe in a thermowell in a fermenter or pressed to the side of a fermenter/keg and insulated with foam, or is the probe hanging freely in the freezer? The ambient temp will over and under shoot the setpoint. If you are controlling based on the freezer ambient, you will get excessive cycling. If you are controlling based on the temperature of a large mass of liquid, the ambient will still over and under shoot, but the temp swings in the liquid will be much lower than the ambient. You can adjust the controller hysteresis (F2 setting) to be just higher than the maximum liquid temp variation, and cycling will be reduced significantly. Still a good idea to set the cooling on delay to the max possible to further protect the freezer compressor.

Brew on :mug:

In my setup the temp probe is right up against the side of the bucket. It is insulated from the air in freezer by 1-2 inches of a large folded terry cloth. All if this is held tightly and securely by a couple bungee cords wrapped around the bucket. The heating pad is on the complete opposite side of the bucket. I've checked the temp of the wort many times and it is EXACTLY the same as the programmed temp of the STC1000. Where to place the probe has been debated. In my freezer, using my setup, I have empirically determined that this method works (for me).

For my settings, F2 is 0.5 degrees C and the cooling delay is maxed at 10 minutes.
 
As mentioned (by shakes_beer) fermentation is an exothermic (produces heat) process, so during active fermentation the beer would be at a higher temperature than water in a separate container. Best to have the probe thermally in contact with the beer, either in a thermowell inside the fermenter, or taped to the side of the fermenter and insulated from the ambient. Probe in a separate water bath works for a keg system, as there is nothing exothermic going on.

I couldn't find a suitable piece of packing foam lying around, but I found a new tiler's sponge (Lowes or Home Depot) in my garage. The sponge is about 4" x 6" x 2.5", and is soft enough to conform to the probe without needing a channel cut. Taped it to the fermenter with packing tape we had left over from our move last year. I run hysteresis at 0.3 C and compressor delay at 10 minutes. I also use one of the small Lesko heaters.

Brew on :mug:
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'll find some "insulation" and attach the sensor to my fermentation bucket/carboy. I looked at the Lesko heaters and I like them. Small and energy efficient. I may purchase one of those. I plan on brewing my first original recipe Friday night, so I'll get to test out my temp controller!
 
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