Temp Control During Fermentation

[3StrikesBrewing]

So I've been debating on whether or not to build a box with an old mini frig as my cooling source and throwing in a heat lamp with both hooked to a temp regulator during for my fermenters Is that a better way to go rather then buying a cooler or the jackets for them or does anyone have a better method or something they use that works well

 

[jekeane]

Chest freezer.

 

[brewcat]

I have a chest freezer. No time involved building anything. I just have to figure out a good way to left in and out. For heat I would just buy a heating belt.

 

[3StrikesBrewing]

Thanks for the input I have carboy handles they work great for lifting and they don't cost too much

 

[Pratzie]

Theres some links floating around about using a metal paint can and a light bulb for heat....

For cold, I know people who use chest freezers but I also found a great mini fridge for less then $50 on craigslist. Ripped the shelfing out and the stuff on the door and it works great with those marine switches you can get on eBay.

Haven't had any issues at all and I can fit one carboy or fermenting bucket, up to 4 one gallon carboys for smaller/experimental batches or two kegels in there for aging when I have them waiting to get into my kegerator.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Got my chest freezer for $25 off CL, Johnson A419 temp controller for $80 and Fermwrap for $25 from Amazon. They all work great. The only tricky thing is spring and fall brewing when I might need the heater on some days and the freezer on other days. The temp controller will only do one or the other. A more expensive temp controller will handle both but I've managed fine with this setup.

 

[DaNewf]

A more expensive temp controller will handle both but I've managed fine with this setup.

Build a dual control unit based on the STC 1000 (plenty of how-to's on the web) . You can get the STC-1000 on eBay for about $10 with free shipping (comes from Hong Kong or China so shipping may take a while). They come in 220V and 110V versions so you have to make sure you order the right one.

Depending on what you have laying about the house you may not need to buy anything else otherwise a quick trip to a hardware store will get you everything you need.

 

[Horseflesh]

By the time you turn the bare $10 STC-1000 into a usable controller you may as well have spent $40 on the Inkbird. I have 2 STC-1000s and they work fine, but if I was starting over today, I'd buy Inkbirds.

 

[beernutz]

In the order in which I put them together:
Four tap Keezer is a Kenmore 8cf chest freezer I bought new that is regulated by a Johnson Controls A419. I never have to heat this so the A419 was the easiest way to get going. I built a nice dual hinged collar which makes getting as many as 5 kegs into it pretty easy.

Fermenter is a used but almost brand new 5cf chest freezer from CL that is regulated by a DIY STC-1000. It works great but because I brew 10 gallon batches and ferment in a single container I had to build a hoist system above it to lift fermenters into and out of it. I added a bare bones collar to give me a bit of extra space but the biggest limitation of this chest freezer is that it isn't wide enough to hold the Speidel fermenter I wanted to use. I use an old low powered hair dryer to provide heat when needed.

Wine aging and beer storage is done in a 10cf upright freezer I inherited a couple of years ago. Since I keep it outside but covered I use an Inkbird to both heat and cool it which has worked very well. Heat is provided by a reptile cage mat so that the temp is kept at a pretty steady 58 degrees year round in there. One day if I get a conical fermenter this may be converted to use for fermentation which would be convenient because I brew outside about 15 feet from where this freezer is located. The only internal modifications I've made are to add wooden shelves and supports as the metal ones sagged if I loaded them up.

I also have an approximately 15 year old Johnson Controls analog temp controller which still works but is currently not doing anything. However its longevity is one reason I decided to buy and use an A419 when building my keezer.

My point is that there are many ways to skin that cat and before you decide which way you want to use you should think about where the box is going to be, what kind of temp control you want to achieve, and what types and sizes of things you are going to keep in it. Oh and also a budget.

 

[Pratzie]

My point is that there are many ways to skin that cat and before you decide which way you want to use you should think about where the box is going to be, what kind of temp control you want to achieve, and what types and sizes of things you are going to keep in it. Oh and also a budget.

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