Temp controllers

[Morrey]

Now that warmer weather is upon us in SC, my ambient home temp is around 73 F. That may be on the warm side for ale fermentation, plus I'd like to look into lagering. I'm going to look into a chest freezer on Craigslist, so I'll need a temp controller device to enable a wide range of temps for lagering, lager fermentation, cider fermentation, ale fermentation...etc.

What do I need to look for in a temp controller...anything special I need to think about? I'd like a digital unit to make it easy to set. Suggestions appreciated!!

 

[ChemEng]

I made my own BrewPi controller and i couldn't be happier. You need a little DIY knowledge, but the step-by-step instructions make it easy.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=466106

 

[Newsman]

There's always the Inkbird temp controller... you know those guys who've done one give away and just turned around and started another? Or you can go with the DIY BrewPi or the STC-1000. Any of those will work. Depends on how ambitious you are, how good you are at DIY, and how much money you want to spend.

 

[Morrey]

There's always the Inkbird temp controller... you know those guys who've done one give away and just turned around and started another? Or you can go with the DIY BrewPi or the STC-1000. Any of those will work. Depends on how ambitious you are, how good you are at DIY, and how much money you want to spend.

What I have seen so far is a device in use at my LHBS that I'd plug the freezer into the controller, then plug the controller into the wall receptacle. Then he ran a probe into the freezer. I heard we have to be careful to select a unit that has a wide temp swing so the compressor doesn't cycle on and off unnecessarily.

I prefer to simply purchase a digital unit that is "plug and play" and be ready to go. It's farming season now and 14 hour days are in order, so my time for DIY projects is limited.