Temperature Control - Chest Freezer

[tkline]

Hi guys - I'm considering getting a chest freezer for use as a fermentation chamber. Right now I have an SS Brewtech 7 gallon chronical, and it's great, but I'm looking for an easier time controlling temperatures. I only have room in my garage for fermentation, and the ambient temperature can get very high and very low.

That being said, I'm a bit confused as to whether or not a chest freezer can be used for both cooling and heating. For example - if I wanted to do an IPA that starts fermenting cooler - at 65, then raises to say 68 for a diacetyl rest for a few days, then cold crash at 38 degrees, how exactly could this be accomplished with a chest freezer?

Specifically would be interested to know what in addition to the chest freezer I'd need; imagine a temperature control unit would be key.

 

[jlinz]

Inkbird 308 will do. Using it now in a garage with a lot of temp fluctuation, and it's been good. It can control both cooling and heating sources, and you can switch the temps around when you need to. Only problem might be getting the temp of the beer to come around as fast as you might like if you make temp changes during fermentation. To heat things you can get yourself a heating pad or something like that. Right now I'm using a kombucha pad, but I'll probably need something else in the winter.

 

[ChuckO]

I use an electric boot dryer as the heat source in my chest freezer fermentation chamber. You could also use an electric pad designed for starting seeds or for heating a reptile enclosure. Almost any gentle heat source can be used. It also helps if you have air circulation in the chamber.

You will have to experiment with the location of your temperature probe to get best results. I use a piece of foam to hold the probe on the outside of the fermenter.