Temperature control with blowoff tube?

[Jbone1072]

Im thinking about upping my game once I finish brewing my Bavarian Hef that’s currently fermenting. I plan on building a mini-fridge fermentation chamber so I can control temps while brewing. My plan is to use a Big Mouth Bubbler with thermowell, but my question is how would I go about monitoring the temperature if I need to add a blowoff tube? If I’m correct, I would have to remove the thermowell to put in the blowoff tube. Would I just not be able to monitor the temp during the time I would need a blowoff tube?

 

[michaeltrego]

I think you would need a stopper with two ports like this.

 

[BrewAgain]

Use the other lid available for the big mouth bubbler.
https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/big-mouth-bubbler-universal-lid-dual-port

 

[RM-MN]

If you control your fermentation temperature like you should you may not need a blowoff tube. Keeping the temperature near the low end of the yeast's preferred range will slow the fermentation.

 

[BrewAgain]

Not entirely true. If the yeast has high viability, an active fermentation will create the condition. You could use an item like fermentcap that reduces the foaming by breaking down the foam.

 

[DVCNick]

Dual port lid is an option, however, after experimentation I've found that my internal beer temperature is controlled much more accurately by taping the probe to the outside of the BMB, under some insulation (I use a kitchen sponge). This way the probe is influenced by both the beer temp and ambient temp in a way that will cause the controller to run without big overshoots in the temp. I've confirmed this several times now with a second probe in a thermowell to measure internal temp, and it is always within one degree of the set temp even at high krausen.

Controlling off the internal probe was giving me big temp swings that would overshoot 2-3 degrees low after the internal temp reached set temp and shut off the chamber.

 

[brewbama]

I use a blowoff and a thermowell with great results. The fermentation fridge is controlled by an Auber two channel plug n play controller.