I've been frustrated by having only one ferm chamber. It's a nice-sized refrigerator, but I haven't been able to figure out how to control temps on two fermentations in one refrigerator. Adding a second refrigerator or freezer is out of the question; I have one freezer, one keezer, and three refrigerators running now.
But there's a way to use one refrigerator to control two fermentations.
What I figured is that if I could stagger the fermentations by about 3 days, I could control ferm temps on the first one as per normal, then after brewing the second one, and using a second Inkbird controller, I could get the second one controlled as well.
Both fermenters have heat mats wrapped around them. This is to allow me to ramp up the temps to let the yeast clean up after itself, and to keep the first fermentation warm enough as the refrigerator cools the second one. The temperature probes are behind the blue and pink foam.
Here's the setup. After 3 days of fermentation the most active part of fermentation is completed on Batch One. I removed the temp probe controlling Batch One and moved it to Batch Two, the freshly-brewed one. I added a second Inkbird controller, and plugged the heat wrap from Batch One into it and used the temp probe from that to control Batch One.
The point is that as the refrigerator works to cool Batch Two, normally it would cool Batch One too much; the heat wrap on Batch One will keep it at the correct temp as the refrigerator brings Batch Two down to fermentation temp.
Here are pics showing what's going on. The first pic shows the initial setup. I'm using a Fermwrap around Batch One, and a reptile cage heater around Batch Two.
The second pic shows the temps; my target temp is 63.0 degrees. Initially I had the differential too low on the new Inkbird controlling Batch One, and it allowed the temp to drop to 61. I corrected that, but the fermwrap struggled to get the temperature of Batch One back up to 63.
I decided I needed some sort of insulation around Batch One, using a large brown towel to serve that purpose. I also used a thin piece of styrofoam to isolate the probe on Batch Two from the heating of Batch One.
Once I did that, the temp on Batch One came right to 63.0 and held there. Batch Two continues to cool and once it takes off (using S-04, I expect it'll be another 6-8 hours from when the pics were taken), the exothermic action of the yeast will heat up Batch Two. The refrigerator will kick on to cool it, and the Inkbird from Batch One, which is slowing in fermentation, should remain at 63.0 plus/minus the differential.
If anyone sees any ways to improve on this, I'd love to hear them. I finally seem to have a way to use one ferm chamber to control two fermentations. I can't really see a good way to use it to control a lager fermentation at, say, 50 degrees, unless I made the lager Batch Two and would increase the insulation around Batch One a good deal.
But, these are both ales. Once the fermentation for Batch Two is over, I'll bump it up for a couple days to 71 for the yeast to clean up after themselves, and then crash them both prior to kegging.
But there's a way to use one refrigerator to control two fermentations.
What I figured is that if I could stagger the fermentations by about 3 days, I could control ferm temps on the first one as per normal, then after brewing the second one, and using a second Inkbird controller, I could get the second one controlled as well.
Both fermenters have heat mats wrapped around them. This is to allow me to ramp up the temps to let the yeast clean up after itself, and to keep the first fermentation warm enough as the refrigerator cools the second one. The temperature probes are behind the blue and pink foam.
Here's the setup. After 3 days of fermentation the most active part of fermentation is completed on Batch One. I removed the temp probe controlling Batch One and moved it to Batch Two, the freshly-brewed one. I added a second Inkbird controller, and plugged the heat wrap from Batch One into it and used the temp probe from that to control Batch One.
The point is that as the refrigerator works to cool Batch Two, normally it would cool Batch One too much; the heat wrap on Batch One will keep it at the correct temp as the refrigerator brings Batch Two down to fermentation temp.
Here are pics showing what's going on. The first pic shows the initial setup. I'm using a Fermwrap around Batch One, and a reptile cage heater around Batch Two.
The second pic shows the temps; my target temp is 63.0 degrees. Initially I had the differential too low on the new Inkbird controlling Batch One, and it allowed the temp to drop to 61. I corrected that, but the fermwrap struggled to get the temperature of Batch One back up to 63.
I decided I needed some sort of insulation around Batch One, using a large brown towel to serve that purpose. I also used a thin piece of styrofoam to isolate the probe on Batch Two from the heating of Batch One.
Once I did that, the temp on Batch One came right to 63.0 and held there. Batch Two continues to cool and once it takes off (using S-04, I expect it'll be another 6-8 hours from when the pics were taken), the exothermic action of the yeast will heat up Batch Two. The refrigerator will kick on to cool it, and the Inkbird from Batch One, which is slowing in fermentation, should remain at 63.0 plus/minus the differential.
If anyone sees any ways to improve on this, I'd love to hear them. I finally seem to have a way to use one ferm chamber to control two fermentations. I can't really see a good way to use it to control a lager fermentation at, say, 50 degrees, unless I made the lager Batch Two and would increase the insulation around Batch One a good deal.
But, these are both ales. Once the fermentation for Batch Two is over, I'll bump it up for a couple days to 71 for the yeast to clean up after themselves, and then crash them both prior to kegging.
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So I've been trying to keep everything on the same floor as much as I can.
