What do you use for temperature control?

[Sdragon980]

I've been homebrewing for about a year now and have made many beers but I usually brew based on the weather conditions and the temp of my basement. I've been reading a thread regarding a Westvleteren 12 beer that needs to have temp control at different stages of the fermentation and during conditioning. I would love to make a more involved beer like the above but I wouldn't be able to control the temp 100% of the time.
What do people use to control temp? I've read about converting chest freezers with a temp controller. Can you make a chest freezer not freeze? I've heard of fernentation boxes and the like. What di these boxes do and how do you control the temps inside of it?
What is the temp range of converted chest freezers or fernanetation boxes?

I'm looking to step up my beer brewing game, so thank you for your response.

 

[philrose]

Temp controllers are the easiest way to go, if you have the space and the cash its the best option.

Freezers don't freeze, don't stress about that. Drudges or freezers, use which ever fits best in your place.

 

[brettwasbtd]

What do people use to control temp? I've read about converting chest freezers with a temp controller. Can you make a chest freezer not freeze?

To use a freezer (or refrigerator), you need a temperature control unit. This unit as a thermometer probe which reads the temp of the freezer environment. The unit will turn the freezer on/off depending on the temperature. So it would not freeze.

I've heard of fernentation boxes and the like. What di these boxes do and how do you control the temps inside of it?

Fermentation box - Same principle, you use a temperature controller to help keep the temp in your desired range. The box can be cooled by a variety of methods: Mini Fridge, Window AC unit, Fans and ice.

What is the temp range of converted chest freezers or fernanetation boxes?

I am pretty sure with freezers you can can cool to any temp. The upper range would depend on your ambient temperature (unless you include a heating device - this can be done with "dual stage" temp controllers)

 

[Hammy71]

I use an old refrigerator as my fermentation chamber. I have a 2-stage johnson temperature controller that operates the fridge. I also have a carboy fermwrap tywrapped across the back of the inside of the fridge. During the summer I use the temperature controller to operate the fridge. During the winter I unplug the fridge and use the fermwrap to keep the ambient temperature in the chamber where I want it...even when the basement is in the 50's I can keep the inside of the fridge in the high 70's. I did my Chimay Blue clone last November and was able to adjust the conditioning/bottling/fermentation temps the entire time.

 

[crombie]

I use a chest freezer with a digital ranco single stage temperature controller that are in my garage. The controller sits outside of the chest freezer and has a probe that goes inside and sits against my fermenter with a bit of bubble wrap taped around the probe for insulation. The chest freezer plugs into an electric socket that goes in the temp. controller, and the temperature controller just turns it on when the temp gets too high. Works really well, I don't think it turns it on that often because of the insulation of the chest freezer as well as how much energy it actually takes to warm 5-6 gallons of liquid (although with active yeast during fermentation it does have to work more often).

In the winter it's (fairly) useless for cooling as I don't need to use the freezer, so i bought a warming plate that my fermenter sits on, and use the reverse setting on the temp. controller. The insulation still helps.

In the fall/spring, I had to monitor it a bit more because I only have a single stage, so it becomes a bit more manual. Regretting not purchasing a dual stage controller which will take care of both warm and cold, but eventually when I build the inevitable kegerator I'll pick up a dual stage.

Anyway, the whole setup cost me a bit of money, about $220 or so, but if you monitor craigslist and the like you might be able to get a chest freezer for cheaper. My beer has significantly improved as a result of being able to dial in the temperature however, and SWMBO loves the fact that I'm no longer fermenting in the house.

 

[Mista_Sparkle]

i use(d) a dead fridge with a 40 watt light bulb on a temp controller i made out of an old thermostat. cheap and easy, just used an additional relay and wall wart to switch 120VAC from the thermostats 24VDC rating. You could use a cardboard box and a blanket of you wanted.

this assumes that you have a location below your desired fermentation temp

 

[Sdragon980]

So with a chest freezer, you don't actually modify the freezer, you just stick the external temp controller in the box, plug the freezer into the controller and your off and running right?
It also sounds like a duel stage controller is worth the investment so you can heat and cool both depending on your needs.
I do have a chest freezer already that is pretty much empty most of the time so I could use that with the controller until I can get a dedicated frig/freezer.

As for controllers, any brand recommendations or stay aways?

 

[crombie]

So with a chest freezer, you don't actually modify the freezer, you just stick the external temp controller in the box, plug the freezer into the controller and your off and running right?
It also sounds like a duel stage controller is worth the investment so you can heat and cool both depending on your needs.
I do have a chest freezer already that is pretty much empty most of the time so I could use that with the controller until I can get a dedicated frig/freezer.

As for controllers, any brand recommendations or stay aways?

I bought the Ranco controller off of ebay, I think there's another brand, Johnson Controls (?), that is good as well. Not sure about any other ones, I scoured this site to get information and those were the two that constantly showed up. You can also check this site as well for when people are selling old equipment if you're not in a hurry, temp controllers seem to be sold once in a while.

You still have to wire it yourself, so pick up an extension cord (my electrician had one where the ends light up when it was in use, which is kinda useful and neat).

Definitely go with the dual stage. It's a bit pricier but in the end it's worth it.

 

[brettwasbtd]

You can build your own with the ebay temp controler! I did and it was pretty easy, and I am not electrically saavy.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

 

[meadowstream]

I control for lower temperatures during fermentation by using a temperature controller to turn a box fan on, blowing 60 degree air around the closed sankey keg that I use for a fermenter. When vigorous fermentation is complete, then I use a full-sized fisher scientific freezer that I gutted (purchased for $1 at auction) and use that to house the fermenter and a heating pad that is now connected to the same temperature controller that I used previously to cool (but now with different jumper settings.)

There is a thermowell in the sankey that reaches to the center of the fermentation, so that is the PV that the controller is controlling for (instead of ambient.)

When it is time to bottle condition, then I use the freezer-turned-hotbox with the heating pad and controller set to controller the internal ambient pressure of the hotbox (assumes that the bottles will all come to ambient within a few hours and stay there.)

 

[NattyBrew]

Like many on this site I've basterdized an old college mini fridge and turned it into a fermentation chamber. A muffin fan mounted in the back of the fridge turns on when the fridge turns on to cool the beer, and a brewers warming pad kicks on if the beer gets too cold. All of this is controlled via a temperature probe hooked up to a Love TSS2 controller. It works super well for me and controls temps very accurately. Here's some photos below to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

 

[user 40839]

The bastardization of an old fridge is one of the more popular routes, but from experience I don't think it's the cheapest. I scored an old mini fridge for free on Craigslist, and built one using the ebay temp controller that someone else suggested. (See my sig below for the link to the build instructions).

At the end of the build, I'd spent just under $200 on materials, about $120 or so of that was on the "box". After several violent primaries, the bottom of my cabinet is warped and cracked, the wood's gotten wet several times and is probably developing rot at this stage. For that same money I spent on the wood, insulation, and hardware, I could have scored an upright freezer from Craigslist. That'll be my next project.

 

[Sdragon980]

Natty - Thanks for the pics. That helps me with visual.

Uber - I have been leaning at finding another chest freezer (I have one that I use for food) or a full size frig. Frigerators should be easier to find though I haven't looked at Craigs list yet.

I notice that most every pic I see of someone turning a frig or freezer into a ferm box has the wires coming out of the door. Is it possible to drill a hole through the side of a frig and run the wires through there?

Thanks everyone for all of your help!

 

[NattyBrew]

It would be entirely possible to drill through the side of the fridge for your wiring versus the door, but the reason most people choose to door is because of the placement of the refrigerant lines. Nearly all fridges/freezers place their lines in a long zig-zag pattern up and down the side of the housing which makes picking a spot to drill through very difficult. If you grab yourself a nice new (or used) freezer/fridge and then go and hit one of those lines on your install you will hear the sad and demoralizing hiss of defeat as your freon seeps out and renders your device useless.

The doors of all fridges/freezers are free of this danger which is exactly why most people go and put their holes there whether it be for wiring up a temp controller or mounting faucets for a kegerator. I am sure if you were extremely careful and were able to precisely figure out where your lines were in the side of your fridge you could do it, but if I were you I'd most likely stay away from messing with it and the chance of ruining your fridge.

 

[sean6247]

I still use the low tech way of controlling my ale temps. I place my bucket fermenter in a large ice chest filled with water. In the summer I rotate Gatorade bottles filled with ice to lower the temp. In the winter, I use an aquarium heater to raise the temps.

For lagers I use an unmodified (except for the freezer/cooling element has been moved to allow sapce for the fermenter) dorm fridge. The highest setting on my particular fridge is exactly 50 degrees.

 

[Sdragon980]

I'm probably going to go with a dual temp controller with a fridge. I do have a chance to get upright for a possible low price of FREE! I'll spend the extra on the controller.

Hey Natty, I see in the pictures above that you have a brewers heating pad. Does it work well for you?

 

[NattyBrew]

I have had nothing but a great experience with the heating pad. I started out going with the cheap route and trying to use a heating pad designed for warming reptile terrariums and it didn't perform the way I wanted it. The brewers heating pad has been well worth the money I spent on it. A 6.5 gallon BB fits right on top, the pad itself is made of pretty sturdy plastic, and the heating power it has is night and day against my previous attempts with the reptile warming pad.

The picture above is actually a test shot from when I first got it and was able to crank the water temp all the way up to 95 degrees against an ambient household temp of 65 degrees outside the chamber. I have since moved the chamber out into the garage and it has done very well to keep all my beers at proper fermenting temps in the 60's even when the garage gets down near freezing in the winter time right now. I still throw a sweatshirt over my carboys while they are fermenting in the winter so that the pad doesn't need to work as hard to hold temp, but I am sure even without the sweatshirt the pad could hold the approximately 30 degree differential just fine.