Mangrove Jack Fermenter in Swamp Cooler

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Doreblade
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Mangrove Jack Fermenter in Swamp Cooler

Post by Doreblade » Thu Jul 16, 2020 1:53 pm

Hoping someone can give advice...

My last kit brew got a bit warm during the first couple of days fermenting (got to 23°c) so a quick scan of here and elsewhere suggested (sorry about american terms) the swamp cooler method would suit me and this worked very well indeed. Temp down to 19/20°c fairly quickly.

My plastic FV has a crack which I temporarily patched for my last brew (don't ask what I used) so I've upgraded to a MJ SS FV (also to be used to keep sparge water hot when I put my shiny new GF30 to work very shortly).

As I don't have any other way to cool my FV at the moment I was trying to find out if it will be ok to immerse the MJ FV in a swamp coooler being that it has a plastic base attached to it. Worried prolonged water immersion may damage it somehow.

Couldn't find anything on 'net so wondering if anyone can advise from experience?

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Doreblade
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Re: Mangrove Jack Fermenter in Swamp Cooler

Post by Doreblade » Mon Aug 03, 2020 9:49 pm

Sadly nobody could advise so I pressed ahead with my very first AG brew ever using my new GF30. Brew day went generally ok thanks to advice on here and DH's YouTube videos (higher than expected OG - looking into it).

Fermentation took off almost straight away so decided I needed to get the swamp cooler up an running asap (I have no other way of keeping temps down).

48 hours into fermentation and its bubbling away nicely at a steady 20°c.




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Doreblade
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Re: Mangrove Jack Fermenter in Swamp Cooler

Post by Doreblade » Mon Aug 03, 2020 9:51 pm

Time will tell if the FV likes the water bath but fingers crossed for my first AG brew - it's Seymour's Hopping Hare clone by the way, with extra Amarillo hops at flame out as that's what they are using just now.

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orlando
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Re: Mangrove Jack Fermenter in Swamp Cooler

Post by orlando » Tue Aug 04, 2020 7:01 am

Sorry you haven't had any responses so far, very unusual. Looks like you have coped admirably so far. Up to 23c can be accomodated by most Ale yeasts without a problem, could give you some more interesting esters in your Beer. Too much American influence suggests "clean" fermentations are more desirable, to quote an American song "ain't necessarily so". In the medium to long term a permanent solution is required because in a depressingly short period of time the other problem of keeping temperatures up will be looming. The most popular and very effective solution is a dedicated fermentation chamber, that can keep the yeast in a narrow temperature band. The simplest method is repurposing a second hand fridge with a greenhouse tube heater and a temperature controller like an Inkbird or STC 1000. There will be literally hundreds of posts on here about how to do this and doing so will almost certainly improve your brewing more than any other change you make. Welcom to the search function. :D
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

Doreblade
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Re: Mangrove Jack Fermenter in Swamp Cooler

Post by Doreblade » Tue Aug 04, 2020 7:34 am

Chees Orlando. A fermentation chamber - aka an old fridge - is definitely in my plan. Just waiting to get power to my garage before getting on with that project. Can't wait to be able to control fermentation at all sorts of temps and cold crash too.

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Doreblade
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Re: Mangrove Jack Fermenter in Swamp Cooler

Post by Doreblade » Tue Aug 04, 2020 7:51 am

I forgot to add that I have a controllable heat belt which helped keep temps stable on a previous kit brew earlier this year when temps were much cooler and that will prob be my heat source in a fermentation chamber when its put together (no doubt though I'll use an inkbird to control it)

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