Fermenter temperature control

[Muckinfuggle]

As luck would have it, there is an aquarist supply emporium adjacent my LHBS...I paid only around A$27 say about 12 quid brand new - pretty reasonable I thought.

Good luck

Muckin

[Buzz]

As luck would have it, there is an aquarist supply emporium adjacent my LHBS...I paid only around A$27 say about 12 quid brand new - pretty reasonable I thought.


Muckin

What sort of wattage do you use Muckin? I've found an Internet supplier offering units from 25w up to 300w

[anomalous_result]

I have an aquarium heater that I put into the brew and I doubt it has ever come on to be honest.

If B&Q is sold out there are alternative plug in stats like this un.

[Jrevillug]

what say you lot to a modified fridge? Goes like this:

- fermenter in old fridge or freezer
- Temp controller with probe in fridge
- When temp too low, 40/60/100 watt lighbulb/small heater is on to heat things up.
- When temp is too high, fridge motor runs and cools things down a bit.

Should be good for those brewing in the desert with a huge day/night temp variation. The insulation and moderate temps should make it cheap to run, too.

james

[Jrevillug]

what say you lot to a modified fridge? Goes like this:

- fermenter in old fridge or freezer
- Temp controller with probe in fridge
- When temp too low, 40/60/100 watt lighbulb/small heater is on to heat things up.
- When temp is too high, fridge motor runs and cools things down a bit.

Should be good for those brewing in the desert with a huge day/night temp variation. The insulation and moderate temps should make it cheap to run, too.

Might have to vent the airlock out of the fridge, other wize the pressure of CO2 might blow the door off...

james

[Vossy1]

what say you lot to a modified fridge? Goes like this

A lot of people on the forum use just such a thing

[Dan]

i cant say im green
but my temp controller finds its harder to cope with the load of the fridge compresser than a 20w lightbulb. so sometimes the fridge stays on perminantly and the bulb controls temp

edit : blow the door off! you dont happen to be using turbo yeast with a presurised fridge ?

[Jrevillug]

These fridge thing is well sealed y'know.

except...

for the drain.

Hadn't seen anyone mention these before- seen fridges done for lagering etc, and even a couple of warm-cab ones, but none that heat and cool. Learn someting everyday.

What controllers do people use?

Dan- might be worth using a relay to control the motor- easier load for the controller.

james

[Vossy1]

Hadn't seen anyone mention these before- seen fridges done for lagering etc, and even a couple of warm-cab ones, but none that heat and cool.

You're quite right it's either one or the other, I missed that bit
It would also be useful in moderate climes and would save having different set ups for different seasons...I like it

[Dan]

I bought one of these
http://www.rapidonline.com/productinfo. ... leno=78040
that was before i joined the forum and found out about all the cheaper dedicated fridge controlers . its handy for controling 2 things.

22C fridge comes on
20C fridge goes off
18C light comes on
20C light goes off

but like you say. I really need a relay when trying to switch a bigger current.

[RabMaxwell]

Years ago i used a fridge & light bulb to cool or heat my beer i now use an insulated box light bulb & beer cooler & ATC-800 controller as i have outgrown a fridge basically works the same




(Heat exchanger for cooling)

(Temperature controllers)

(Light bulb for heating)
one thing i would suggest even when using a fridge is have your temperature probe inside your fermenter.Have the temperature controls working from you actual fermenting temperature of your beer not the inside of your fridge. I also prefer to have my beer in an airlocked environment fridges can build up dampness & mould ect

[Jrevillug]

^probe in fermenter is a good idea. And yes, the airlock is also a good idea- probably essential.

Nice brewery there Rab.

James

[soakins]

SO many replies. Thankyou all!

[Muckinfuggle]

As luck would have it, there is an aquarist supply emporium adjacent my LHBS...I paid only around A$27 say about 12 quid brand new - pretty reasonable I thought.


Muckin

What sort of wattage do you use Muckin? I've found an Internet supplier offering units from 25w up to 300w

Mine is the smallest/cheapest one they had because I'm tight and wasn't sure it would be any good. In practice it works very well, it's a 30W heater but you should be OK with 25W. Go back to your school days and compare the thermal conductivity of water to that of air and you will see why. This little heater is far more efficient too than a light bulb which only produces heat as a waste product. Just don't try using a light bulb in the water.
Cheers Muckin

[Muckinfuggle]

These fridge thing is well sealed y'know.

except...

for the drain.

Hadn't seen anyone mention these before- seen fridges done for lagering etc, and even a couple of warm-cab ones, but none that heat and cool. Learn someting everyday.

What controllers do people use?

Dan- might be worth using a relay to control the motor- easier load for the controller.

james

I'm considering setting up a cool cabinet to store up to 3 kegs and maybe for lagering/cold conditioning. I reckon an old chest freezer might be the best way forward as these are well insulated. I only want to store my brews, mostly ales, at 'cellar' temps unlike most of the Aussies here who would freeze the brew if they could still swallow it! This piece of kit (Mash master Fridgemate) looks just the thing and I think it incorporates high current switching and also a timer to protect the compressor. Don't know if they would ship to UK but maybe RS or someone could do the same sort of thing for you. Check out this site for info:
http://mashmaster.com.au/p/365439/fridg ... r-kit.html

Muckin