Controlling Fermentation Temperature

[RabMaxwell]

Hello all i have been reading about fermentation temperature control hear and the net also.Read about people with jugs of ice ect with fans blowing over to cool seems hard work. A few years back i bought a couple of temperature controllers from E-Bay and a beer cooler.I have my fermenter and conditioning tank in a insulated box A heat bulb controls the heating and the beer cooler controls the cooling.I can set a temperature and it keep to it spot on then i can crash cool when fermentation stops. Is there any other members using different methods that work good. I have also used a chest freezer in the past but the freon lines corroded with condensation(Gas Leak) .Cheers

[Frothy]

your setup sounds immense RM- have you any piccies?
How do you use the beer cooler to chill the cabinet? Do you pump around the cold water somehow?

Matt

[Andy]

Pics would be good Rab - sounds a nice setup

[RabMaxwell]

Frothy Wrote

How do you use the beer cooler to chill the cabinet? Do you pump around the cold water somehow?

Basically the controller is wired into the python when the temperature in the fermenter rises 1 degree the python circulates cold water through a heat exchanger in the fermenter about 20 seconds later it's back to the set temperature. The controller is also wired into a light bulb to control heating in cold weather very simple really.I will try to get some pics up tonight.Cheers

[Garth]

will look forward to those pics Rab, have struggled keeping a steady temp for a while, sometimes it's either too hot or too cold in this house.

[eskimobob]

Basically the controller is wired into the python when the temperature in the fermenter rises 1 degree the python circulates cold water through a heat exchanger in the fermenter about 20 seconds later it's back to the set temperature. The controller is also wired into a light bulb to control heating in cold weather very simple really.I will try to get some pics up tonight.Cheers

Will be interesting to see the pics Rab. I have often thought about fitting a chilling/heating coil to the fermenter but presumably it would have to be stainless...

[RabMaxwell]

Hear are some Pic's fermetation Temperature control.First fermenter with Python cooling attached
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9443/dsc00656gs7.jpg
Temperature controlled light bulb for heating in winter
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/2700/dsc00658ta2.jpg

Second fermenter or conditioning tank Pic
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1346/dsc00659my0.jpg
Now for the PTC Temperature Controllers
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/9268/dsc00657px9.jpg
Now for the heat exchanger. It has a 8mil pipe soldered inside so cold water travels to the bottom first.Then makes it's way back out back to the beer cooler .Probably easier to clean than a coil and still very efficient.
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/5380/dsc00661jd1.jpg

Bloody hell it's thirsty work doing these Photos.
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/8224/dsc00662jq0.jpg

I am not planning changing anything soon .But if they had been available some years ago those100 Litre double wall insulated stainless pots on E-Bay would have been handy.Cheers better go drink my Pint before it goes flat and looks like london beer

[Frothy]

Rab your setup is truly immense!!! Some great ingenuity gone into the construction i.e. great heat exchanger.

How much does everything hold?
Matt

[RabMaxwell]

Hello Frothy i get 110 Litres but that's only 8 inches from the top so i airlock a pushfit tube to a demijohn half full of water for the first couple of days. Cheers

[Bigster]

Superb stuff rab - I think I need to move and get a double <garage> so I can start a set up like yours

[RabMaxwell]

Easy Daab you can't see it for the insulation.The copper 8mil goes strait in through a 15 mil T piece with a 10 mil reducer on the top for the push fitting to attach to.The other side of the T piece has a large enough piece of 15 mil pipe to fit into the inside hole off a 22mil tank fitting.But needed soldering to make water tight.Cheers

[Vossy1]

Your set up's enough to make a grown man cry Rab

[RabMaxwell]

The only thing missing is going all shinny vossy but the wife would kill me if i want to start buying new gear again soon.Although still waiting for a reply about those stainless thermo pots from E-Bay.I could do a bit of soldering and tinkering with them even a Herms.But just need to convince the wife it's essential first.Cheers