Low Tech Fermentation Temp Control

[Maz91379]

So i was wondering is it better to have a lower temp that bounces between 14 to 18 or a fairly consistent temperature about 20-22(it's a pale ale) ?
Right now trying to control temp with ice packs and cold water in the bath and have a aquarium type heater to make sure it doesn't dip too low anything else i can do on the cheap? Also anyone have a easy solution to halving the bath other than sandbags or another fermenter so i use less water more effectively?

 

[Cube]

I use the laundry tub down stairs with water and pets. It backs onto the garage and is cold there so my lagers and pilsners get done there at a pretty stable temp of 13-14 deg in the winter. A lot less water than filling a bath. I also brew some ales in the bath too upstairs from time to time but I sit the fermenter in a esky with water and pets which is just in the bath because it is out of the way. Easy stable temps of 17-18 deg. No reason at all a better esky and a couple more pets wouldn't give your desired results without using a ton of water filling a bath up. Insulating the water from the bath is key as the bath will leech out your temps quickly and an esky does that well.

 

[michael_aussie]

So i was wondering is it better to have a lower temp that bounces between 14 to 18 or a fairly consistent temperature about 20-22(it's a pale ale) ?
Right now trying to control temp with ice packs and cold water in the bath and have a aquarium type heater to make sure it doesn't dip too low anything else i can do on the cheap? Also anyone have a easy solution to halving the bath other than sandbags or another fermenter so i use less water more effectively?

20-22 is a little high from what everyone says here.

18-19 or maybe 18-20 is what you should be aiming for.

I started with a dead fridge and a light bulb with a timer to give just a little bit of heat to get up to my desired temp.
I used a cheap digital thermometer as an indication, that included a max/min recording function, so I could see if my temps had wandered too far while I was away.

Using this set up, I could get 18-19 degrees. It only let me down when the hotter weather came along .... and then I was struggling to keep the temp down... so gave in and put a not up at work for old fridges.. within a week I had been offered 3 all for free.

 

[Glenn Brown]

Constant is the way to go, but the lower the better. I find the good old wet towel method work pretty well to keep the temp reasonably consistant. Last time I did it it sat nicely at 18c and I would take it off over night cause the air temp inside isnt cold enough to make it drop any lower, but enough to maintain the current temp.

 

[glassgrenade]

Consistent temp is pretty important. If you don't want to spend any money you should get yourself a dead fridge and put this in the coldest place in your house. The fridge will provide insulation and limit the temperature jumps. This will only work if you can find a place that is around 16-18C. If you can find a place that jumps between 14 and 18 and put a dead fridge in there you should get pretty consistent temps of aroun 17C inside the fridge.

 

[Maz91379]

Also is there a more accurate way to monitor temperature other than a stick on thermometer as i'm fairly confused when 2 or 3 fairly different numbers are shown(right now it's 14,16, and 18) guessing that means its around 17?.

 

[glassgrenade]

These are great http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Digital-Indoor-...=item33698c66ce

 

[Wolfy]

Do you want low-tech or just cheap?

Given that the mini-digital-temperature-controllers can be picked up on ebay for about $16 each, add an extension cord or two, a plastic box and you have a temp controller that will work in almost every application - you can't really go wrong. Then you can set it up with an aquarium heater, old fridge (working or not) or any other application where you need to control the temp.

 

[Cube]

Also is there a more accurate way to monitor temperature other than a stick on thermometer as i'm fairly confused when 2 or 3 fairly different numbers are shown(right now it's 14,16, and 18) guessing that means its around 17?.

These have three colours as you have seen. Blue is where it is at, green is where it is heading and brown is where it has just come from or heading to. Brown and green tell you if it's getting colder or warming up from its current temp. Clear as mud :lol:

 

[felten]

I found shining a torch on the sticker helps highlight the green number, and that was pretty accurate with my fridgemate at the time.

 

[Maz91379]

How do these digital temp controllers work ? My aquarium heater ( actually a fancy fermentation heater according to the box) has some sort of crude temperature dial , it lets you set it somewhere within 5 degrees, would a controller just let me dial in a temperature better?

So in this insulated plastic box/cooler whatever setup i fill it with cold stuff when it's warm/ insulation when it's cold, and set the aquarium heater to my desired temp?

Also the torch trick helps although if you leave it too long it just makes all the close numbers blue tho.

 

[QldKev]

Do you want low-tech or just cheap?

Given that the mini-digital-temperature-controllers can be picked up on ebay for about $16 each, add an extension cord or two, a plastic box and you have a temp controller that will work in almost every application - you can't really go wrong. Then you can set it up with an aquarium heater, old fridge (working or not) or any other application where you need to control the temp.

I agree, get a controller like the stc-1000 and an old fridge.

I wonder how much power a heater would use in a batch tub, in a cold house. Would pay off the correct gear I think.

QldKev

 

[Wolfy]

How do these digital temp controllers work ? My aquarium heater ( actually a fancy fermentation heater according to the box) has some sort of crude temperature dial , it lets you set it somewhere within 5 degrees, would a controller just let me dial in a temperature better?

So in this insulated plastic box/cooler whatever setup i fill it with cold stuff when it's warm/ insulation when it's cold, and set the aquarium heater to my desired temp?

Yes in that scenario all the temp controller would do is allow a more specific temperature.
However, I found using a water bath (if you are using one and not immersing the heater in the fermenting beer) - while it worked - was cumbersome and even unsanitary, so a temp controller would allow you to use a different (and IMHO easier) method of heat control.
They'd also be useful if/when you get a fridge to ferment in since they can switch between hot/cold as required.

For the price of the unit, it's worth paying a few more $ and buying them to use as a thermometer unit and the upgrading the heating/cooler later (rather than paying for a dedicated digital monitoring thermometer now).