Tightarse Elec Timer For Fridge Fermentation

[benh82]

OK, being that I'm new I'd better come clean. I'm kind of a tightarse....now don't get me wrong, if I need it I'll get it, but eventually.

This brings me to my current problem - I need to control a fridge temperature to allow a good ferment (10-15 degrees) but I want to do it (for now anyway) with an electrical timer. The one that I bought can be set at 15minute increments for a full 24hours, so my thought was to set it to 'on' for 15mins every two hours. (your thoughts......)

Has anyone else used this method and if so, were the results OK or did the beer suffer from being up and down (albeit within a safe range) in terms of temp rather than an even 12/18/whatever +/- 1 through using a growarm/fridgemate etc...

Thanks

Ben

 

[schooey]

I've seen a few people do this with decent results. it's dependant on a few things i.e. how efficiently the fridge can lower the temp, the temp differential between outside the fridge and in, and also the constancy of the ambient.

Once you have your wort at 18, in an insulated vessel like a fridge that remains unopened, it's thermal mass won't let it change much over a period of only two hours. On the inverse side, the fridge will change it even less if it's only running for 15 mins. there's a lot of ginning about to be done to perfect it and you may be best to try with a fermenter full of watrer to get it right.

 

[warrenlw63]

A Fridgemate is not all that expensive. Spend the extra $$ you'll thank yourself many times.

Warren -

 

[BusinessTime]

How much is your current timer.

A fridge mate is really not that much of an outlay and you will have no issues they are awesome. Think of how much you spend in ingredients and how much money you will waste on lower quality beer if you stuff up the brewing temp.

Fermenting temp plays a huge role in the taste of your brew (in my opinion) like if the cost diff is $30 (guessing $20 for timer and $50 for FM) then you only have to stuff up 1 brew and you may as well have just bought a Fridge Mate with the money you just lost on ingredients.