Which Temperature Controller To Buy?

[Diggles]

Have manage to score a good condition fridge that wasn't working, by-passed the thermostat and it came back to life So now I'm looking to buy a new temperature controller. Can anyone suggest a good one at a reasonable price?

 

[altstart]

The sponsors at the top of the page have a variety of temp controllers includeing some that both heat and chill this feature enables the temp to be held within one degree.
Cheers Altstart

 

[Supra-Jim]

If you only want to do one function (i.e heat or cool) then a fridgemate is your best bet. Or if you want a bit more functionality you can get a tempmate (heats and cools).

Check the site sponsors for pricings etc.

Cheers SJ

 

[chappo1970]

I swear by the tempmate, got 3 of them , simply make good value and sense as they can control both heating and cooling. If your new to brewing and not sure where this hobby/obsession is heading then I would recommend them because later on you can use it to control your mash or you lager fridge. Currently one control my fermentation fridge, one controls my electric urn HLT and the third one controls my heat exchange for my HERMS. 2c FWIW.

But do as others have said do some research and buy what suits you and your budget.

Chappo

 

[Dazza_devil]

I have a tempmate, best thing I ever purchased for my brewing.
You can get dual heat/cooling controllers off ebay already wired up and cheaper though. Real pain having to do the research and buy extras to box it, wire it up etc. I think my tempmate ended up costing me 120 bux or so after I had it operational plus the hours of muckin around. It was a buzz when it all worked though.

 

[AntCoop]

+1 to what Chappo has said above.

I personally went the Tempmate because its great to use all year round when the ambient temp outside fluctuates above and below the desired brewing temp you are using.
With the fridge for cooling, and a heating source inside the fridge it switches when it needs to without having to be manually changed like with the fridgemate. For one or the other only.

The tempmate has down to 0.5 degree variance so if its set at 18 degrees it switches at 17.5 to heat, and 18.5 to cool. can also be set with a lag timer (i have mine set at 10 mins) so the fridge does not constantly switch too fast causing burnout of the fridge cycling

Costs a little more but IMO worth it.

Cheers Coops :icon_cheers:

Edit - bad wording...wheres my Coffee!

 

[Frag_Dog]

I've built 2 TempMates, one for the keg freezer/fridge and one to do my HLT. Once you have them wired up they are great. Bit of stuffing around but worth it in the long run. Plus its nice to have the option to heat if need be.

 

[WarmBeer]

+1 on the Tempmate.

Well worth the additional couple of dollars, and pretty easy to wire up if you've got a bit of know-how (or a mate who has)

 

[gava]

+2

I swear by the tempmate, got 3 of them , simply make good value and sense as they can control both heating and cooling. If your new to brewing and not sure where this hobby/obsession is heading then I would recommend them because later on you can use it to control your mash or you lager fridge. Currently one control my fermentation fridge, one controls my electric urn HLT and the third one controls my heat exchange for my HERMS. 2c FWIW.

But do as others have said do some research and buy what suits you and your budget.

Chappo

 

[warra48]

Love my TempMate, definitely recommended.

Easy to wire up, but I strongly suggest you follow the threads and diagrams on this forum on how to do it.

 

[Dazza_devil]

Easy to wire up, but I strongly suggest you follow the threads and diagrams on this forum on how to do it.

That's what I did.


If you can bypass the thermo on your fridge you should be able to wire it up no probs. I hadn't any electrical background at all, didn't even know what a terminal box was and even had to buy a set of wire strippers. Mine's been runnin sweet for months now.

 

[mckenry]

Tempmate is the best.

Set mine up with two power points. Fridge in 1, heat pad in the other.
Brew sits on heatpad inside fridge. Turn both power points on, set and forget. Stable temps all the way.

Best investment yet. Especially good in climates like mine, where a day can start off with a frost and still reach high 20's.

Using a fridgemate alone, you can only control 1 temp, either turn on fridge when temp reaches X or turn on heat when temp gets down to X. If ambient temp is below setting (when on fridge) you just dont get up to required ferment temps and vice versa.

 

[Dazza_devil]

Brew sits on heatpad inside fridge.

I wouldn't sit my brew on the heatpad. Mine sits in the bottom of the fridge and not in direct contact. Too much heat on the yeast cake.

 

[muckey]

+1 for tempmate, need heating and cooling options here in Adelaide for fermentation.

If I were buying a temp controller for a keg fridge a fridgemate (cooloing only) would be more than adequate)

 

[Diggles]

+1 for tempmate, need heating and cooling options here in Adelaide for fermentation.

If I were buying a temp controller for a keg fridge a fridgemate (cooloing only) would be more than adequate)

Guys,
Thanks for the help, made my decision really easy, looks like Tempmate is the way to go.

 

[thunderchild]

Definitely tempmate

 

[Jonez]

If you only want to do one function (i.e heat or cool) then a fridgemate is your best bet. Or if you want a bit more functionality you can get a tempmate (heats and cools).

Check the site sponsors for pricings etc.

Cheers SJ

This may sound like a silly question, but why would you need to heat your fermenter inside your fridge?.is this for when the room temp is lower than desired? wouldn't it just be enough to set a minimum temp below which the fridge would stop. I am planning to get a controller and thought I would just get the fridgemate. Here in Brisbane I would rarely need to heat my fermenter I think.

 

[muckey]

This may sound like a silly question, but why would you need to heat your fermenter inside your fridge?.is this for when the room temp is lower than desired? wouldn't it just be enough to set a minimum temp below which the fridge would stop. I am planning to get a controller and thought I would just get the fridgemate. Here in Brisbane I would rarely need to heat my fermenter I think.

definately not a silly question. Here in Aelaide temp is getting down to single figures overnight which means that the temp drops too low for fermentation and a little warming helps to avoid stalling fermentation. In Brisvegas with the temps not getting so low overnight you probably dont have too many issues. I'm sure some of the locals can set you straight on that.

During summer when temps warm up the overnights are OK for ale ferments so only fridge needed.

hope that helps

 

[Jonez]

definitely not a silly question. Here in Aelaide temp is getting down to single figures overnight which means that the temp drops too low for fermentation and a little warming helps to avoid stalling fermentation. In Brisvegas with the temps not getting so low overnight you probably dont have too many issues. I'm sure some of the locals can set you straight on that.

During summer when temps warm up the overnights are OK for ale ferments so only fridge needed.

hope that helps

I see. I guess if you have your fridge outside the house that may make a lot of sense. If the fridge is inside and your house is well insulated, say your room temp is never less that 12C, then you would not need to heat the fermenter.
I don't want to hijack the thread, but am also considering buying a fridgemate at the moment.

 

[chappo1970]

I see. I guess if you have your fridge outside the house that may make a lot of sense. If the fridge is inside and your house is well insulated, say your room temp is never less that 12C, then you would not need to heat the fermenter.
I don't want to hijack the thread, but am also considering buying a fridgemate at the moment.

Horses and courses Jonezy

Do what you think best suits you.

I use the tempmate on my ferment fridge and run a "heater" (upside down clay pot with a 20w globe) during winter for ales as the temp easily drops to 5-9C at night where I live in BrisVegas. You would be surprised how cold it gets over night but anyway if your houses ambient sits with the 18 to 20C range over winter I wouldn't bother.

Chappo :icon_cheers: