Fermentation Temp Control

[mcgster]

There are lots of options out there for fermentation temperature control, i have had a few questions about mine so i thought i would post and i look forward to seeing what other people do.

I have basically been doing my temp control the same way for the past 3 years of brewing, i used a tupperware container with an inexpensive aquarium heater plugged into the heat outlet on a STC-1000 that i assembled. This allows redundancy of temp control since the heater has a built in thermostat and so does the STC.

I have experimented with a few ways of doing temp control and this is by far the best for me. I had many heaters from my saltwater fish tanks so it made perfect sense. I also point a desk fan at it and am consistently able to get the water temp down to 64F if i want to ferment a bit cooler. At home in Saint John, i put a tupperware container in an unheated portion of the basement and i am able to lager at 50.

I have tried using thermowells, and taping the STC probe to the side of the carboy but i have found it makes no difference, the large mass of water effectively regulates the temperature in the carboy very well.

Newfoundland Setup:

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[mcgster]

Saint John Setup:

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[Bluefin 774]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for posting this with the photos, that helps quite a bit. I like the plastic tub idea. My last brew could have made a big mess when it overflowed through the air lock but it was averted by placing my fermenting bucket in a garbage bag before fermentation started. I think I will copy your setup.

[LeafMan66_67]

I have tried using thermowells, and taping the STC probe to the side of the carboy but i have found it makes no difference, the large mass of water effectively regulates the temperature in the carboy very well.

I've had the same experience with thermowell vs probe taped and insulated against the side of the carboy - negligible difference in readings.

[mumblecrunch]

Saint John Setup:

Mark, where did you get the project box you built that into? I haven't been able to find one easily that will fit an STC and outlets like that.

[mcgster]

The smaller project box is a Hammond 7.5"x4.3"x2.2" and the fit was tight but i definitely wanted to go smaller than the previous ones. The larger project box is a radio shack box that is 8"x6"x3".

I ordered a bunch of the smaller ones one day when the price dropped to 7.50 each, the larger one was 15 or so i think

[ErictheGreat]

The smaller project box is a Hammond 7.5"x4.3"x2.2" and the fit was tight but i definitely wanted to go smaller than the previous ones. The larger project box is a radio shack box that is 8"x6"x3".

I ordered a bunch of the smaller ones one day when the price dropped to 7.50 each, the larger one was 15 or so i think

In Halifax, you can get project boxes at Jentronics Limited 15 Weston Ct. Dartmouth, NS B3B 2C8 Canada. I'm not sure on the prices.