Nick Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 i just bit the bullet and ordered one of these bad boys on ebay. i remember BillK posting a handy wiring diagram but i cant find it. can you post it again please Bill. i intend to only wire up the cooling side as up hear it never gets cold rnough to worry about heating. also lads, any tips, tricks and pics would be appreciated.[biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 For the matter of a few wires I would still wire up both heating and cooling while you are working on it. I bet my bottom dollar that you will use it one way or the other sometime in the future. Maybe not tomorrow or next year BUT, when this happens you will look back and say to yourself,"I should have done it as BillK suggested". hehehe..... Give me a sec and I'll hunt down a few links for you... Here is the wire diagram you wanted... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Why not wire up the whole thing? Much easier to do it all in one hit than come back and try and figure it out again later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 To give you a couple of ideas... Here is my first one: Unfortunately I haven't taken a pic of my 2nd one yet and can't right now. But Here is a good link for you to read and check out my 3rd one [kissing] Linky Post no.5, which is in the above link, lists and provides links to all the parts I used for my 3rd edition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainiac Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I bought a STC 1000 (not here yet)and plan on making a heated/cooled box for my fermenter. The problem here is it gets very cold in winter it can get as low as -40c and go days with out hitting -17c. My basement gets very cold so cooling now is not an issue it is the heat. What is everybody using for a heat source? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 A lot of people just use a light. I use a Reptile Heat Cord I got from Ebay. They are cheap, safe and very versatile for where one might put it. I have mine running down the back of the fridge then curled around a shelf under the fermenter. I have 1 x 15w in one fridge and the bigger fridge has a 25w. Given your temps I would probably opt for a 30w one if you are to go this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Hi Nick. When your STC-1000 arrives, you will need to go & purchase a standard 3 metre extension cord & an electrical box to encase it all in. Cut the extension cord in half & peel off a segment of the outer rubber/plastic insulation to expose the inner wiring. The photo below is how mine is wired up (for cooling only) & shows you how to wire the input & output power source from the two halves of the extension cord into the STC-1000. If you eventually want to add-in the heating side of the temperature control, you will need to follow BillK's diagram. I'm not an electrician's backside, but it was a piece of cake to wire it up. A little tedious at times but very straight forward. It's that simple. I Hope that helps. Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainiac Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 BillK, I have used a string of Christmas lights in the past and it works good but I have wondered if the light is bad for the beer. I use the diy fermenter most of the time and occasionally a glass carboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 You can also mount it in the fridge door - my mate did that - and wire the cool output straight into the fridge thermostat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 You can also mount it in the fridge door - my mate did that - and wire the cool output straight into the fridge thermostat. Yes you can certainly do this but if you have limited knowledge about electrical wiring then I would suggest not to do it as you are playing around with enough volts/amps that will cause quite a bit of health issues... i.e. like possible death. Not only this but if you want to use it for something else then it would be a PITA to relocate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 BillK, I have used a string of Christmas lights in the past and it works good but I have wondered if the light is bad for the beer. I use the diy fermenter most of the time and occasionally a glass carboy Light is never good for beer. However, I imagine the Xmas lights will work ok but I'd be cautious as there are a lot of individual connections (bulbs) that could possible cause faults. I had troubles with one light bulb so personally I wouldn't risk a heap of them even though they are a lot smaller. Not only this but usually if 1 Xmas bulb blows then the whole lot wont work until it is replaced. A Reptile Heat Cord is permanent and no need to replace anything making it very cost efficient over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregT5 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I just use a light mounted in a terracotta plant pot. There is another pot upside down on top. The globe warms up the pot. The only light that gets out is through the hole in the top (bottom) of the top pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Does anyone use a heat pad in their brew fridge for times of the year where heating is required? I have one, & have used it successfully in the winter months dealing with ambient temperature issues. Is it suited inside a brew fridge with a temp controller? Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 I use a heat pad in the fridge hooked up to a controller. I sit it on a shelf about 20-30 cms below the FV. The FV sits on a wooden shelf I made. I did have it sitting on the wire fridge shelf for a while but it was an accident waiting to happen. It works fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted November 16, 2012 Author Share Posted November 16, 2012 thanks all, especially Bill and Lusty for the pics. i will get down to Jaycar for a jiffy in the morning and start the project. i grabbed some connectors and a powerpoint from work today, so i will be ready when the stc1000 turns up. i want to brew another lager guzzler this weekend, but i think i'll be patient and stick with an english stout while its so warm ATM. i have had Scotties Stella IPA on the go and have had success keeping the temp down a bit with a wet towel, but its still 22 degrees. Cheers[lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Get a Dremel from somewhere if you can. I bought one to do my 3rd one with and only wish I had done so a lot sooner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Hi Hairy. I use a heat pad in the fridge hooked up to a controller. I sit it on a shelf about 20-30 cms below the FV. The FV sits on a wooden shelf I made. I did have it sitting on the wire fridge shelf for a while but it was an accident waiting to happen. It works fine. My FV also sits on a wooden shelf I made up to safely hold the 23L weight. My brew fridge doesn't have a lot of spare space outside the FV dimensions. I have enough clearance above the airlock that my heat pad could slip directly under the FV on the wooden shelf. I certainly couldn't allow the gap that you do between your heat mat & the FV. I am more than curious, is there any particular reason why you have that gap between the FV & the mat? Also, how did you deal with the 240v cord thickness exiting the fridge to your temp controller? Does it cause problems with the door seal or have you re-directed some other way? Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 The gap is about 20cm and the reason I have that is because I can. I have a fridge without a freezer compartment so I have plenty of room. I didn't want the heat pad sitting right under the FV and heating up the trub. I just wanted to warm the air in the fridge. The cord leaves a slight gap in the door seal but it doesn't seem to cause a problem. Also the cord on my heat pad isn't really that thick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 I didn't want the heat pad sitting right under the FV and heating up the trub. I just wanted to warm the air in the fridge. Are there negative issues by placing a heat source that close to the trub? I personally wouldn't have thought so given that the heat source inside a brew fridge would be engaged at operating temperatures between say 9\xb0 minimum & 19\xb0C maximum. If there are related issues to applying a heat pad in this way at those temperatures, I would certainly appreciate knowing what they are before the onset of winter next year. [unsure] Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted November 16, 2012 Author Share Posted November 16, 2012 what happens with the freezer compartment if the temperature setting is 18 deg for example? is it still frozen in there or just cold? my fridge is fairly old so it wont have separate temp zones. its a good one because the freezer is on the bottom, so my FV will be about bollock height, so i can sit it on the bottom of the fridge and just shift it forward at bottling time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 what happens with the freezer compartment if the temperature setting is 18 deg for example? is it still frozen in there or just cold? my fridge is fairly old so it wont have separate temp zones. its a good one because the freezer is on the bottom' date=' so my FV will be about bollock height, so i can sit it on the bottom of the fridge and just shift it forward at bottling time. [/quote'] Bollock height. It might be the right height to bottle but it depends on how far your bollocks hang down [innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Hi Nick. [happy] Trust in the temp controller Nick. The freezer compartment will play NO part in the overall temperature of the fridge. [wink] Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Are there negative issues by placing a heat source that close to the trub? Anthony. You really do not want heat direct on the trub.... heating through the trub can cause unwanted flavors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 what happens with the freezer compartment if the temperature setting is 18 deg for example? is it still frozen in there or just cold? The freezer cycles on and off as the fridge turns on and off from the mains plug to the fridge. The freezer wont have a chance to freeze over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 what happens with the freezer compartment if the temperature setting is 18 deg for example? is it still frozen in there or just cold? The freezer cycles on and off as the fridge turns on and off from the mains plug to the fridge. The freezer wont have a chance to freeze over. Like hell it won't freeze over. Yeah, that's right [unsure] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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