DamianF Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Hi all, I have been quietly enjoying reading your posts over the last year and a bit. I have learned a lot and been entertained at the same time. I have a quick question about temperature control. I brew in a storage cage in the underground car park of our apartment building. In winter the cage is a fantastic steady 18C which is ideal for brewing ales. Over Summer, the temperatures can rise to the mid-20s. Not so great. I am trying to find a way of controlling the temperature of my Coopers DIY Fermenter. Before you all way in and tell me to get an old fridge and an STC 1000 - There is no power in the cage. I wish. I have also tried swamp coolers and the old wet t-shirt trick but with no circulating air, there is little temperature reduction. What I am looking at now is something like the "Cool-Brewing" product or trying to buy something similar. https://www.cool-brewing.com/ I'd love one of these coolers but they are $65 + $50 shipping to Australia. Does anyone know where I could get a large soft cooler that my Coopers DIY FV would fit into? Thanks Damian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I bought a second hand chest freezer for $50. It is well insulated and holds temp for 24 hours, perhaps something like that with some frozen PET bottles could be cheaper than a soft cooler? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 That's not a bad point actually. You probably don't need power to the fridge if you are just using it for cooling down a few degrees. A few frozen bottles in there will bring it down without having to turn it on. I've used a boiling flask of water in there in winter to warm it up when a batch has been bottled so it carbs properly too. Got it up to about 27 degrees when it was like 12 outside.[lol] I haven't heard of those things you linked to so can't really offer anything regarding them. [cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 interesting.. what ive been doing.. is a couple diferent things 60Litre plastic tub from bunnings/kmart for 10$, water and ice packs in the water. and switching out the water with chilled water from the fridge as well. but i did find the ice bricks melted quite quick this way. i went to the level of buying bags of ice when we had 3 days of 35-37 recently. and second option is just strapping the techni ice sheets to the fermentor with a belt and sticking a towel over it. this has actually been better so far. easier and less mess than the tub. but a large cooler bag would be awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 interesting.. what ive been doing.. is a couple diferent things 60Litre plastic tub from bunnings/kmart for 10$, water and ice packs in the water. and switching out the water with chilled water from the fridge as well. but i did find the ice bricks melted quite quick this way. i went to the level of buying bags of ice when we had 3 days of 35-37 recently. and second option is just strapping the techni ice sheets to the fermentor with a belt and sticking a towel over it. this has actually been better so far. easier and less mess than the tub. but a large cooler bag would be awesome! I just use the same type of tub with water and frozen bottles of water (tap water in used mineral water bottles). Sure the ice melts, but as it melts it cools the water and in turn the temp of the FV. You don't need to be obsessive and replace the ice each time it melts, just keep an eye on the thermometer, and replace the ice bottles if you see the temp creeping back up; otherwise you'll end up chilling it cooler and cooler until its too cool to ferment; though this is not such a worry if it's been more than a week, as primary should be done by then, and you're really just conditioning in the FV - at cooler temps this is called cold conditioning, or CC'ing. The risk you run if placing ice directly next to the FV is getting uneven temp and too rapid chilling; which if your still in the primary phase may stall your fermentation. The key is temperature control, which really means making sure it's in the right range for the yeast, and doesn't go up or down too rapidly; obviously it's a challenge to keep a brew cool in summer and warm in winter, but that's the price we pay for choosing brewing beer, rather than just purchasing stuff from a bottle shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I bought a second hand chest freezer for $50. It is well insulated and holds temp for 24 hours' date=' perhaps something like that with some frozen PET bottles could be cheaper than a soft cooler?[/quote'] That'll work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Hi DamianF & welcome to the forum. I did take a look at your link post, read some of the info there & watched the video. The product is basically an insulated bag that will adequately house a certain sized fermenter/bucket with a top-fitted airlock. Even then, the airlock is restricted from properly expelling C02 during fermentation. Insulation is an underrated aspect of being able to help control brew temperatures if brewing without refrigeration. It does have it's limitations though, especially early on when the yeast is creating heat as it ferments the brew wort. The video demonstration (provided in your link) conducts a test where the "brewer" wanted to maintain a brew wort temperature near 68\xb0F (20\xb0C), where the ambient temperature was only 78\xb0F (25.5\xb0C), almost like a very kind Spring day. The said brewer then used 2-3 frozen water bottles in conjunction with the insulation bag. With only a 5\xb0C difference between the ambient temperature & the wanted wort temperature, you wouldn't even need the bag! [whistling Try shifting the ambient temperature up into the 30-40\xb0C range & I'm almost sure it becomes almost completely useless. Besides that, with the zip lid closed I reckon it would create mould like issues, & with the zip lid open, for insulation purposes, is it really any better than a double folded & wrapped flannelette sheet! I doubt it. [roll] A very large insulated shopping bag is how I would describe the product. I'm not all negative though. [innocent] Check this older thread out. If you sift through the refrigeration based comments, & read the non-refrigeration based comments, I think you'll find the information there useful. [cool] Coopers Forum: Temperature Control Thread (started Nov. 2012) Cheers & good luck with your future brewing. Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilE1 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I use an aquarium heater when required Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 a little OT, but I use the ice method on my fish tank when it gets too warm; much cheaper than an aquarium chiller (which you'd maybe need for 30 days a year, and would set you back up to $1000! I can't imagine when temps would get cold enough to use an aquarium heater to keep your brew warm, but surely you'd have it in the tub with water, and not risk putting the actual heater in the FV?[unsure] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ3 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Hi Damian, I brew in the shed where it gets way to hot in summer to brew although I ferment in two fridges, I only use them for their insulation because the cost of electricity in a hot shed is ridiculous. My solution is to brew only from May to October when it is cooler, although I just finished a brew on Sunday because it has been cool in Adelaide. The problem with this is that you need to be able to store a years worth of beer somewhere where it doesn't get too hot. I'm lucky enough to be able to hold up to 11 brews which easily sees me through from late spring until Mid Autumn.[roll] [innocent] [sideways] [sideways] sorry not a years worth, probably 6 months storage. Enjoying this APA a bit atm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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