climate control

[bangers]

As a newbie to home brewing I only have the basics which are a couple of fermenters,heat pads,capper,ect and a big dark cupboard in the garage to keep everything in! my fridge is stocked with the beers and ciders I've made so far which brings me to my point .I'm about to re arrange everything in my garage to accomidate my hb I have polystirene sheets that I thought I could use to make an insulated area for my fermenters,I've read that you can use an old fridge and use a temp right I think it was called to control the fermeners temp, if thats the case where can I get one? also have heard that if I wanted to make lagers all year round I would need a fridge that can run at 13 deg.finding second hand fridges is pretty easy am I better off getting fridges or building a new cupboard.

[ilovechocolate2002]

why not get an $8 timer(the ones that come in 15 min increments) and play around a bit ...try 6x 15 min intervals ON per day and see what this gives u?

[Kevnlis]

Problem with using a timer is that the wort changes the amount of heat it radiates as it progresses through the different stages of fermentation. Also the temperature surrounding the fridge will impact on how often the fridge needs to be on. I strongly suggest spending the money to get a Fridgemate and taking a bit of time to learn how to wire it up properly, or finding a mate who can. If you just want to ferment one fermentor at a time you could easily find a cheap little fridge to use.

http://craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=718

[Ross]

Totally agree with Kevnlis.

Get yourself a fride or freezer & a temperature controller. Using a timer to control temp, just doesn't cut the mustard.
The 2 most important things IMO to brewing better beer are, good ingredients & accurate temperature control.

cheers Ross

[TommyH]

And Ross will sell you everything you need

[beerdrinker]

The fridgemates awesome! i just got my 2nd fridge, going to get another fridgemate am planning on doing ales and lagers at the same time

[drsmurto]

My fermenting fridge died but i have been playing around with frozen bottles and can keep the temp at 16-18C with only 2 x 2L rotated every morning. That said i am able to borrow a mates fridge. Temp control, as Ross said, is the best thing you can do to improve your beers.

[scooter75]

A question from an ignoramus. This fridge mate thing, my understanding is if I have a working normal fridge, and connect one of these things to it, I can then have the fridge on but set the temp to be around what we need for a good constant brewing temp. Is this correct?

[Kevnlis]

That is correct Scooter, I have set my Fridgemate to hold temps ranging from -1C to 23C and it has worked perfectly!

[rwh]

1. plug fridgemate into the wall
2. plug fridge into fridgemate
3. set fridge thermostat to its lowest temp
4. put fridgemate's temperature probe in the fridge
5. set the temp on the fridgemate

Here's how it works: Fridgemate checks the temp in the fridge. If it's higher than its setpoint, it turns on the fridge. If it's lower than its set point, it turns off the fridge. This allows the fridgemate to give you any temperature between room temp and the minimum temp that the fridge can achieve.

[scooter75]

Thanks guys, does it bugger the fridge for future use? Like do you drill a hole in the fridge for the probe etc. I'm thinking of a day in the very distant future, after I am gone and my sons no longer wish to brew their own beer, or my wife secconds the fridge for food use.

[drsmurto]

No mods required scooter. wire slips inbetween door and seal.

[James L]

how high do you guys go with the fridgemate? i dont like the idea of using my fridge to brew at 18 or higher because of the thought of mould growing? what are your opinions/experiences?

That reminds me, our work is discarding an old incubator soon, and i really want to try to get my hands on it... It was made in the days before specifically made temperature controlled cabinets, so it looks like an old fridge, but its temps are exact anywhere between 5-50... Its has an old manual thermostat. It must be about 30 years old, but hasnt skipped a beat...

Might see if i can get my hands on it.. Dunno whats been in it, but nothing a spray of bleach and 70% ethanol wont fix.

[rwh]

I never get any mould growing in mine. Thing is, 18 degrees isn't low enough to get any condensation, so the inside of the fridge is too dry for the mould.

As for the incubator, sounds perfect!

[Kevnlis]

I give mine a wipe out every few brews and spray it with Iodophor. That seems to keep all the nasties from taking hold.