DIY Home Brew Controller ?

[Btech117]

On the MR. Beer Forum, Jim posted a cool link on how to build your own Homebrew Controller for a Ferment Fridge. Which I did build.
(Jim if ya still have that link, maybe add it i cant remmber it / nor can i find it on the MR Beer cluster ****)

I have a question - I have the fridge obviously pluged into the cooling side of the controll box, but durring the night the temps drop down below my 20 degreese that i set the controller to, so you sugested building a paint can fermenter heater. (Again with link ?) Which I did....

Now my question is can i plug the heater into the heat side of the box and the fridge into the cool side of the box to have both of them work (obviously not at the same time) But have the heater come on when the fridge goes below 20 and the fridge come on when its warming up above 20?

I believe the controll it self is a STC-1000 (reads in C. only)

I havnt pluged it into the controller yet as i have a American Porter brewing in there and dont want the temps to go nuts while i try to figure it out. Was hoping you or some other members have had expiriance with this type of thing

(Foot note: Nevada temps where im at for yesterday 92 deg F durring the day 40 Deg F durring the night ...... = Fridge too cold at night - Perfect durring the day.)

[RickBeer]

That's exactly the intent.

[Inkleg]

Now my question is can i plug the heater into the heat side of the box and the fridge into the cool side of the box to have both of them work (obviously not at the same time) But have the heater come on when the fridge goes below 20 and the fridge come on when its warming up above 20?

BINGO, the controller will turn on either the fridge or heater to keep it at your F1 setting. Within the variance of what you have F2(Difference set value) set at. I think mine is set at the 0.5c default.
So set at 20 the fridge will come on if the temperature reaches 20.5 until it's back at 20. If it goes to 19.5 then the heater will turn on until it reaches 20.
Hope that helps some.

[jimjohson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... FLykxs#t=7

not the same thread, but the same heater

http://brewstands.com/fermentation-heater.html

[Btech117]

Awesome Jim,

This helped me SOOO Much - Hope another newby like me can stumble upon it and get started - Temperature flux was my worst enemy for the first 3 batches until i started using this system in a fridge I got at a yard sale for 20 bucks! Cant believe how well my MR beer summer Sieason came out. Hope to move to 5 gallon buckets next ... but may need another fridge LOL

[SnakefetusBrewing]

Great idea on the paint can heater, Looks like I have a project this coming weekend

[SnakefetusBrewing]

So I recently brewed up a quick batch this past tuesday, I've been a little out of the brewing loop for a little bit, and I have jumped back in.
This batch is also the first batch I get to test out my giant chest freezer turned fermentation chamber with thanks to the STC-1000. Anyway, to add heat to the inside I have a small computer lamp with a 60W regular light bulb in it. I was wondering if the light given off by the lamp being periodically on would contribute to skunking the precious beer I have inside...I am fermenting in I believe a 10 gallon plastic bucket that does not keep light out what so ever.

Thoughts / Feelings from The ?

[Brewbirds]

I think most folks put the bulb in a coffee/paint can from the posts I've seen in the past but as far as skunking that I believe is from UV rays.

[jimjohson]

So I recently brewed up a quick batch this past tuesday, I've been a little out of the brewing loop for a little bit, and I have jumped back in.
This batch is also the first batch I get to test out my giant chest freezer turned fermentation chamber with thanks to the STC-1000. Anyway, to add heat to the inside I have a small computer lamp with a 60W regular light bulb in it. I was wondering if the light given off by the lamp being periodically on would contribute to skunking the precious beer I have inside...I am fermenting in I believe a 10 gallon plastic bucket that does not keep light out what so ever.

Thoughts / Feelings from The ?

Just scroll up and build the paint can heater (fermentation heater) uses the bulb w/out uv being able to skunk the beer

[SnakefetusBrewing]

I will be making the paint can heater in the near future, was just wondering about the possible effects on the current beer I am making. Time will Tell

[jimjohson]

imo, i'd put a towel over the beer to block light. (it can't hurt)

[nighthawk]

How are you guys measuring the temperature for the controller? Are you taping the probe to the side? Do you have it immersed in a bottle of water that's in contact with the fermenter? I've been using a cheap room thermometer with a wireless probe next to the fermenter, but I found out that when it read 71F, the actual wort temp I measured with a thermometer was closer to 81F. Has anyone done direct wort temp measurement with a wired/wireless probe? I'm thinking about modifying my LBC to accept the wired probe on my temp controller. Any input would be helpful.

[RickBeer]

I've read that people tape it to the side of the fermenter, below the liquid line, and then cover it with a facecloth folded over to insulate the reading from the outside air.

It's also imperative that you're using the system as it's intended, to control the temperature of the wort. Therefore, many put wort in and let it sit for 24 hours to come to temperature, then attach a probe, so you're not getting wide temperature swings. It's not intended to lower 80 degree wort to 65, you start with mid 60s wort and keep it there.

[DaYooper]

A plain old light will not hurt the beer as it does not produce light in the UV skunking bandwidth. What the paint can does is help not waste the light by having a metal surface to absorb and radiate the heat. Or so SWMBO doesnt wonder what that shiny light is and keep turning it off to "safe electricity."

[jimjohson]

[quote="RickBeer"]I've read that people tape it to the side of the fermenter, below the liquid line, and then cover it with a facecloth folded over to insulate the reading from the outside air.

this is what I do, using paper towel. let the stc control the wort temp instead of the air temp.