Attempting my 1st cold crash with a homemade fermentation chamber, using a dorm size frig. Chamber is big enough to hold a 7 gallon chronical and a heat lamp. After fermenting at 67 degrees I turned the controller down to 35 degrees. It took 36 hours to get down to 40.7 degrees and will not go any lower. Taking this long, do i bother to leave it for one to two days or do i just bottle now?
Are you using an external temp controller like a Inkbird? Definitely worth the small cost and they work very well. If not, let it sit for a week or so then package.
Yes, I have an Inkbird controller, I put the sensor in the thermo well. I guess I’ll leave it sit.
Personally, I don’t like to place the sensor in the thermo well. I place it in a pint mason jar filled with water which is going to gauge the temp of the refrigerator. It is my opinion that the ambient temp of you refrigerator is more important than the liquid temp of your beer. The liquid will soon cool down to the ambient temp. Also, you may need to adjust the temp gauge on the refrigerator to a higher setting. See if these two things help. Good luck!
40 is low enough . Proceed.
Lots of fridges, especially newer models, won’t get below about 38 to 40F. I cold crash at 42 and, although it takes and extra day or 2, that temperature works just fine. Just a thought: Be sure the thermostat on your fridge is set to the coldest setting. This allows the Inkbird control down to the maximum capability of the fridge.