Need Strategy to Keep Fermentation Temp in Basement

[Leroy]

Hi everyone,

I need to start keeping my fermentation in the basement.  I live in Michigan, my basement stays around 65deg now, but it will get much colder in the upcoming months.  I’m not sure how much the temp swings as of yet.

I brew only ales right now.

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction to keep proper temp.  My basement is unfinished, so I have many options.

I was thinking about the electric fermenter wraps with a controller, and/or making myself an insulated chest-type container to help hold temp.

Thanks in advance.

[klickitat_jim]

My suggestion would be a fermwrap with a dual stage controller.  Dual can be used later when you buy a chest freezer…

[a10t2]

I built a chamber out of 1" foam insulation and duct tape. I use a little 200 W ceramic space heater to warm it, but almost anything would work. The advantage over something like a belt heater is being able to hold more than one fermenter.

[stevecrawshaw]

This is the cheap and easy way I do it. As long as your ambient temps are below your desired fermentation temp (which it sounds like they are) you will be good to go. A builders bucket and an aquarium heater is all you need. I would check the temperatures with a good quality thermometer because the gauges on the heater are not that accurate. But once it is at temperature it will remain stable as there is an internal thermostat. A 100W heater should keep a 20L batch at fermentation temps.
cheers
steve

[neddles]

@stevecrawshaw

This is the cheap and easy way I do it. As long as your ambient temps are below your desired fermentation temp (which it sounds like they are) you will be good to go. A builders bucket and an aquarium heater is all you need. I would check the temperatures with a good quality thermometer because the gauges on the heater are not that accurate. But once it is at temperature it will remain stable as there is an internal thermostat. A 100W heater should keep a 20L batch at fermentation temps.
cheers
steve

This exactly. A good 15 - 20 gallon bucket or rubbermaid container works great for a 5-6 gallon fermentation. He’s also spot on about the temp settings on the aquarium heaters… you need to work with them and a thermometer to get the temp right where you want it. If you have a temperature controller plug the aquarium into it and set it. This works perfectly for me in a cold N. Wisconsin basement.

[Stonecutter]

I have a similar issue, and I think the aquarium heater will probably work well during the winter (I’m in Southern Maine), but I’m not sure what to do in the summer to reliably keep the fermenter temperature from rising when the indoor temp gets to 75-80 F. Is a chest freezer the best option at that point? Can anyone provide links to specific product models?

[goschman (Iliff Ave)]

@Stonecutter

I have a similar issue, and I think the aquarium heater will probably work well during the winter (I’m in Southern Maine), but I’m not sure what to do in the summer to reliably keep the fermenter temperature from rising when the indoor temp gets to 75-80 F. Is a chest freezer the best option at that point? Can anyone provide links to specific product models?

If you are looking to do it on the cheap, an ice bath works surprisingly well although you have to babysit it and change out ice often.

[denny]

@goschman

If you are looking to do it on the cheap, an ice bath works surprisingly well although you have to babysit it and change out ice often.

I did that for nearly 15 years and it was very effective, if a bit fiddly.  I got a chest freezer about a year ago.  Obviously much more expensive, but easy and precise.  But the water bucket/ice pack method does work very well.