I picked up a Beverage Air counter top glass door fridge to use for a fermentation chamber. The 6 gallon carboy fits perfectly. I need advise on a good reliable tempature controlller for this unit. Mostly it need to control the refrigerator but in the winter I may need it to control a small heater too.
+1 This is a nice one and very affordable even if you buy two. Importantly, the sensor cable is a wire not a a thin tube that can be crimped and subsequently ruined.
I have two of the two stagers and the sensor is also a wire. Looks like two singles is cheaper though, however the ease of the attached outlet on the two stage is worth something. Check link for my setup.
The two stage thermostats are great. You might be able to get by with a single stage. I have a slightly different situation. One of my freezers is out in the garage; I use this freezer most often as a temp controller because it is in the same spot I brew. In the winter it gets cold enough in my garage to freeze. I switch the Johnson digital thermostat to heating and connect a heating blanket. I found the type of heating blanket without an auto-shut off and it works really well while using minimal power. When the weather gets warm enough in the spring then I switch the thermostat back to cooling and plug in the freezer.
I’m planning to buy a Ranco dual stage temperature controller so I can heat and cool using one controller. I also use Johnson A219 controllers for my kegerator and lagering chest which work very well. Either Ranco or Johnson are great choices.