Measuring temp during fermenation

[Thrudd]

Hi guys,

As I slowly gather all my equipment, I've been pondering how people measure the temperature of their ferments?

I understand the stick-on thermometers are not reliable; and I have read that some people do not trust the temp setting on the aquarium heaters; and i am trying to avoid making a temp controlled chamber (trying to avoid the expense of a fridge and temp controller), do you guys just use a water proof temperature probe and dangle it in through the bung... or, do drill a thermowell?

However, if anyone has another suggestion, or you use one of the three i mentioned at the start, then I would still love to hear how people do it...

Kind thanks...

Pat

[The Stig]

I have never measured the temp :-B
In summer , 2 weeks is good , during winter a heat belt and 4 weeks :happy-partydance:

[Carol]

Hi Pat
I have found the baker's yeast to be pretty forgiving. With beer temperature can be issue and affect the taste. Does not seem so problematic with a wash.
Ordinary baking thermometer is fine for checking the temperature before you pitch the yeast if you are concerned it might be too hot.

I used a Heat belt or pad and/or wrapped in a blanket in winter.

Once you have run a few washes you will get a feel for the process.

Cheers
Carol

[Puk]

What i actually do is stick the temperature probe on the controller i have onto the sticky side of an A5-sized piece of 5mm self-adhesive e.v.a. boat flooring that i have, and stick it on the side of the fermenter. It has lost it's adhesive by now, so i hold it on with a cambuckle strap. I set the temp on the controller that the heat belt is plugged into, to 2 degrees higher than I want the liquid to be, to allow for the insulating nature of the fermenter wall, and let it go until it stops bubbling and the glad wrap that i have across the top drops down. Then i turn it off and let it sit for a week if i could be bothered, otherwise a bit shorter, and then siphon and run it.
Puk

[howard]

i use 2 x fermenting fridges, one is broken, one runs (i need a working fridge in summer, especially for beer).
both fridges are tall 'fridge only' fridges, bought cheaply on gumtree/marketplace.
i now use 30L pail-style fermenter with lids, which are easy to clean and stackable & not as tall as the other type.
all fermenters have a 50cm x 50cm piece of foam (duck-taped 3 sides with top open) to them about half way up, this provides a pocket to insert your preferred temperature probe.
that means the probe is against the fermenter and not affected as much by folk opening the door.
i also have 2 x inkbird itc-308 wi-fi controllers ($54 each)that have an app on the mobile, with lots of settings and temp trends etc (very easy to use)
a good bit of gear with a heatbelt and fridge* connected.
* be careful when using the inkbird to turn the fridge on/off, the correct settings will prolong the life of the fridge.
most listings for fridges will give you a make/model number, this can be googled to find if the internal dimensions to suit your fermenters.
having said that, i still ferment FFV al fresco at certain times of the year.
like stig, i don't usually watch FFVs, but rums can get quite hot in the early stages and of course, beer has to be kept at a very steady temp.

[Thrudd]

Thank you very much all for your help... I may have over-thought this part of the process :D

[oddian]

Mine's a little different.

I use two bucket buddies, both 35L. They have an inbuilt temp probe at the bottom and an element. Temp on both has been pretty reliable. I usually ferment at about 25 or so but when using a heat resistant yeast I like to ferment at nearly 40 and they do a good job in summer and winter. They don't cool but I haven't found this is an issue as I don't need to go down to sub 20s for beer. They are very easy to clean as well I've found compared to plastic.

[B-Man]

I use a rapt pill. chuck it in and just by gauging the temps I can normally work out when its done... I don't normally do any heating... (only run in the warmer months) I have tried keeping a ferment to a certain temp with aquarium heater but normally by the time I can run a wash its normally well overdue anyway so haven't bothered.