Hillbilly temperature control

[markintopton]

Temperature control with a brewbelt and seed starter mat thermostsat. No thermowell.

 

[Sandy Feet]

Innovative, but anything in my house that isn't designed to use electricity in a specific way I am wary of. The refrigerator in my garage and plugging in my wife's hairdryer 3 or 4 times a day for a minute or two when it is cold is cheaper than the house burning down

 

[markintopton]

Innovative, but anything in my house that isn't designed to use electricity in a specific way I am wary of. The refrigerator in my garage and plugging in my wife's hairdryer 3 or 4 times a day for a minute or two when it is cold is cheaper than the house burning down

25 watts ? The controller is rated up to 1000 .

 

[GFHomebrew]

Temperature control with a brewbelt and seed starter mat thermostsat. No thermowell.
View attachment 27628

Awesome stuff man i do the same sorta thing in winter fermenting in a keg.

Use a 60W heat belt on an stc1000

Whatever keeps your ferm temps stable.

Hey on a similar vibe you ever herd of the bucket of death?

Even I havnt gone that far that's a plastic bucket with an electrical element in it for heating water and boiling!

I'll see if I can find It

https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/bucket-of-death.52958/post-749287

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

Nice! I did something similar when I first started. Your brewbelt is pretty close to your temperature probe. Could that cause the temp probe to give you a false high reading? More of a thought than a real concern. Have you ever checked the beer temp so see how close your bucket-wall temp matches the internal temp?

And welcome to the forum @markintopton!

 

[Donoroto]

Temperature control with a brewbelt and seed starter mat thermostsat. No thermowell.
View attachment 27628

Yeah, nothing wrong with that. I use the kind of heating pad you use for a sore back. Works great.

 

[markintopton]

Nice! I did something similar when I first started. Your brewbelt is pretty close to your temperature probe. Could that cause the temp probe to give you a false high reading? More of a thought than a real concern. Have you ever checked the beer temp so see how close your bucket-wall temp matches the internal temp?

And welcome to the forum @markintopton!

I thought about that, but my tilt agrees with the thermostat. Luck counts, too ! ( look at the attached photos)

 

[markintopton]

Awesome stuff man i do the same sorta thing in winter fermenting in a keg.

Use a 60W heat belt on an stc1000

Whatever keeps your ferm temps stable.

Hey on a similar vibe you ever herd of the bucket of death?

Even I havnt gone that far that's a plastic bucket with an electrical element in it for heating water and boiling!

I'll see if I can find It

https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/bucket-of-death.52958/post-749287

Looks intriguing. Might try something like it someday.

 

[Minbari]

Temperature control with a brewbelt and seed starter mat thermostsat. No thermowell.
View attachment 27628

If it works, it works!

Only thing I would do a an experiment. Set the Temp to 75degrees (or something hotter than ambient) and see if it will regulate as well.
With the temp probe on the outside, being insulated by the bucket, there may be an error you can't see when the set temp is nearly the same as ambient

 

[markintopton]

If it works, it works!

Only thing I would do a an experiment. Set the Temp to 75degrees (or something hotter than ambient) and see if it will regulate as well.
With the temp probe on the outside, being insulated by the bucket, there may be an error you can't see when the set temp is nearly the same as ambient

Monitoring the wort temp with a Tilt hydrometer. It agrees with the thermostat setting. (look at the attached photos). It is set above ambient, which admittedly fluctuates around ~ 62F.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I thought about that, but my tilt agrees with the thermostat. Luck counts, too ! ( look at the attached photos)

Looking closer at the 3rd picture I see you do have a Tilt. So as Emily Latella would say...."Nevermind".

 

[Ward Chillington]

Yeah...nothing wrong with that at all! Everything there is being used in a manner not dissimilar to its intended use!
The only thing that I do different than that is that mine's in a Styrofoam cooler!

Hey...It's better than a lightbulb in a paint can!