Brew Fridge Questions

[Muz0415]

Hi, first of all I’m new to the forum and have only brewed kits so far so go easy on me

I have been brewing kits for about a year and am now thinking of moving on to AG brews. I have recently been given an under counter fridge for free so thought I might as well turn it in to a brew fridge. I have done a decent amount of research but there’s an absolute minefield of information so I just have a couple of questions that those more experienced could answer.

1.) I have seen most people are using heater tubes in their setups, I have an old heat mat that I bought in the winter, is there any reason why I should avoid using this as a replacement?

2.) I will probably be using an ITC-308 for temp control. Does anyone have any tips on the settings for this?

My normal brew spot has got a bit too warm with all this nice weather, so I’m really looking forward to being able to brew again!

Cheers in advance

 

[Galena]

I set mine to +/- 0.3 or 0.4 and that seems to work and I have the compressor delay set to 3 minutes so that it does not cut in and out too much, not had it long but it has proved a good setup to me. I use a 40w tube heater, I think quite few people use a heat mat without problem.
You will need to put the Inkbird thermostat attached and insulated to the FV or another bottle to prevent fluctuating temperatures

 

[cushyno]

Welcome to the forum.
In short, a heat mat or belt will work to heat the FV. However a more gentle raising of temperature from ambient temperature inside the fridge will be better, that way you get a more consistent temperature over the full surface of the FV rather than in just one spot from the heat mat (at the bottom where your dying yeast sits).

Cooling in a fridge happens through radiation, convection and conduction. You want the same to occur from your heat source rather than having hotspots and temperature gradients in your FV.

I use a lightbulb in an old pan as a heater. I have read of people using a lightbulb in an old paint tin too. So long as you get heat without light on the FV, you're good.

 

[Muz0415]

Welcome to the forum.
In short, a heat mat or belt will work to heat the FV. However a more gentle raising of temperature from ambient temperature inside the fridge will be better, that way you get a more consistent temperature over the full surface of the FV rather than in just one spot from the heat mat (at the bottom where your dying yeast sits).

Cooling in a fridge happens through radiation, convection and conduction. You want the same to occur from your heat source rather than having hotspots and temperature gradients in your FV.

I use a lightbulb in an old pan as a heater. I have read of people using a lightbulb in an old paint tin too. So long as you get heat without light on the FV, you're good.

Yeah the heat being applied directly to the FV was my main concern with using the mat, Will definitely look in to lightbulb or heating tube options as the main reason for my fridge setup is to maintain a consistent temp. Out of interest, what’s the best setting for the fridge’s thermostat?

 

[Muz0415]

I set mine to +/- 0.3 or 0.4 and that seems to work and I have the compressor delay set to 3 minutes so that it does not cut in and out too much, not had it long but it has proved a good setup to me. I use a 40w tube heater, I think quite few people use a heat mat without problem.
You will need to put the Inkbird thermostat attached and insulated to the FV or another bottle to prevent fluctuating temperatures

Ahh spot on! That’s exactly what I’m looking for. Good to hear it’s working for you! I’ll set mine up as you have yours and I’ll see how I get on. Thanks!

 

[Tanglefoot]

Moved up the home brewing evolutionary ladder today when I set up my new brew fridge today.
Am using an inkbird with the heat belt I've been using on previous brews in an insulated cardboard box.
I reamed out the drain plug to fit both leads.

I haven't got a brew in it yet, ironically the celotex box option has been keeping a steady 20C on it's own
quite easily but looking forward to being able to cold crash after dry hopping.

 

[Muz0415]

Moved up the home brewing evolutionary ladder today when I set up my new brew fridge today.
Am using an inkbird with the heat belt I've been using on previous brews in an insulated cardboard box.
I reamed out the drain plug to fit both leads.View attachment 29504View attachment 29505
I haven't got a brew in it yet, ironically the celotex box option has been keeping a steady 20C on it's own
quite easily but looking forward to being able to cold crash after dry hopping.

Nice! Looking good! Mines all set up now and running well with the Inkbird and using a heat mat as the heat source. First brew went in on Thursday and every time I’ve checked the temp has been within range, normally not even heating or cooling. So seems to be working spot on. Really looking forward to being able to cold crash after fermentation too, not something I’ve been able to do before. Trying all grain for my next brew so looking forward to being able to control the temps!

 

[Baz Chaz]

Before I set up my "brewfridge" I asked the question on the forum re the inkbird ..... "is it really that simple" ..... and the answer is a resounding yes!

Brewed on Wednesday, set inkbird at 30 deg (Kveik yeast enough said) could hear the airlock bubbling away with the door shut! Checked gravity this morning, down to target already, altered temp on inkbird to 4 deg, simple!

I'm not comfortable with electrics, can do basics, change the odd fitting or two etc, but the inkbird is just brilliant and the connection needed was easy and more to the point, safe to do.

 

[Muz0415]

Before I set up my "brewfridge" I asked the question on the forum re the inkbird ..... "is it really that simple" ..... and the answer is a resounding yes!

Brewed on Wednesday, set inkbird at 30 deg (Kveik yeast enough said) could hear the airlock bubbling away with the door shut! Checked gravity this morning, down to target already, altered temp on inkbird to 4 deg, simple!

I'm not comfortable with electrics, can do basics, change the odd fitting or two etc, but the inkbird is just brilliant and the connection needed was easy and more to the point, safe to do.

The inkbird has made the whole process so simple and it’s so simple to use! Saw a lot of recommendations for the STC-1000 and whilst I would be comfortable wiring it all up, when you consider the price difference it doesn’t make much sense not to go with the inkbird, for my setup at least.

I have used strong double sided sticky foam stuff to stick the controller and the control sockets on to the side of our larger, garage fridge freezer (which Is right beside) so it all looks neat and I can easily change temp settings etc.

Didn’t feel the need to bore any holes as the cabling for the temp proble and the heat mat is so thin, it fits through the door seal without any major gaps, fridge holds the temperature just fine. Definitely going to switch to a tube heater at some point though. As @cushyno mentioned above, better to heat the ambient temperature in the same way the fridge does, than to apply the heat directly to the FV.

No rush for that though, just had a check a minutes ago and it’s bang on target, 19 degrees not heating not cooling. So working perfectly!