Fermenting on grain and temp control

Production methods from starch to sugars.

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Metalking00
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Fermenting on grain and temp control

Post by Metalking00 »

Ive been using yellow label yeast recently and i like the product Ive been getting. I use 30L fermenters with heat belts located about 3 inches from the bottom and the temp probe is taped to the side halfway up. i wrap everything in blankets to keep it more stable. When fermenting on grain, the grain settles and takes up a fair bit of the fermenter, preventing freeflow of convection currents. In addition to the blanket wrapping the fermenters, i also added one that goes over the top so that the entire interior area would be a more consistent temp overall.

I had the suspicion that the temp near the belts would be mich higher than the clear liquid area since the grains prevent freeflow of convection currents. I just got a really nice IR thermometer and decided to check. The temp difference between the top of the liquid and the area immediately above the belt is less than 1deg C. Thats much less than i thought it would be.

Seems that with good insulation, it really helps to even out the temp (obviously...). I mean much more than i thought it would. Plus theres the added benefit of more efficiency witht the belts.

Wrap em up!
Last edited by Metalking00 on Tue May 17, 2022 3:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
howie
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Re: Fermenting on grain and temp control

Post by howie »

is the probe and belt connected to a device like an Inkbird controller?
Metalking00
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Re: Fermenting on grain and temp control

Post by Metalking00 »

Yes, its on an inkbird and i keep the temp differential at 1 deg between on and off. It works better than I expected.
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TwoSheds
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Re: Fermenting on grain and temp control

Post by TwoSheds »

I've had good luck with a similar setup, an InkBird with a seedling mat. I tape the sensor to the front of the fermenter under a couple layers of mylar bubble wrap insulation (I forget the brand name for it) and wrap the heat mat around the back and insulate with old blankets. The liquid temp stays pretty consistent.
Metalking00
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Re: Fermenting on grain and temp control

Post by Metalking00 »

My probe is tucked into a Mr.clean magic eraser that i taped to the side. Seems to be a pretty good insulator.
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Deplorable
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Re: Fermenting on grain and temp control

Post by Deplorable »

I suspend my probe in the fermenter about 12 inches below the surface. The heat source is an electric heating pad under the 110l barrel. I use reflectix and milsurplus wool blankets to insulate, adding or removing based on ambient temps and the temperature of the ferment itself.
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