I have been using a swamp cooler for my 5 gallon slobber batch. It looks to be fermenting great. The water is 1/3 of the up on my fermonster. The stick on thermometer is at the top of the brew like right at the 5 gallon mark. I have been able to keep the wort between 62 and 66 for the most part but the water feels much colder. Should I have a thermometer in the water as well? I would hate for the bottom of the wort to be cold and the top fine. Thanks.
Check the water temperature if you can. 65°F water does feel very cool to me. I try to rinse my fermentors with cool water. The water is usually in the upper 70° range, warmer than what I want, when it feels very cool to the touch.
Good call in there thermometer. Checked the water in 3 different places and it was 66 degrees which is what the thermometer on my fermentor says as well. It definitely feels much cooler than that. Haha.
So how long will the ice bags last? Before you got to replace them. Me do use ice bottels
When I have done these measurements after visible fermentation is competed, I have found that wort temperature is the same as the stick-on thermometer.
I have also measured wort temperature once or twice during the first days of fermentation. In my situation (no swamp cooler, larger volumes of wort), with an ambient temperature of ~ 62*, the stick on thermometer shows ~ 64* and the wort term is ~ 66*. Once visible fermentation finishes (around day 4 after pitching yeast), the stick-on thermometer and wort temperature will read the same.
Usually last a while. The haven’t timed it. I work in a lab so we receive a lot of refrigerated items so i have an endless supply of ice packs. Haha.
I assumed the wort temperature was a little warmer than what the thermometer was showing. Thats why I tried to keep in on the low end of the temperature range for the yeast.
Reason got lots of these in my fridge. They do come with the yeast package