Hello I use a dual temperature controller on my chest freezer. So my question do I need to use both cooling an heating to combat the residual cooling cause by the freezer. Like for example let say I want to fermenter my beer at 65f now I know I set my controller to 65f on the cooling side but if it’s needed what should I set the heating to so it does not cause ping pong effect meaning where the cooling/heating are causing my freezer to run non stop.
It won’t control both heating and cooling at the same time… Either you’re using it to keep things cool or to keep things warm… There are some controls parameters that need to be set… I’ve a Johnson and it has a short cycle parameter… Which means it won’t allow your freezer/heater to turn on and off without some lapse of time… Mine is set at 10 minutes… Then there is a temperature limit… It is designed to respond within a set degree/celsius… Mine is set at 2 degrees… Remember, the unit won’t turn on for 10 minutes after its reached its set point… Since mine is downstairs, I don’t have wild temperature swings so these settings work just fine for me… Look at your manual… or perhaps you’ll need to find that online. Sneezles61
Each setup is going to be different. My chest freezer is in the basement which is around 60°. A little low for where I like to start fermentation and let it rise. I find after active fermentation 60° is a little too cool to let it rise.
I have a couple inkbird dual controllers. This last batch I think I found a perfect system for my fermentation profile. I chill the wort down to 64° and pitch. Place it in the chest freezer with one temp controller probe taped to the side of the fermenter to keep it from reading air temp. This controller is only hooked up to the chest freezer in the cooling plug.
Then I hang the other controller probe to read air temp inside the chest freezer and plug a Lasko My Heat into the heating side of the controller so both heating and cooling are on 2 different controllers.
Set the wort temp controller to 64° maybe +/- 3° to let it start off before it over shoots cooling in the beginning. I set the air temp to about 65° +/- 1° which keeps the heater from staying on too long. Then I have to play with it a little once I notice the wort temp rising to 65° I’ll tighten the cooling differential to combat active fermentation. Then I’ll increase heat differential so it doesn’t try to fight cooling. Then once I notice it slow down I’ll adjust cooling again and let air temp around 67° to let it finish.
Sounds like a pain but it works for me. If I just use one controller I can only monitor either wort temp or air temp. Which one works for cooling but trying to use a heater with wort temp makes the heater stay on too long and then it makes it over cycle between heat and cool. Or just overheats the space heater and makes it shut off. That way too I don’t have to move the temp probe to air temp after and I can see the wort temp at the same time. Also I can verify the wort temp reading vs air temp in chamber. That the insulated probe on the fermenter isn’t picking up air temp.
I use my inkbird for both modes… I have the freezer plugged into it for cooling and a small ceramic cube heater for the heating. It seems to hold within the hysteresis that I set. right now the basement is about 60 or sometimes 55 so I am fermenting an ale at about 67… so it just maintains the heat and really does not overshoot enough to trigger the freezer, at least that I can see. When in cooling mode I think I have had issues where the heater had to kick on to prevent over cooling… but this may be that I put the probe in the wrong place. I had it sitting in a small container of water with a hole punched in the top to hold the sensor. Now I just took the probe and laid it on top of the fermenter and I control the inside temp of the freezer. seems to work fine and I can read the temp strip stuck to the side of my brewbucket to come up with my own k factor.
