Reactor 8 gallon conical fermenter

Is this forum still alive? I just ordered the new reactor 8 gal. Conical Fermenter…seems like a nice set up for the money…anyone else try one yet?

Oh yes we are here… That’ll be a great piece of equipment if you were just fermenting in carboys… Easy to clean… I’ve something similar, but has a few mods to make life easier… Another cool tool for that fermenter is the tilt hydrometer…
Have you got a way to control yer fermenting temps?
Sneezles61

I’m looking at the tilt or the Plato ? The tilt goes inside and the Plato is the airlock type. I do not have a temp control…any affordable ways to do that?

I use the tilt… monitor the gravity AND the temp… no opening, or pulling samples….
Temp control can be a swamp cooler style, all the way up to a fridge with a controller… you mainly need to hold a temp during the first days of fermentation…
Sneezles61

The most affordable is a swamp cooler but it won’t work well with your conical. An old fridge and temp controller would work so affordability might depend on what you can get a fridge for.

My 12gal conical sits in front of a window a/c but I made the stand for it and it is very tall. Tall enough to put a 5gal cornie keg under to fill. The a/c can keep it in the 60s unless it is very warm out. Exact temps are almost impossible.

AND there is the glycol system… perhaps Loopie will come along and describe that gizmo… I’d believe, that’s like the Cadillac for fermenters…
Sneezles61

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Thanks everyone! I need to look more into temp control

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A thought… take a half gallon milk jug, cut a slot through the handle so it can hang on the fermenters handle, one on each side… then wrap a heavy blanket/towel around the whole kit-n-kaboodle to keep the cold in? I may try that with mine too!
Sneezles61

If you can run a glycol loop that is ideal. They’re more readily available now than the good ol’ days when I built one out of an old AC unit. To me temp control is the most important part of brewing. You can go buy the finest flour, sugar, and cherries for your pie but if you bake it at 500° it won’t turn out well.
If you can’t splurge on glycol then consider a cheap chest freezer with an external thermostat.

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