Reddit mentions of Lerway 110V All-Purpose STC-1000 Dual Stage Digital Temperature Controller Thermostat with Sensor

If you have basic wiring skills you can do it for less than $20 (if you already have a analog/basic crockpot)

STC-1000 on Amazon.com Elitech 110V All-Purpose Temperature Controller+ Sensor 2 Relay Output Thermostat Stc-1000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_jq0Wub1M7MB25
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_jq0Wub1M7MB25

That's probably the cause of your weird flavors. Yeast need to be kept around an ideal temperature or they start pumping out lots of not so pleasant flavors. It sounds like you already know that though, so good luck with your fermentation chamber!

Lots of us use an older chest freezer with a cheap temperature controller such as the STC-1000. Other people that don't have room or the money for that use a tote filled with water and then add bottles of ice to keep the temps down. Both will work, but the freezer is a lot more hands off.

Probably here. That's where I got mine.

Guess I can give a short one.

Buy a craigslist chest freezer. Make sure you can fit your fermenter in it (mine fits 2.) Think I spent $50 on an old GE. One 7.9 gallon bucket fits on the hump, the base fits either a carboy or another bucket.

Buy this - http://www.amazon.com/Elitech-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2

Buy this - http://www.amazon.com/Lasko-100-Personal-Overheat-Protection/dp/B00ATY1OXY

Buy a project box and either a duplex outlet or 2 outlets, and some wire. Wire it up per the diagram on top of the STC1000 (it's very easy.) Plug stuff in, tape the probe to the side of the fermenter. I keep the heater off unless I want it to run so that it isn't fighting the compressor to keep it in range. I've checked it against my thermometer in the beer, it's within 1 degree just by taping it on the side with a dry washcloth taped over the probe. Run one neutral wire to all the places it needs to go.

You can remove the freezers thermostat and wire the STC1000 directly to it, but don't bother. You won't be getting cold enough for the stock thermostat to ever mess with anything. Just plug the freezer into the correct outlet and the heater into the other one.

P.S. Here's a diagram I found. If you do it this way break the tab so the two sides are separate. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/500/medium/STC-1000_outlet_wiring.jpg

Not to ruin the maker fun, but something like this is only $13.

I use these. They work great and they're only 14 bucks.

Here's what you should do with it: Get a temperature controller unit like this, wire it up to an electrical outlet, and plug plug the smoker into it.

This will allow you to customize temps up to 212F. Then, get a cold smoke generator, put it in there, and you've got a temperature accurate cold smoker.

The unit itself is currently $17.04 on amazon. I spent $11 on the box, $16 on a 15ft 15amp extension cord, and maybe $3 on the outlet and plate. Total cost = $47 or so.

Absolutely the STC-1000. They are very cheap on Amazon. (queue pricezombie)

I just did one myself. I posted it in the Monday Forum here with some pics and details.

I'm using mine already now. I didn't do any sort of airlock or anything in it. I think it will work fine. The only real place anything can escape is the small hole I drilled in the compressor hump to feed the probe into the chamber. Even if that is silicone'd though, don't worry about the seal.

I have this one. I can fit two 5 gallon carboys in there or one 8 gallon. There's a small ledge on the right side which prevents me from fitting two 8 gallons carboys. There is tons of room for bottles, though, and even 2 baskets which hang you could put bottles in.

I got this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVCPH2/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
To control the temp, which works well as well.

Where is your fermentation chamber? How cold does the room get during the winter?

Amazon has a STC-1000 for cheap now

I bought the Lerway 110V All-Purpose Temperature Controller for $15 and have had great success with it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVCPH2

http://www.amazon.com/Elitech-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2/

Mind the 110v vs 220v before buying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I-iwFLykxs

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

You can look at my recent post to see how mine is coming. I am doing it with a new 7.1 igloo that I got from best buy for about $200 tax included. I bought a 3 tap system from kegconnection with a dual regulator and all stainless hardware and perlicks. That came to about $370, which is a lot BUT everyone recommends it, and if you're going to fucking do it, you might as well fucking do it right.

I probably spent close to $100 on materials for the collar, BUT this is my first real project and I didnt have a lot of tools/screws/misc stuff around to put that together so about $30 of that would go there.

I got a temp controller on amazon for $16 and an extention cord at home depot for ~$10, and have some leftover electrical accessories from my previous TC build so YMMV there.

I bought these dehumidifiers on amazon for $32

I bought two converted ball lock kegs from cornykeg.com for $100 with shipping and it was a breeze to clean them even thought they said they would be cleaned already.

I then got a 10lb steel air tank from adventures in homebrewing for $60 which I thought was a steal (steel hehe).

So this puts me close to $900. Which is $300 less than a very DIY-spirited blog post like this says it will cost. Sure I havent bought the last two kegs, but I then would still be $200 short of it.

There are some suggestions by the other guys in here that will save you money, and I'd say that my attempt is a little bit of combining both.

Hope I was some help!

I just did this, literally last week!

• I got this off Amazon for $18 shipped
  
  
• then you'll need a short extension cord, like this
  
  
• you'll want to cut the extension cord somewhat in half, and separate the three wires. You may actually want to cut about 8-12 inches of the wires off, unless you have extra wire around.
  
  
• I've made a wiring diagram to show you how I wired mine up.
  
  
• set the device (i think) by holding the S button and pressing up or down to desired temp. There is only a Celsius setting. I have mine at 19.9 which is 68 F. Once it is above 19.9 deg for 3 minutes, the freezer kicks on and it usually drops to about 19.2-19.4 C (66-67F). It goes on maybe once every 2 hours for a minute or so.
  
  It is pretty easy just takes a little patience.
  
  
  
  

No, this is something you would hook into a solid state relay and a heating element, better used for something like an electric kettle. You want to pick an STC-1000, which will require you to wire something up, or you can buy a pre-built unit like the Ranco if you dont want to build something yourself.

Yup, that'll work perfectly for you. As long as everything else runs when the thermostat is bypassed, the STC-1000 would work. All it's doing is cutting power to the fridge when cooling isn't needed, so it's basically plugging/unplugging it as needed.

Just permanently bypass the thermostat and either wire the STC-1000 in directly or put an outlet on it that the fridge can plug into. Should work just fine. The most difficult part of the job depending on your setup would be getting the STC's temperature probe into the fridge. Mine comes in the top with the beer lines and is taped to the side of the keg so it's monitoring the beer temp more than just the air in the fridge.

Here's the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/Lerway-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2. Should be the one you need assuming you live in the US.

Here it is: http://i.imgur.com/RY7BqXD.jpg

It's basically an STC-1000 in an enclosure I got from Home Depot, hooked up to a crock pot I got for our wedding. It cost about $40 in total and has yet to shut off randomly. :-)

It was 19 x 32 x 39 and use a stc 1000 temperature controller after 3-4 months I got a 18 cf fridge off CL and trashed the son of a fermentation chiller but keep the stc 1000.

Homebrewers use these to control temps in fermentation chambers.
http://www.amazon.com/Elitech-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407875219&sr=8-1&keywords=stc-1000

fixed the link

If you want to go cheaper than the Johnson Controller, you can get yourself one of these and DIY. Since you're comfortable with some handy skills, this should fairly easy. Tons of tutorials online and will save you about $50 or more!

Amazon. Simple and nice enough (in Celsius but whatever!)

I've got a nice insulated cab built for my chamber. Just waiting for the right mini fridge to pop up on craigslist and I'm going to slap it on the side of the cabinet. Do you have one of these? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVCPH2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I really want to get into kegging. I have a chest freezer that I can convert, and I have watched some videos about that, but the main thing I'm unsure about is the kegs themselves (and the parts that go along with it). What kind of keg do I want to get? Is there a list of parts that I need? What's a decent price for a keg? I was trying to see if there were some cyber monday deals that I could jump on, but I feel so out of my depths when it comes to this.

Edit: by the way I got this temperature controller already, but aside from that and the chest freezer itself I have/know nothing.

It's not stupid at all. If you have a chest freezer, you are ahead of the game.

The temp controller has an outlet for cooling, and another for heating. You plug your freezer into the cooling one, and something else (heating pad, light bulb in a can, etc) into the heating one. You then attach the temperature probe to your fermentor (I tape mine down with some foam insulation around it so that I don't measure air temp).

You set the desired temp, and when the beer is warmer than that (give or take a degree or so), the freezer comes on. When the desired temp is met, the outlet goes dead, and the freezer goes off.

An STC-1000 costs like $15. Get a project box, stick it in there with the outlets, wire it up. Takes 15, 20 minutes to set up, and there are tons of tutorials online.

This approach came up on the Facebook group:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F3PBX7J

And control the temperature using one of:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E9IO6N0
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVCPH2

If I do this, I'd personally use an ESP32 microcontroller instead as I have those and like playing with them.

Nice. How about https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVCPH2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

To permenantly maintain it at that temperature? I use one to keep a freezer at 0 degrees Celcius for kimchi and meat.

For $20 this is pretty popular from what I understand, if you are willing to delve into your electronics.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVCPH2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Response to your question: I think delving into belgian beers would provide a ton of room for experiment and they are really great summer beers in my opinion. Also, maybe doing some spice/nut additions to normal beers. Maybe just go through all the ale styles and pick out something that you would normally never make. I did that and ended up brewing a dortmunder lager which is pretty tasty but not my normal go to.

Question on your question: Can you not lager because of lack of equipment or you just have no interest in it? If you have the space and few extra dollars, you can get into lager for pretty cheap. Get on craigslist and find a big enough dorm fridge or even find a fridge that someone is getting rid of because they've upgraded. Ask around and you'll probably find something for $50 or less easily. Then go get yourself a temp controller for less than $20 (you can also find them on ebay). Follow this build guide and wiring guide along with a box of some sort. Less than $100 spent easily.

http://www.amazon.com/Lerway-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426563423&sr=8-1&keywords=temperature+controller

its on 120v controller, that's why I used 2 transformers. I guess if i got a 12v controller i would have no issues then?

I use these for home brewing. They work great. I believe it has a wire break cutout.

Do you have a thermostat and if not have you considered getting one?

http://www.amazon.com/Elitech-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1368237703&sr=1-1&keywords=thermostat+stc-1000

I would also increase the size of the hole from your tower to your cold storage. Keeping your lines cool will reduce your foam. Speaking of foaming, do you have any issues with that? If so did you equalize the pressure with beer line length and resistance?

Edit: Forgot to say. Looks great.

The STC-1000, it's a temperature controller which is used by a lot of homebrewers in fermentation chambers

More info here and for example here.

I personally use something like the brewpi which I made myself (software and hardware), so I can't speak for how good an STC-1000 would work. But I hear a lot of people use it so it should be good.

You can wrap this around your fermenter;
http://www.amazon.com/Brew-Belt-Fermentation-Heating-1-Count/dp/B001D6IUB6


Also use this as a thermostat to regulate temperatures/turn the brew belt on and off.

http://www.amazon.com/All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat-Stc-1000/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421948732&sr=8-1&keywords=stc1000&pebp=1421948735262&peasin=B008KVCPH2

You'll attach the probe to the side of the fermenter, insulate it with a towel. Then put the brew belt either above or below (not touching the towel or the probe). The STC will kick on the belt whenever the beer is below whatever temperature you set on the STC.

I'm also hoping it's heating OR cooling (two outlets) to be controller by one controller ... otherwise that's an odd design. The seller should be able to clear it up. My guess is they can either build them with a dual stage Celsius controller or a single stage Fahrenheit controller.

In terms of advantages for the STC-1000+, you have a few advantages. Main thing is stepped fermentation control - so, say, 50 F for three days, ramp to 63 over twelve hours, hold at 63 for 5 days, and then drop to 35 over two days (a lager profile I just made up). Head over to HBT and look at alphaomega's thread on the STC-1000+. For a more condensed version, just keep in mind that the Blackbox is run by the STC-1000+ (but I can't tell you which version).

Another option would be to buy the Celsius dual stage controller, and ship it to the guy who does Blackbox and have him flash it for a fee (assuming he still offers this). If you'd like to do it yourself, you need a bit of DIY interest (usually common in homebrewers) and an arduino/jumper cables. Take a look at the guide for the STC-1000+ on github to get an idea of what's involved.

STC-1000? its not "smart" but all it does is flip a relay when a set temp is reached. and its dirt cheap so that's also good. does require a little bit of AC wiring so if you're not comfortable with that might look else where.

I just use a mini space heater and temperature controller:

http://www.amazon.com/Lasko-100-MyHeat-Personal-Ceramic/dp/B003XDTWN2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

http://www.amazon.com/Lerway-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Simple, easy, and works extremely well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_dp_1 este es el que me compre, creo q hay un equivalente en 220v por precio similar me imagino. Podes controlar o frio o calor uno a la vez. Por lo que entiendo le pelas el cable a la heladera y lo mandas a la salida, después pones enchufe a 220 en la otra bornera y listo, pones la temperatura que queres y funka.

If you use a smaller heat source, like a hotplate (or maybe an open-top electric pot) paired with a thermostatic controller and sensor, you can build a rig to accurately regulate your temperature. (Basically you are making a homemade sous-vide)

I used [heating wraps for car batteries] (http://imgur.com/GnKiENE) and [digital temperature controllers] (http://imgur.com/Z2iqK17) to build thermally-controlled propane tank heaters for our coffee roaster (to maintain consistent gas pressure). I'm sure you could adapt the principle using an appropriate relay and sensor for your heating device. [This] (http://www.amazon.com/Elitech-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=pd_sim_indust_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=10GS75ZK14XMDTBE2J7W) is what I used and I know it isn't correct for your application, but it will give you an idea of what type of device to look for.

Nice job for a first build. I've got 2 questions and a comment.

First the comment because I'm a pedant :P Since you are using a freezer for this it is actually a keezer and not a kegerator. But that's all semantics really.

Now for the questions. First off, how are you loading the kegs? I'm assuming that you've left the hinges in tact and you just lift the top like normal.

Second question. How are you regulating temperature inside the chest freezer? If you are using the freezer's thermostat I might recommend switching that out for a better temperature controler such as the STC-1000 This is what most folks use for their kegerator/keezer builds from the /r/Homebrewing community.

Nice work none-the-less.

Here's a better option: install a thermostat like This and rewire your freezer to run off of the thermostat, which comes with a thermometer probe that you could probably put directly in the carboy. That way, as soon as your fermenting wort reaches 1 degree too warm the thermostat will turn on the freezer until it cools back down.

just saw your post after submitting my reply, deleting that and adding it as follows:


What i tend to do is use a large plastic tub with water in it, and have the fermentors submerge to the beer level in the water. Keeping it all in my basement which tends to stay below 60 in all seasons but summer (keep it upstairs in the AC then).

Someone else's example

I then use a fish tank heater hooked up through a Stc-1000 thermostat to keep it all at the right temp.

Used an old PC power supply housing, and an outlet i had laying around for the hookups. There are plenty of guides online for wiring up the thermostat.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Sous-vide-cooker-for-less-than-40/
I found some hotspots with the stagnant water, so I added this to keep the water moving, and a palce to tie the temp probe to.
stc-1000
crock pot

thanks.

http://www.amazon.com/Elitech-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B008KVCPH2/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header

theres a bunch of videos on youtube using it

You can install one of these. They are cheap and get the job done. My brewing partner and I have 2 17+ cu ft keezers going right now that use these controllers. We bought used chest freezers off Craigslist for less than $100 a piece. That way if they break it's no big deal. Then again, we just installed collars - nothing as nice as what OP did here.