Inkbird vs STC-1000

[Maker]

I've stopped brewing in the house due to popular demand, apparently 'It smells like a brewery in here..' so now I brew in my workshop, this is unheated but well insulated.
My new brewing room has a 900mm high worktop (standard height) along one wall so I'm toying with the idea of making a 6 foot long door that hinges to lay flat on the floor and lining it all with cellotex to make an insulated enclosure, to keep the temp stable I see 2 options, an Inkbird @ £25 or an STC-1000 @ £11.

My 2 questions are the two units seem to do the same job but is the inkbird better in any way other than being plug and play?
Secondly what could I use as a cooler?

[Icefever]

I use an STC 1000 on an old fridge along with a small oil filled tube heater. Never let me down, in fact, I now have two fermentation fridges.

I have read up on the Inkbird and it seems to do a bit more than the 1000, it has a finer temp range...I'd now go for the bird.

Ice.

[gaza the instructor]

I made a cabinet, holds 3x25ltr fermenters lined
with celotex three doors on the front and a one
piece lid with cushion on it, so its also a seat.
3 heat pads for heating and have some thing simular
to this for control.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Digital- ... Swk-1aN1hU

[Mash]

I would go for the bird. It is more accurate. Plug and play of nice too - you can EASILY plug it in for other jobs without a rewire and its tidy.

Heating - Leccy blankets - cheap as chip. Very versatile. Use doubles.
Cooling..... a bell was what I settled on!

What you really need is a "Grainfather Conical Fermenter Pro Edition"

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263784104224

[Mash]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Digital- ... Swk-1aN1hU

Was it any good ?

[gaza the instructor]

Yep works fine. As i only use bread yeast its the lower temp
that needs watching. Heat pads come on at 22c and shut off at
26c. Cellotex keeps temp well, even this week air temp in the
cabinet is below 30c, ok for bread yeast.

[ninja_geezer]

I have had 2 inkbirds for a couple of years cant fault them in any way ,would not be without them.

[Maker]

Thanks for the help and advice guys, spot on as usual, the bird landed today, not fired it up yet but does look a very well made bit of kit.
Just dawned on me that if I chop the top out of a keg, add a heater and use the bird I can make a mash ton!

[Anavrin]

Maybe I’m a bit late to this thread but here’s my 10p’s worth

I built a cupboard and lined it with 50mm kingspan, it hold two 60litre fermenters with just enough space in between them for a small 650w oil filled radiator, it’s in my guarage so also unheated.

I just use the thermostat on the radiator to get roughly 24°c, works a treat, the temps for a wash are not so critical as a beer/wine, because your not actually going to drink what you ferment, it’s going to get boiled at least twice

[Maker]

Thats a great idea, I have 2 50L fermenters on route and a spare 400w oil heater, need to check how and if the thermostat works, I'll use the bird for something else!

[Maker]

I ended up reverting back to plan 'A' and making the cabinet under my bench, it hold 6 fermenters so bigger than I need but I figured better to be too big than too small, it's powered by a 60w bulb in a table lamp as I figured this would be efficient.
The problem I'm having is all of the fermenters I've tucked in there were victims of the hot summer and were very low activity, if any...
I gave them a thrashing with a balloon whisk, a half tea spoon of bicarb and 1/5 tub of allinsons and put them back to bed (they were at 24 degrees) and after a week nothing has changed, still very low activity.
What else can I try, raising the temp? More yeast? I've added a teaspoon of vodka star to one of them in desperation!
The victims are 3 x UJSSM gen 5, 1 x cornflake whiskey gen 2 and a rum also gen 2 if that helps.

[Easydrinker]

For what it is worth, I run Alison's yeast at around 30-32(°C).
HTH

Robert.

[Mash]

OK this might be a wild ride.

I guess you have done all these b free ws before?
Hot weather means you perhaps need cooling? Over 30/32 yeast die. If they were all in the cupboard working well, it's if possible the temp peaked and you missed it?

What OG are they now?

[Maker]

They were just sat in my brewing room so through the summer they would have hit mid 30's, now the cooler weather is here I built the cupboard to try to rescue them but they don't seem keen to restart...

[Mash]

Ok lets assume the yeast is dead.

If its proving tough to restart. Do it the other way around. Start some yeast in a little sugar. Say 200ml. Once it is going [1 day at least] add TO IT an equal volume of stopped wine. You now have 400ml. Once thats is going again and you are happy, double it again [add 400ml wine]. Repeat until everything is going fine.

With 5 to do I would make a gallon up with 1 bag of sugar 1 tsp yeast and some nutrient, and divide it up.