Bottle conditioning in basement

No. I'm saying add them towards the end of your boil so that they die and their exoskeletons become something delicious, and nutritious for your incoming yeast to feast on.

 

My first step would be to cut my campden back to 1/4 tablet for every five gallons and start there.

 

Here's a tip: When you stick that funnel into the neck of the carboy you need to keep a gap on the outside of the neck so that air can escape from the carboy as it fills with wort. I usually stick the handle of a sanitized large metal spoon in there. The scoop part of the spoon needs to be large enough so it won't fall into the carboy. If you use a strainer, and if your wort has some trub in it, you'll catch a lot of it in the strainer. (I use a stainless steel strainer that has been sanitized.) You'll likely clog the strainer, so have a spoon handy to scoop it out and restart the pour. If you are brewing a 5-gallon batch, I hope you have some good arm strength to hold the kettle while pouring. Good luck.