Inkbird Fermentation temp controller

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Alteredstate, Jan 11, 2016.

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  1. Alteredstate

    Alteredstate Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2015 New Jersey

    First off happy new year to everyone I had to back of forum brewing and now I am looking to get back into it with upgrades to my equipment.

    I was wondering if anyone is using this controller with any success? I need a 2 stage unit and I was looking at this one or the Johnson pre wired unit. The Inkbird is $48.00 and the Johnson I found is $119.00
     
  2. brchapman

    brchapman Initiate (0) Nov 18, 2014 Georgia

  3. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    I have the model described by @brchapman and have been very pleased, performance is better than my Ranco. But, it requires an extension cord, dual receptacle, and project box (I used the cardboard box it was shipped in). The wiring is very simple, if you like DIY projects this is ideal.

    Or you can get it wired and ready to rock & roll for under 40 bucks. I haven't used this model but pretty sure it behaves like the econ model. If you search this forum for itc-308 you'll find some opinions. What type ferm chamber are you setting up?
     
  4. Alteredstate

    Alteredstate Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2015 New Jersey

    I am going with a chest freezer in my basement. I will need the dual setup because I will need to heat it at times. The ITC-308 is the one I was looking at on eBay
     
  5. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    FWIW, you can almost always get by with a single stage controller. With a single stage you can select (manually) heat or cold and run the freezer or heater. The dual stage can be programmed to "auto-switch" between cold/heat and both freezer and heater can be plugged in at the same time. It's rare to need this capability (I've never used it) but the Inkbirds have it built in.
     
  6. Alteredstate

    Alteredstate Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2015 New Jersey

    Ok thanks I think I will give it a try, and use the savings and get a chugger pump:grinning:
     
  7. guzzleacoldone

    guzzleacoldone Pooh-Bah (1,898) Feb 3, 2007 Ohio
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I just purchased an inkbird ITC-308 and it works great. I've been testing it with my spiedel 30L fermenter filled with water and a seed germination mat as my heat source.

    I'm using my bbq thermometer probe inside the fermenter to compare the water temp to the temp coming from the probe that's taped to the outside of the fermenter and the temps have consistently stayed within 2 degrees. So I can adjust accordingly when there's wort inside.
     
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