Looking for advice on Johnson controls A419

The A419 can only cool or warm, but not both. You would need to attach it to a heat source to have it warm.

 

If 62-64*F is your ambient, then buy a brew belt or something similar (and safe) to get up to 72*F...as JohnSnowNW said, you can only heat OR cool with the J A-419

"The A419 won't even kick on and make the freezer run"

...I hope that's not true if you set your controller to 55*F.

 

I like the idea of tying it to a heat source in the winter and just plug a fridge in on its internal thermostat. I've never gotten to do this, personally. In the summer, I don't think you really need anything more than a fridge.

 

Am I missing something? It sounds like you're trying to heat with a freezer. A freezer can't do that.

 

Trying to heat with a controller that's hooked up to a freezer won't work. It's like trying to cool with a heater. Doesn't work like that.

You need a heat source when it gets colder than your controller is set for.

 

Wish I had a convenient place where the ambient is 62-64*F instead of 70-72*F...the actual beer temp is probably 5*F OVER your ambient. Your basement should work just fine for most beers.

 

This makes sense now than when we talked about this earlier. You can't get it to warm over ambient. For instance, my A419 works fine in my freezer, as my garage stays pretty warm. You won't be able to get it to a set point over the temp, unless you put a heat source in your freezer, like a light bulb or something.

 

http://www.homebrewing.org/product....x6ml6Ex7zdyLsB6fp-0AXv8udVUwtMCoI6b2K-RPD_BwE

I use this and stick it to the inside of my chest freezer. It will raise the chamber temps us into the 60s no problem even in the middle of a Chicago winter. Don't forget to switch the jumpers on your controller depending on whether you're heating or cooling! Cheers and happy brewing!

 

Don't forget to open it up and change the connection ("jumpers") inside based on what you want to do. This was nerve wracking for me at first so I plugged it into youtube and found an easy video. Takes 2 min. Switch the connection for heating, and another way for cooling.

Here's a video that took the mystery away: