Chronical

We had difficulty locating the prefab neoprene jacket for the fermenter for individual purchase. So, taking things into our own hands, we purchased some neoprene from the local fabric store; along with some heavy duty needles and elastic thread. After taking a few measurements, and about 8 hours of hand stitching, it fits like a 'glove' and provides a noticeable amount of thermal insulation. This was also about 30% of the cost of the prefabricated jacket, if we had been able to find it.

For convenience, flexibility, and quite honestly because NPT thread tape is so frustrating, the 1/2" and 3/4" ball valves were replaced with Tri-Clover butterfly valves. Namely, the dump port, with the butterfly valve, allows for a nice slow trub drain and makes harvesting yeast easier. It's only a 14 gallon fermenter, so I don't do a lot of cleaning in place, but the butterfly valves are a LOT more convenient for that as well.

I don't want to say that the Ss Brewtech FTSs system for this fermenter is expensive, you actually get quite a bit for your money. However, already having a number of the items that come with the kit, it wasn't cost effective for our setup. Two holes were put into the (yes, domed) lid, and the duo-tight fittings that came with the coils work fine, and make a good seal that hold as much pressure as the fermenter will support (~2psi).

ITC-308-WIFI. This does a pretty good job as a fermentation temp controller. It allows for both heating and cooling, although I wouldn't recommend having both plugged in at the same time. The temperature can vary almost one solid degree between on and off. So, say you're heating to 68F, it will cool to 67F before heating back to the set temp. Not horrible, but better precision would be nice.

This was purchased from eBay. It measures 4" x 5" and has a standard 110V plug. It plugs right into the Inkbird controller. It had an adhesive side and sticks right on the conical portion of the fermenter, under the neoprene jacket. It easily heats a 10.5 gallon batch and hold it at 10-15F above ambient with no issues at all. So far, it heats well, sticks well, and is much more cost effective than a heat pad designed for a conical.