Fermentation temps and smells

Hi there. Was wondering;

1. How much above the ambient temperature is the inside of the fermenter on average? Considering a fridge and temp control setup

2. I have read a few opinions about US-05's best ferm temp being 18c for clarity and dryness. Lots say its pretty flexible but it can have bad flocculation? All opinion's welcome. Apologies if this has been covered before its a popular strain.

3. What smells do you get (if any) when fermenting. Are there different smells that are given off for different styles. Should you look out for smells?

cheers

It can easily go up 3 degrees or more just from the yeast heat. If you can put your temp controller probe, if you have one, stuck to the side of the fermenter with some sticky tape or something and covered with an old piece of stubbie cooler or piece of foam, it will be better then the ambient temp.

US05 is very forgiving, yes its best around 18-20, a couple of degrees higher or lower wont hurt that much. US05 also flocculates extremely well in my opinion.

US05 isnt a smelly yeast, some yeasts give of sulphur type smells amongst others, US05 doesnt really give off bad smells, I usually just smell the hops!

It is a really good yeast, so is 04.

The probe is stuck to the side behind an old stubbie holder and set to 19 deg. Its holding temp really well but was temped to drop it down to 18 deg considering the inside ferm temp...? any need or just stick this one out and compare next time at 18 deg...?

I only open the fridge once a day and there is a fruity smell. It dissipates quickly so maybe just be a build up. Can a fruity smell be an infection?!

It sounds fine. The fruity smell could be from the hops and other fermentation processes. A fruit smell can come from fermenting to hot, but your temps are fine. All should be good!