Fermenting

1. Wait around for the beer to ferment. 
• Use a blow-off tube if the fermentation causes so much foaming that yeast and hop junk comes out of the airlock. When I ferment in a 6 gallon bucket this is not an issue, but when I ferment in the 3-gallon carboy I have to use a blow-off tube.
2. Try to control the temperature. I
• Ales: Usually ambient temp in the basement or other areas of the house is 55F - 74F, varying with the season. In most cases this is sufficient for good ale fermentation temps, even in July or January. 
• For more precise control, use the chest freezer, with modded STC-1000+ temp controller, set to appropriate fermentation program.
• Lagers: Use the chest freezer with the STC-1000+ temp controller.
• As per Gordon Strong in Brewing Better Beer, the fermentation temperature in a recipe should be taken to indicate the temperature inside the beer. The yeast can raise the temp of the beer as they ferment, so the beer will usually be a few degrees higher than the ambient temp during fermentation. 
3. If the beer needs dry hopping usually I will just put the dry hops in the main fermenter without transferring to secondary. When I tried to clone Oaked Arrogant Bastard I just plopped the dry hops and oak chips in the main fermenter.
4. If the beer needs extended aging I will put it in secondary and put the carboy in the dark, stable temperature basement.