Temperature control for B & W development

[prash]

I've been getting into black and white film development, but I haven't figured out a good way to control the temperature of the whole process. I've had good enough results so far that I plan to keep doing it myself, but as I process more important rolls and start to push the film, I'd like to refine my technique.

This summer I at least have central A/C (although not within my control), but the ambient temperature might still hover around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Once I get back to Houston, my apartment goes uncooled for the whole day, so my chemicals get pretty warm and never really drop below 80 degrees. The tap water at that place also doesn't really get cold, just cool.

Is it better to keep everything the same temperature and just try to deal with what I've got? Or should I try to cool down my developer and use the tap water as is?

I started off using D-76, but I just bought some TMax that I'm going to use for a while. I plan to store it in four (4) one-liter-sized glass bottles, so that might let me cool it down in the fridge or in a bucket of ice water.

Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks a lot,
prashant.