Heating my refrigerator

I have a refrigerator hooked up to a Johnson Control to keep a steady fermentation temp for my beers but I'm running into a problem. My basement is currently about 64 degrees which is really bad because it makes it really hard to ferment at anything higher and still be able to control it.

My idea was to install a small lightbulb in the refrigerator and run that to heat it just a bit so I can control my temps better. Has anybody tried anything like this?

I have not tried it before, but will run into the same problem as my garage will get too cold here in the winter in Ohio. I did some research and found that people either hook up heating bulbs or some other type of terrarium heater into their fridge and just wire that into the controller then

Or you could get a ferm belt and wrap it around the fermenter. I think they cost $20.

Mid sixties is a great fermentation temp range for most ale yeasts. I wouldn't think you should have to do anything unless you are after some ester production in a Belgium or something.

I know there are some on here that do this. I thought I remembered reading that Edwort does, but I could be wrong. I may do this at some point, particularly during the winter when I keep my house at 62°F. Also, this would be good for making a beer that you want to raise the temp throughout fermentation, like a Belgian Golden Strong ale.

The only apprehension I have is the beer being exposed to light in a clear fermenter. I imagine even an incandescent bulb would produce some UV light or whatever wavelengths can cause skunkiness. My solution would be to put a light-protective cover over the fermenters.

has anyone used a ferm wrap in a garage in the winter? My ferm fridge is out there and I'm concerned about the winter.

I've got a cheap space heater that I have planned to hook up to my johnsons's control.

Stinkonamonkey said:

I've got a cheap space heater that I have planned to hook up to my johnsons's control.

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You keep it in your fridge during winter?

I use a 20-watt bulb. You can even leave the fridge on the controller, just in case the fermentation gets really active. In California, we had a big cabinet in the carport, used a space heater then.

One of these.

Welders have been using old fridges with light bulbs for years to keep welding rods in. Using your Johnson control I'd suspect you should be able to do this in a controlled manner.

Im busy with my fridge - Im going to install a infa-red bulb - the kind chefs use to keep a carvery warm. It should work.
Alternatively most fridges have a de-frost panel that can be connected, if its not strong enough it can be replaced with a stronger one.