Heat source for a dual stage controller

I bought a dual stage controller for an old fridge, and not sure what people use for a heat source?
Something like a 100W bulb wrapped in foil (to block light) at a lower level? Or should I think about something more serious?

They sell electric heat wraps and belts. I'm currently using a waterproof mat intended for starting seeds indoors for gardening.

I am installing a ceramic heat lamp (on eBay) used for heating reptile tanks. They give off NO light and raise the air temp as necessary
Also because it raises the air temp I'm going to use it to condition bottles aswell

I have used the reptile ceramic heat lamps like ohcrap mentioned. They work very well and last a very long time.

How about a $10 heating pad from amazon? Should work for a fermentation chamber

OhCrap said:

I am installing a ceramic heat lamp (on eBay) used for heating reptile tanks. They give off NO light and raise the air temp as necessary

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I use one of these and it works great. Got it at the local pet shop

"How about a $10 heating pad from amazon? Should work for a fermentation chamber"

An "old" one would work. Most of the new ones have automatic shutoffs that kill the heat if you leave them on too long.

I use a brew pad http://www.midwestsupplies.com/home-brew-heat-panel.html and I built one of these http://www.brewstands.com/fermentation-heater.html

I use a Brew Belt. Works fine.

OK, looks like there are far better options than a simple bulb. Will see what I can find localy.
Thanks

Somewhere on this forum is a DIY project that uses a light bulb and a paint can. It takes some wiring, but looks simple and cheap. If I ever needed heat in a fridge I'd build it.

I use a ceramic heater with a built in fan. Learned quick that inside my chest freezer ferm chamber I need to circulate the air whenever the cold or hot stage is on. When cold is on a small desk fan is also on. When the heat kicks on the ceramic heater turns on. The heater usually only needs to run a fraction of a minute to bump the heat up.

I also learned that if I just ran the fan (tiny thing) to circulate air it would actually keep the inside of the freezer at around 70 degrees by generating its own heat. That is why I now have it on the cold stage only.

I just bought a hair dryer for my chamber. It's heat and fan all in one. I keep it on the "low" setting and it's just right to keep my little chamber warm.

Do you really need to be worried about the light from an incandescent bulb? I thought it was UV rays that skunked beer and didn't think household bulbs gave off harmful rays.

jtkratzer said:

Do you really need to be worried about the light from an incandescent bulb? I thought it was UV rays that skunked beer and didn't think household bulbs gave off harmful rays.

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Incandescents give off some UV. Fluorescents give off even more, while LEDs give off very little (many times none at all, I believe).

Even fluorescents are nothing compared to the sun, though considering that beer isn't usually stored in sunlight, but could be exposed to lightbulbs much of the day for weeks or even months on end, it is a concern that should really be properly addressed.

emjay said:

Incandescents give off some UV. Fluorescents give off even more, while LEDs give off very little (many times none at all, I believe).

Even fluorescents are nothing compared to the sun, though considering that beer isn't usually stored in sunlight, but could be exposed to lightbulbs much of the day for weeks or even months on end, it is a concern that should really be properly addressed.

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Interesting. I was cruising threads like these as I have everything in my fermentation chamber done but the heat for ales.

I use a standard heating pad I had in the cupboard. Taped it on to the back of the carboy with gaffers tape (used by photographers-very sticky and leaves no residue). Plug it into your cotroller and you're done. Cheap and effective and you're set until someone has a sore muscle.

Incandescent bulbs are fine to use. They won't screw up the beer. I've been using a 40W bulb to warm up my ferment chamber (old fridge in the garage) during the winter months for the past 5 or 6 years. It just sits there right next to the glass carboys. No issues.

I started by using a ceramiuc heater with a fan. Ended up returning it because it had a "safety" feature that turns it off if it runs more than a certain amount of time. Now I just put a brew belt around the fermenter.

I picked up a cheap ceramic heater with a fan and I'm going to run it at 750W. Don't think I need to (nor will the PID support) running it at 1500W (1500W / 120V > 10A).