Kombucha temperature control

I'm going to order a Kombucha mother and make some KT. I keep my house at 67 degrees in the winter and 73 in the summer. The happyherbalist says that Kombucha should be fermented between 74 and 84 degrees.

So how do you Kombucha brewers keep your ferment in the right temp range?

I imagine a brew belt would work. Unfortunately, it's not designed for continuous duty.

The Fermwrap is nice, but too large for the 2.5 gallon ceramic water crock I'll be fermenting in.

The KombuchaKamp heater looks to be perfect, but it is quite pricey.

The Happy Herbalist sells a couple of different heating pads including one with a regulator. Also pricey (with the regulator).

I'm just wondering what other solutions might exist.

i used to make kombucha regularly and never worried about the temp control. i keep my place around the same temps as you and it never seemed to adversely affect the end product.

Thank you android, that's good to know. It'll be in my kitchen, which tends to stay a little warmer than the rest of the house. I think I'll give it a try that way. I hate to spend the money on a heater if it's not really needed.

For my beer, and maybe kt when it gets colder in my house, I use a big tub with water. In it, I keep an aquarium heater set to whatever temp I want. It auto regulates and keeps the beer pretty steady.

That sounds like a good solution, Rahahb, if you don't mind tending to the water and changing it occasionally. I plan to brew KT continuously (Happy Herbalist continuous brewing method) in a 2.5 gallon ceramic container with a spigot. That would not work so well in a water bath because of the spigot.

I do have a spare Love controller. That and a heating pad, maybe. A thermowell would be a nice addition to my brewing container, but trying to drill a ceramic container may not be the best idea.

I change water once a month maybe. Just put a bit of bleach in there to keep bugs/nasties from growing.

Yeah, spigots might be an issue. But it's cheap and easy with the right container.

From what I have read it will just ferment slower if it is colder. I have found that my TV stand is the warmest place in my house with the cable box/DVR and DVD player in there. I moved my KT there after the first 4 days and it seems to be doing good. It's dark enough in there. I open the doors briefly every day or so to let some more fresh air in (It's not a completely sealed area), and it seems to be working. Also this way I am thinking about it from time to time, versus out of sight out of mind type thing.

Kayleen, I've been trying to think of a good place I could put it where it is naturally warmer. Putting it in the TV stand sounds like a good idea. That won't work for me. Putting it next to my computer might, but that doesn't seem like a good location in my case (on the floor).

I don't have any experience with KT yet, but the instructions that came with my SCOBY from Happy Herbalist says the temp should be 74 to 84, and if it is below 70, it promotes the growth of mold. That is really what concerns me. My house is 65 to 68 in the winter.

I forgot to mention...Christmas lights. One strand around your fermentor should be plenty to get it up to a nice temp. I did this with my beer over the winter and it worked fine and that was 5 gallons. Plus, it's a nice touch to the decorations in the house.

My water heater is in a small closet and that seems to work for me when I need slightly elevated temperatures

For my KT I use a small reptilian heater, think it was $9 at PetSmart that has an adhesive side that I stick to the side of the tea jar. Seems to be working well but also only on my second batch.

I am brewing with gallon glass jars. My house is also
cold - near 60 f. in the winter. I use a large cooler and fill
quart jars with hot water 2 - 4 times a day depending on
my house temperature. I have a thermometer inside the
cooler. I also started doing kefir and am using the same
cooler. I feel that opening the cooler several times a day
gives enough new air. I've done 3 gal. so far. Yummy.

Christmas lights? I like that idea! I'm only trying to keep a 1 gallon jar in the proper temperature range - but my kitchen can be in the 60s all winter long.....and I'm a beginner so if the cool-ness throws off the KT, I might not know exactly what the issue is.

Calbadose - how did the reptile heater work for you in the long run? I am also considering that in my very cold house (with my 1 gallon jars).

I'm reading all I can about this and I came across this: from the Tribe webpages about kombucha.

http://users.bestweb.net/~om/~kombu/FAQ/part01fb.html#BM673

6.90 How can I keep my Kombucha warmer in the cool months?
Potting Pad-You can buy a "potting pad" at your local greenhouse supplier to use as a heater for your fermenting Kombucha Tea in the cool months. Simply set your jar of fermenting Kombucha Tea on the pad to give it some extra warmth. Potting pads are used by greenhouse growers to keep their seedlings at an even growing temperature.
Aquarium Heater-Some people set their jars of fermenting Kombucha Tea into a small glass 5-10 gallon fish aquarium, fill it up to near the top of the jars with water, then stick a submersible aquarium heater- set at the lowest temperature into the water in the tank. This will take the chill off the water that surrounds your fermenting Kombucha jars and keep the contents at more even temperature. You may wish to drape a towel over this "tea-tank" to help keep the warmth in.
Aquarium Heater #2-(Mike M., a subscriber to the Kombucha mailing list,) puts his one-gallon glass brew jar into a two-and-a-half gallon plastic bucket, then fills this with water up to about the level of the tea in the glass jar, and hangs a ten-watt aquarium heater over the side of the plastic bucket.
Space Heater-If you keep your fermenting jars of Kombucha in a separate small room that has a door, you may consider using a small space heater turned to the lowest temperature, just to take the chill of the room. However, keep in mind that this could be a fire-hazard and will run up your power bill!
Heating Panel-There is a heating device on the market called a "heating panel" you could buy, they are about 11 X 11 inches with a 72 inch cord. Just set your jars on top of this panel. They will keep four one gallon jars at a steady 82° F.
Hot Rock-You can purchase a hot rock in any pet shop that sells reptile supplies. They are made for use in reptile aquariums. You simply set the bowl or jar on top of it.
Brewing Belts-Some people are using "brewing belts" that can be purchased in home-brewing supply shops. These belts, according to John Novar of Kombucha Power in Florida, are designed to fit around a 5 gallon brew bucket. They plug into a 110 volt current.
Hot Water Closet-Some people put their jars of fermenting Kombucha Tea in the hot-water heater closet to keep them warm during the winter.
Toy Chest-A lady mentioned over the Kombucha list that she made a "brewing-box" using a sturdy old toy-chest that will hold up to 10 one gallon jars of Kombucha Tea at a time. She placed a water-bed heater on the floor of the chest and sits the jars on a shelf about 3" above this heating pad., closes the lid and lets the tea ferment for 7 days at 85°F.
Cardboard Box-Another lady says she wraps a cardboard box around her containers and installs a 15 watt light bulb. To keep in the heat, she covers the whole thing with a large towel.
Upside-down box-You can also make a similar box by flipping the box upside-down over your fermenting jars, and adding a small wattage bulb. Poke a few holes in the "bottom"-which is now the top- to let out excess heat. Unheated this setup will serve to help to keep the draft off your jars.
Ice-Chest-Another idea is to put a 15 watt light bulb inside an ice-chest turned up-side down. Poke a couple of holes in the sides and top for ventilation and to let out excess heat.
Reptile Heating Pad-A man in Kelowna BC said he came across a great device for heating/warming the pot of your choice. He bought a reptile heating pad in a pet store that is a very thin sheet of plastic that sticks to the underside of the reptile tank. He says they come in different sizes and are very low wattage. It could also be stuck to the bottom of a dish or plate to make a warming tray.
Incubator-One man constructed an incubator from a foam ice-chest filled with water. He covered this set-up with a foam lid and used an aquarium heater to keep the water temperature at 80°F.
Waterbed Heater-The flat low-wattage waterbed heaters are perfect to set your jars or bowls of Kombucha on during the cool months. You can set the thermostat at the lowest setting, cover it with a towel then set your jars on top of this mat.
Large Paper Bags-If you want to protect the jars from drafts etc., you can make "tents" out of heavy brown grocery bags. Fold the top two or three inches of the bag down to make a firmer base, then just "up-end" them over the jars or bowls. These heavy duty paper bags will also