Fish Tank Heater

So this isn't the season for this topic, but I figured I would research fish tank heaters to control my fermentation temps in the winter. I keep my brews in the basement/garage and they stay plenty cold in the summer. It is the winter that has me concerned.

So, what kind/brand/model would people suggest for heating enough water surrounding two 5 gallon carboys to keep a consistent temp? Lets assume that I would be fermenting a couple IPA's at common ale temps. Any insite or tips people have regarding heaters. Thanks for the imput!

I'm not sure I can recommend a particular model, but...

The amount of water being heated up surrounding the carboy and the carboy are waaay less volume than most aquariums.
I would guess that most of the smaller ones would work.
You might want to look into the water circulation issue as I'm sure you're bound to get hot and cold spots without circulation.

Brew Belts are less than $20. Seems to me that would be quite a bit easier than messing around with water.

hialtitude said:

So this isn't the season for this topic,

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my flipping aunt it is! I have the heat belt out and it is still only hitting 16C in my cellar.


P.S. 1-10C = 33.8F -> 50.0F, 16C = 60.8F i.e. fecking cold!

Get an electric blanket for cheap...then set it on low/med and tape that sucker to the carboy! I do it, and as long as you're not sitting your carboy on a cold cement floor, you should be able to maintain temps.

OOPS! My mistake. *NOT* an electric blanket....a heating pad! Big difference in size!

Devils advocate:

http://www.aquariumguys.com/thermaflow2.html
$7.99 Heats 10 gallons.

Never done it (nor will I need to), so take my advice with a pillar of salt.

I wouldn't. Even with ~1400gph water flow, its still warmer around the heater in my small aquarium than it is further away from it. Also, the heater is quite hot to the touch (all have this issue) and tends to bake crud onto it which needs to be cleaned off periodically (it attracts Ca out of the water). I imagine it'd cause scorching of any beer near it.

-D

In my opinion, a warm water bath is ideal because you're not applying heat to the carboy in a narrow band like you would with a brew belt. I plan to just continue using my fermentation cooler (temp controlled freezer) in the winter by just running a very low wattage bulb in there.

Llarian said:

I wouldn't. Even with ~1400gph water flow, its still warmer around the heater in my small aquarium than it is further away from it. Also, the heater is quite hot to the touch (all have this issue) and tends to bake crud onto it which needs to be cleaned off periodically (it attracts Ca out of the water). I imagine it'd cause scorching of any beer near it.

-D

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No one would advocate submersing the heating in the wort directly. You'd put your carboy in a tub of water and the heater in that water as well.

I think this is in the, "use it if you got it," vein.

I'm not sure I would buy an aquarium heater.

Bobby_M said:

No one would advocate submersing the heating in the wort directly. You'd put your carboy in a tub of water and the heater in that water as well.

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Oh, heh. I completely misread the original post.

My bad. =)

-D

I use an aquarium heater in a large plastic tub half full of water and it works great. No scorching, no circulation problems. I also do not have particular brand to suggest. I got a cheap generic one at my local farm/feed store for $10. It is for a 20 gallon aquarium. My water bath is far less than that and it is not even filled to the top. Only comes about half way up the carboy. Solved my lack of heat problem very well indeed.

When i first used it I had 2 thermometers in the bath. One near the heater and the other on the far side to assure myself it was not too out of whack. At most there was 1° temp difference at times. (yes they were calibrated together) If you are concerned about circulating, set up an aquarium pump to move the water around, but I really don't think it is necessary.

Happy brewing!

Been keeping tanks for a while now and while I've never needed to use an aquarium heater to warm wort I wouldn't hesitate to do so if I had the need. I'd probably use a 50 watt for a 5 gallon batch plus water bath. I wouldn't go over 100w for 10 gallon batches. These things kick out some serious heat. I'd also drop in a $10 aquarium pump in the water to keep safe from localized heating, probably not needed but good insurance and I have a bunch of them.

If you're going to do this, I'd reccomend a cheap Ranco heater controller. Aquarium heaters (even good brands like Ebo Jager) are notorious for poorly calibrated thermostats that fail frequently.

-D

excellent idea, I run a nice controller on my tank.

I've used aquarium heaters in a water bath for years, and love them. I put a single 5 gal carboy in a 10 gal plastic trash can on a scrap of 2X6 to raise it a bit. Then mount the aquarium heater on an L-shaped bracket in the trash can, fill nearly to the carboy shoulder with water at the temp I want to maintain, set the aquarium heater and check the temp in a day or so. Often have to fiddle the screw-type thermostat to adjust temp, but once it's set, it's stable. For 2 X 5 gal carboys or 6 gal carboys I use a big Rubbermaid tub, and add an aquarium pump to circulate the water and even out the temp. Used the same heater for over a decade, no problems. Touch wood....

Cheap and easy, works well in my Minnesota basement from October to April.

I used to use a water bath with aquarium heaters, the bin sprung a leak after a while and I had to shelve it.

Now I use a 27 cu ft (broken) freezer as a insulated box. The aquarium heater is submerged in a 7 gallon bucket full of sanitzer and becomes a hot water bottle. This allows me to use the rest of the freezer for 6 carboys. Their are a couple of disadvantages though. The first is that the freezer can only handle about a 30 degree difference between inside and out. The other is that there is about a 3 degree temperature swing during night and day.

Aquarium heater in a water bath is your best bet. Definitely dont use a heater directly in the carboy...way too uneven. Also, make sure you get yourself a submersible heater. The one olllllo linked is not. That one has a bracket to hang off the edge of the tank so the end with the dial doesnt get wet.

Definitely calibrate the heater. The cheaper ones are not the greatest ie you get what you pay for. There are some nice heaters like the Won Brothers Titanium heaters. (I used to be into saltwater tanks). They are definitely more accurate and the temp control is separate from the heater.

Its also a smart idea to plug that heater into a GFI outlet or at least unplug the thing when you decide to put your hands in the water. Heaters do fail and you could get some decent current leaking out into your water bath. Not that I have ever shocked the crap out of myself before