Chest freezer heater

After reading many posts about how to control the temperature in a converted chest freezer. Wouldn't something like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000G1CXYY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 work to both heat and keep air circulating in a chest freezer used for a fermentor? I am going to have a two cycle controller for both heating and cooling. Please let me know what you think about this heating option. Thanks.

I went with http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F2G1F0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 because it is listed for use in a bathroom and a chest freezer is known to accumulate some condensation during cooling stages.

I got this little guy to heat the freezer. Works great. I do have a separate 120mm computer fan that constantly circulates air.

I just use an old hair dryer (has a built-in GFI and it was free....bonus!).

Most people use the brew belt:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brew-belt.html

I have this http://morebeer.com/view_product/16674/ taped to one of the side walls with electrical tape.

How did you attach or install the computer fan in your freezer? I think having continuous airflow would be the way to go. Thanks.

Brian-d said:

After reading many posts about how to control the temperature in a converted chest freezer. Wouldn't something like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000G1CXYY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 work to both heat and keep air circulating in a chest freezer used for a fermentor? I am going to have a two cycle controller for both heating and cooling. Please let me know what you think about this heating option. Thanks.

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Yikes - that thing would be HUMONGOUS overkill inside any chiller - by at least an order of magnitude! The little dude cited by wolfman_48442 would be way more appropriate...

Cheers!

Not an option for everyone, but I use an old Sun 1 GB harddisk. Has it's own enclosure, power supply and fan. Figure 30-35 watts.

wolfman_48442 said:

I got this little guy to heat the freezer. Works great. I do have a separate 120mm computer fan that constantly circulates air.

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Wolfman-
How did you rig the computer fan in your chest freezer fermentor?

How did you rig the computer fan in your chest freezer fermentor?

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If you've got an old phone charger laying around, I've seen a bunch of people wire them up with that. Depending on the charger you'll get a different amount of current running tot he fan which will change the speed, but they apparently work like a charm. Just cut the end of the charger off and splice it to the computer fan and it should start right up!

I use a 15w light bulb.

I use a 15w light bulb.

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So, what kind of fixture do you place the bulb into?
Also, are you using a Johnson temp controller?
I just got a chest freezer which I'm converting to a fermentation chamber, however, temps here in GA are are cooling off and I'm going to need a way to keep the freezer (which is in my garage) above 60 deg.
Thanks.

I have two different methods of heating my 2 door fridge compartments.

For fermenter I place a heat belt on the container inside my fridge compartment.

For bottle conditioning I use the freezer compartment and have a 25W bulb in a batten holder fitting and piece of 2" copper tube about a foot long sitting over it. The top of the tube is covered with a bit of mesh. Copper tube absorbs the heat and radiates it nicely without any light to speak of.

Both are controlled by my STC-1000s. I have 2 controllers so can heat both compartments individually. Cannot run the fridge on cool at same time i am heating the freezer compartment unfortunately.

I am planning on using a light bulb too in my fridge. The fixture is a cheap clip on fixture that you can find at any hardware store, cost about $3.

Snowhere said:

I am planning on using a light bulb too in my fridge. The fixture is a cheap clip on fixture that you can find at any hardware store, cost about $3.

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I recommend covering the bulb to stop light strike on your beer and it helps store some heat. Some people I know use a small ceramic flower pot over the bulb. It has a hole to let heat escape ( do not want to cook the fitting), sheilds the light and radiates some heat after the bulb is off.

I just have a small space heater hooked to the heat side of the ranco. Works for me.

Snowhere said:

I am planning on using a light bulb too in my fridge. The fixture is a cheap clip on fixture that you can find at any hardware store, cost about $3.

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Go get a ceramic bulb heater from PetSmart.

I made this out of junk laying around. I use buckets so I don't worry about the light. I would just put a shirt around a carboy if I used one in there.

Malticulous said:

I made this out of junk laying around. I use buckets so I don't worry about the light. I would just put a shirt around a carboy if I used one in there.

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Malti that is a nice bit of junk. Cannot get those porcelain lamp holders here any more as they are all plastic and more susceptible to heat damage.

stevo155 said:

I have this http://morebeer.com/view_product/16674/ taped to one of the side walls with electrical tape.

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I do and use the same exact thing.

I use a reptile heater pad in my 8.8cuft Kenmore. It's a 16 watt model and with my utility room at 40 degrees the heater keeps my temperature up to 68 with no problem. Best yet it only uses 16 watts! These pads are just warm to the touch, but you don't need much heat in a insulated freezer to raise the temperature.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752652

I use a heat lamp similar to ones used in bathrooms (mines red though), placed in a clip on light fixture. I used to use a ceramic heater that screwed into a light fixture but it held too much residual heat after shutting off. It continued to heat the fermentor which sometimes would kick it into cooling mode. The heat lamp stops heating as soon as it shuts down. It allows me to keep my differential in a little tighter range.

diverpat said:

I use a heat lamp similar to ones used in bathrooms (mines red though), placed in a clip on light fixture. I used to use a ceramic heater that screwed into a light fixture but it held too much residual heat after shutting off. It continued to heat the fermentor which sometimes would kick it into cooling mode. The heat lamp stops heating as soon as it shuts down. It allows me to keep my differential in a little tighter range.

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How big is your freezer.

Diver165 said:

How big is your freezer.

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I'm pretty sure the tag said 15.1 cu ft. It's an older Kenmore freezer I bought used for $50.

Bitterbrush said:

I use a reptile heater pad in my 8.8cuft Kenmore. It's a 16 watt model and with my utility room at 40 degrees the heater keeps my temperature up to 68 with no problem. Best yet it only uses 16 watts! These pads are just warm to the touch, but you don't need much heat in a insulated freezer to raise the temperature.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752652

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I got something similar, a heat mat for growing seedlings. It's a 17 watt one and it works great. How did you attach it to the freezer wall? Mine currently just sits there in a less then ideal way.