Ferm temp control for warming

[jamnich314]

I haven't had any issues with fermentation temperature control being too warm. I put the bucket in my basement and it's generally in the 64-68 degree range. The issue I'm going to run into very soon is it being too cold. My basement gets down to the very low 60s during Dec/Jan/Feb (from Michigan) and I'm worried the ferm temp will actually be too low. What's the easiest/cheapest way to warm up fermentation by a few degrees?

 

[acarlotto]

Look up Brew belt. They work just fine.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

i got this heating coil for reptiles..it heats gently is waterproof and pretty darn durable
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Flexible-Heat-Ropes

 

[RM-MN]

Use Nottingham yeast. It loves cool and will ferment your beer down into the upper 50's. After a week, bring it where it is warmer and it will finish up better.

 

[Mountainsax]

It's kind of ghetto, but has worked well for me so far. Go to Home Depot and get a 20 or 30 gal plastic trash can and lid (30 gal was $9 yesterday when I picked up a second one). Then go on ebay and get a 100watt aquarium heater (about $9).

I kept my last batch at a pretty consistent 69 deg in my garage, with sub 30 deg temps outside. The heater has a temp dial, but it is not very accurate. I have it set on 82, but it keeps my system at a very consistent 69 deg. They say they go down to 65 deg, but based on what I have seen you should be able to go lower.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Google "fermwrap". Works on carboys and buckets. Brew belt is not recommended for carboys. Also, get a temperature controller. Mine is a Johnson A419 and works for cooling in my chest freezer (summer) and heating with my Fermwrap (winter). A controller is money well spent. Temperature control is one of the most significant elements for good beer.

 

[JJ900]

Since you asked about cheapest, your fermenter may warm a few degrees just by being on a piece of plywood and wrapped with a blanket as opposed to directly on a concrete basement floor. I also used a cardboard box and had an already owned heating pad inside and that worked well - it won't do enough if you want to raise it more than a few degrees as the box only does so much.

 

[jamnich314]

Temperature control is one of the most significant elements for good beer.

I keep hearing this and really want to start controlling it more. The only issue I'm going to have from now until probably June/July is the ferm temp being too low. The only months where my basement may be too warm is July/August and even then 70+ degree temps in a concrete basement are rare in Michigan.

I've seen many people use freezer/fridge with temp control but that doesn't really seem necessary in my climate. The bigger issue for me is making sure it's warm enough for the yeast to do it's thing.

 

[jamnich314]

Since you asked about cheapest, your fermenter may warm a few degrees just by being on a piece of plywood and wrapped with a blanket as opposed to directly on a concrete basement floor. I also used a cardboard box and had an already owned heating pad inside and that worked well - it won't do enough if you want to raise it more than a few degrees as the box only does so much.

I definitely want to get if off the concrete floor. I'm thinking maybe a piece of plywood with a 1" thick piece of foam board on top of that with the bucket/carboy on top, then wrap with a blanket or putty a hoody over it.

 

[jamnich314]

It's kind of ghetto, but has worked well for me so far. Go to Home Depot and get a 20 or 30 gal plastic trash can and lid (30 gal was $9 yesterday when I picked up a second one). Then go on ebay and get a 100watt aquarium heater (about $9).

I kept my last batch at a pretty consistent 69 deg in my garage, with sub 30 deg temps outside. The heater has a temp dial, but it is not very accurate. I have it set on 82, but it keeps my system at a very consistent 69 deg. They say they go down to 65 deg, but based on what I have seen you should be able to go lower.

Any idea what energy costs are on one of those? I'm guessing it's not very high, just curious. Seems more effective than insulating from the concrete floor and putting a hoodie on it though.

 

[Roadie]

I keep hearing this and really want to start controlling it more. The only issue I'm going to have from now until probably June/July is the ferm temp being too low. The only months where my basement may be too warm is July/August and even then 70+ degree temps in a concrete basement are rare in Michigan.

I've seen many people use freezer/fridge with temp control but that doesn't really seem necessary in my climate. The bigger issue for me is making sure it's warm enough for the yeast to do it's thing.

I use an old fridge for a fermentation chamber and have a dual temp controller for it. We use the fermwrap for heating the carboy. My fermentation schedule for most of our IPA's using WLP001 is ferment at 65 for three days then ramp up 1 degree per day until we hit 70 then let it ride until finished. How would you do this in your MI basement even when the temperature is not too hot/cold outside?

 

[jamnich314]

I use an old fridge for a fermentation chamber and have a dual temp controller for it. We use the fermwrap for heating the carboy. My fermentation schedule for most of our IPA's using WLP001 is ferment at 65 for three days then ramp up 1 degree per day until we hit 70 then let it ride until finished. How would you do this in your MI basement even when the temperature is not too hot/cold outside?

I suppose I wouldn't. I didn't know people ramped up/down ferm temps. I thought it was just a constant thing.

 

[Roadie]

I suppose I wouldn't. I didn't know people ramped up/down ferm temps. I thought it was just a constant thing.

The gradual temperature rise helps the yeast attenuate and finish up. Once you have this type of temp control it would be tough to go back.

 

[jamnich314]

The gradual temperature rise helps the yeast attenuate and finish up. Once you have this type of temp control it would be tough to go back.

A guy can dream! I'm sure I'll have a nice temp control system someday but I'm three batches in and looking for ways to improve my fourth. Insight from more experienced brewers is always nice though.

 

[Mountainsax]

Any idea what energy costs are on one of those? I'm guessing it's not very high, just curious. Seems more effective than insulating from the concrete floor and putting a hoodie on it though.

Not sure what the cost would be, but not much. If it ran 24/7 @ $0.12/kwhr you would be looking at around $8/month. I would guess that it runs about 10% of the time (obviously depending on the temp of the room it is in).

A couple nice things about the trash can are that with the lid on it can help contain any nasty blowoffs that you have, and you have probably 2-3 times the liquid which gives you a larger thermal mass and helps even out any temp fluctuations. I too would love to have a fridge/freezer w/ dual temp control... just not quite there yet.

 

[number40fan]

My basement stays in the low 60's during the summer, but it doesn't keep a fermenter from jumping into the 70's. Jamnich, do you have anything to tell you the temp of the wort? Even something as simple as a fermometer?

 

[jamnich314]

My basement stays in the low 60's during the summer, but it doesn't keep a fermenter from jumping into the 70's. Jamnich, do you have anything to tell you the temp of the wort? Even something as simple as a fermometer?

I use the sticky thermometers on the outside of the bucket/carboy.

 

[ncbrewer]

My basement stays in the low 60's during the summer, but it doesn't keep a fermenter from jumping into the 70's. Jamnich, do you have anything to tell you the temp of the wort? Even something as simple as a fermometer?

+1 - Something to tell you the wort temperature is essential.

I use a wash tub from Wal Mart for a water bath, and add ice bottles as needed during active fermentation. In the winter, I put a heat mat around the tub when I want to raise the temperature, and turn the heat mat on and off as needed to keep the temp where I want it. It takes some attention, but can control temperature pretty well. I really like the set-up.

 

[Yooper]

It's kind of ghetto, but has worked well for me so far. Go to Home Depot and get a 20 or 30 gal plastic trash can and lid (30 gal was $9 yesterday when I picked up a second one). Then go on ebay and get a 100watt aquarium heater (about $9).

I kept my last batch at a pretty consistent 69 deg in my garage, with sub 30 deg temps outside. The heater has a temp dial, but it is not very accurate. I have it set on 82, but it keeps my system at a very consistent 69 deg. They say they go down to 65 deg, but based on what I have seen you should be able to go lower.

I have a very similar set up- a cooler and a very small aquarium heater. My heater is like 15 watts, and keeps the water at 60-72, depending on what I have it set on. I just put the carboy or bucket in the cooler, fill with water up to the beer level, and put the heater in the water bath. I don't stir or otherwise mix the water, and it works just fine.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Another cheap solution I used to use was a small ceramic space heater. Set it up about 2 feet away and aimed at the carboy. First, wait for the carboy temp to stabilize to the ambient temp of whatever space it was in. Then if the fermometer on the carboy read 62F and I wanted to get it up to 66F, I would turn the temp control knob on the heater until it just kicked on (i.e. the approx ambient temp). Then turn it up just a hair higher and leave it. Check the fermometer temp every few hours to tweak the temp control knob as needed.

I know this sounds really half-a**ed but it actually worked pretty well. I was able to control the temp within 1 or 2 degrees and since I already had the heater, it didn't cost me a dime. Of course, my daughters' bedroom was much colder at night but we all have to make our sacrifices

 

[hartlesj]

Google "fermwrap". Works on carboys and buckets. Brew belt is not recommended for carboys. Also, get a temperature controller. Mine is a Johnson A419 and works for cooling in my chest freezer (summer) and heating with my Fermwrap (winter). A controller is money well spent. Temperature control is one of the most significant elements for good beer.

I am upgrading my fermentation temp control setup. For cooling I have the standard mini fridge with an Auberns TD100A dual controller. Any advice on how I should set up the heating side? I'm using a Glass Carboy. I was planning on using the tape and insulation method to attach the temp probe to the outside of the fermenter, but if I wrap it with something like the fermwrap it will heat the temp probe as well. Aubers says the probe is food safe, but I foresee the probe breaking down sitting in the carboy for a few weeks. Any suggestions?

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=334

Steve

 

[budbo]

My basement stays around 66-68 all year, works great for ales.

Google "fermwrap". Works on carboys and buckets. Brew belt is not recommended for carboys.

Hmm wonder why Brew Belt advertises with a picture of it on a carboy.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Hartlesj, the Fermwrap works perfectly with a carboy. It only covers about 3/4 of the circumference of the carboy. I set it so it wraps around but leaves the smooth (non-ribbed) section of the carboy open. I took a 1 inch thick 3"x4" scrap of styrofoam and carved one side to fit the curvature of the carboy. Then I carved a little groove in this curved side that just fit my controller's temp probe.

I wrap the Fermwrap around the carboy, leaving the smooth section exposed, and use some tabs of electrical tape to hold it in place. Then I position the shaped piece of styrofoam on the smooth section of the carboy (the area with no Fermwrap) and hold in place with a couple of giant rubber bands. Plug the Fermwrap into the controller and slip the temp probe into the slot behind the styrofoam against the carboy. Works great.

This is a way complicated description of a very simple process but hopefully you get the idea.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Budbo, I have heard of people using a brew belt on a glass carboy but the manufacturer doesn't (or didn't last time I checked) recommend it. I assume a plastic one would be OK but I guess they were covering their a$$e$ in case a glass one broke.

 

[Rockn_M]

I added a reptile heating pad inside my fermentation chamber when it's cold. I have an STC 1000 with the probe taped to the side of the bucket. It can take a while to hear things up when it's really cold but it works.


Sent from my kegerator

 

[trussell]

I use a fridge in my basement workshop controlled by a dual stage controller. I made a light bulb can heater to heat when needed.