Safest Heating inside Fridge -- The "double boiler" build

[vinylrooster]

Hey guys,

I finally have built a fermentation mini fridge hooked up to an STC-1000 with heating and cooling controls. Obviously, I will draw the cooling side from the fridge, but I have a question about the safety of the heating side. I have done a ton of research on this and honestly, the 'paintcan lightbulb', 'space heater inside fridge', 'reptile heat lamp', 'reptile heating pad', 'seedling heat pad', and 'reptile heating cable' options that I have found by searching these and other forums are just too unsafe and too much of a fire hazard for me. I simply couldn't live with myself if something went wrong and I ended up BBQing my dog while I'm out of the house.

So, I THINK I have come up with a potentially safer system. What I would like to do is to take a page from the 'swamp cooler' people. I plan put a small swamp cooler INSIDE my fridge and use a submersible aquarium heater as my heat source (see image). Essentially, I am making a double boiler for my fermentation chamber inside of my fridge. I think this should be more safe, because in the event that the aquarium heater goes haywire, the worst thing that can happen is that my water gets overheated and my beer is ruined......this seems to me to be much better than burning my house down (in the event that one of the other heat sources above malfunctions).

I would love to hear other peoples input on the safety and efficacy of this proposed build.

Cheers!

NOTE: The image was borrowed from http://chibebrau.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-eve-and-boxing-day-brew-day.html

 

[broadbill]

Personally, I think you are being overcautious. Little chance of a heating device burning down the house, especially if it is inside of a refrigerator. Fires needs alot of oxygen, not much of that inside of a refrigerator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_triangle

You can still play it safe and not use a heating source that has some sort of covering on it. Even if you aren't inside of a refrigerator, as long as you aren't close to some sort of flammable materials; chances are your heater will short circuit or flip the breaker before a fire breaks out.

 

[beergolf]

I have been using the cooler/aquarium heater trick for a few years now. It works great. I do not put it in a fridge but just set it in the basement. The heater I am using hold temps to within a degree so it is very easy. I put an aquarium thermometer in the water to monitor the temps, but it has been so reliable that I can pretty much set it and forget it. I have a saison going right now that is sitting at 85 degrees in a 68 degree basement.

This is the one I use. I like this one because it goes to 88 degreees.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/aqueon-..._id=27403772&gclid=COXJp9jmu8ECFSxk7AodXmIA8w

 

[vinylrooster]

I have been using the cooler/aquarium heater trick for a few years now. It works great. I do not put it in a fridge but just set it in the basement. The heater I am using hold temps to within a degree so it is very easy. I put an aquarium thermometer in the water to monitor the temps, but it has been so reliable that I can pretty much set it and forget it. I have a saison going right now that is sitting at 85 degrees in a 68 degree basement.

This is the one I use. I like this one because it goes to 88 degreees.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/aqueon-..._id=27403772&gclid=COXJp9jmu8ECFSxk7AodXmIA8w

Thanks for the quick reply! I have used a conventional swamp cooler with aquarium heater in a keg tub before so I know it is safe. I just want to make sure it is still safe IN the fridge. I'm assuming it should be....

 

[Chops1867]

I used a heating pad from an old waterbed. Works great.

It's the black wall behind the two carboys.

 

[AerationStation]

I use FermWraps I picked up ay morebeer. They are light, work great, and have like a 0% chance of starting a fire

 

[vinylrooster]

Double post, sorry

 

[broadbill]

I use FermWraps I picked up ay morebeer. They are light, work great, and have like a 0% chance of starting a fire

I made my own version of these from Flexwatt heat tape you can purchase from online reptile supply stores.

The reptile guys get these up to 90-plus degrees without issue...they are barely turning on in our application.

 

[vinylrooster]

Personally, I think you are being overcautious. Little chance of a heating device burning down the house, especially if it is inside of a refrigerator. Fires needs alot of oxygen, not much of that inside of a refrigerator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_triangle

You can still play it safe and not use a heating source that has some sort of covering on it. Even if you aren't inside of a refrigerator, as long as you aren't close to some sort of flammable materials; chances are your heater will short circuit or flip the breaker before a fire breaks out.

The oxygen element is very true, so maybe i am being overly cautious. Either way, I think I'll try out the submersible aquarium heater first just because it seems the safest to me.

I use FermWraps I picked up ay morebeer. They are light, work great, and have like a 0% chance of starting a fire

I made my own version of these from Flexwatt heat tape you can purchase from online reptile supply stores.

The reptile guys get these up to 90-plus degrees without issue...they are barely turning on in our application.

I have seen both of these before, but I am using PET bottles so I was concerned about direct heat contact and these methods are probably just as dangerous as a reptile heating pad against the wall....

 

[BobBailey]

When I had my fermentation fridge out in the shed I used a 60 watt light bulb. It worked fine down into the single digits. I would think a 100 watter would be good well below zero.

 

[tagz]

I use an aquarium heater in a growler as my heat source. Works great. I was sketched out by some of the other options as well.

 

[vinylrooster]

I use an aquarium heater in a growler as my heat source. Works great. I was sketched out by some of the other options as well.

Interesting. Just to make sure I'm understanding correctly, you have the aquarium heater in the growler, which is sitting next to the carboy, acting like a "water space heater" to radiate heat in the fridge?

Also, How many degrees above ambient are you able to get using this method?

 

[tagz]

Yep. It's one of those heavy duty growlers with the ceramic top; tall enough to hold the aquarium heater. It's filled water and simply radiates heat. I can get the fridge into the 80s for saisons. It sits in my basement, which is usually in the mid 60s.

I just happened to find the aquarium heater in my basement and gave it a try. Works great.

 

[vinylrooster]

Yep. It's one of those heavy duty growlers with the ceramic top; tall enough to hold the aquarium heater. It's filled water and simply radiates heat. I can get the fridge into the 80s for saisons. It sits in my basement, which is usually in the mid 60s.

I just happened to find the aquarium heater in my basement and gave it a try. Works great.

Thanks for the followup, I'm going to do exactly what you do. Thanks again.

 

[tagz]

Yeah, give it a try. The only drawback is that it gets pretty humid in there during hot fermentations. But I just wipe it down and air it out afterward. For regular fermentations in the 60s it doesn't seem to be an issue.

 

[vinylrooster]

Yeah, give it a try. The only drawback is that it gets pretty humid in there during hot fermentations. But I just wipe it down and air it out afterward. For regular fermentations in the 60s it doesn't seem to be an issue.

Good to know. I'll be on the lookout for mold.

Cheers,