Cold house

[warix]

My house has problems with the heaters. They are just not reliable and the landlord is going to put in a new heating system this summer. Right now we use infrared heaters in the big areas and smaller space heaters in the small rooms. This works ok but it is still not a consistent heat and I do not trust it for fermenting between 60 and 65 degrees.

I have a test fermenter filled with water in a seldom used bathroom with a space heater and I just can't get the temp of the water over 55 degrees.

So I am thinking abut getting a Brew Belt. However I would like to get some reviews on how well they work. I am planning to brew this Sunday and I would like to have a good start on the fermentation. I can't really afford to get one of the electronic control rigs for the temperature so I am wondering if the brew belt works fine without it.

Thanks for the help.


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[GilSwillBasementBrews]

What if you put your fermenter In a larger bucket/keg tub and used an electric aquarium heater to heat the water surrounding your fermenter?


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[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Haven't used a brew belt so I can't comment on that. But mid 50's you'd probably be able to get away with most lager yeasts. Somewhere to lager colder and longer would be the next issue.


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[Gameface]

In the meantime use some 1728 and make a killer Scottish ale.

 

[fartinmartin]

Safale s-04 says 53.6f to 77f. (Ideal is 59-68)
So by the time the yeast has itself warmed the brew up by about six degrees you are in the ideal range ! You should confidently go for it.
You are in a better position than those who have it too warm ending up with over foaming and the nuance of blow off tubes an all that mess. At your temps you should avoid all that messy stuff.
Have fun, in my book you are in a good place !
I would NOT be doing the brew belt.

 

[fartinmartin]

Adding to the previous post, it takes a lot to raise or lower the temp of five gallons, insulation will be a good trick here, nothing fancy is required, just get some insulation under the FV to slow the effect from the floor, wrap the outside and over the top with old duvets, coats , blankets etc. I think you will be surprised what temp your brew will achieve on it's own !

 

[fearwig]

This is a good problem to have. Heating is cheaper and easier than cooling. Get a cheap aquarium heater ($12). Put it in a rubbermaid tote with your fermenter, and fill it as high as you can without floating your fermenter. Experiment with the thermostat, starting on cold (it may have numbers, but they lie).

I have two of these going now, with two buckets each. The bonus is that the water conducts away internal heat from fermentation faster than air and smooths out your temperature arc. I run a $7 aquarium pump on a timer outlet during peak fermentation to help even out temperatures, but if you put the heater on the floor of the tub instead of the side you get good convection going anyway.

 

[kanzimonson]

I love it when my basement is 55-60 in the winter, fermenting without a fridge is so easy going. I bought a $15 heating pad (for injuries) and put it against the fermentor with a towel wrapped around. It can easily get the beer to 72-75 for finishing fermentation if needed.

If you get one, make sure it's the kind that has low-med-high settings, and DOESN'T have an auto shutoff after 15min.

 

[warix]

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies. I am very excited to hear that there are easy solutions to my problem. I actually have a very nice aquarium heater and pump from an older fish tank that I had. So that will be put back into use and I can give my wife that " I told you I would use that stuff again one day" look.

This will be my first brew day in over ten years. I am looking forward to watching that fermenter bubble away!




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[IslandLizard]

Heating pads, ferm wrap, brew belts all work, but to keep the heat in, you got to insulate that fermentor. Layers of bubble wrap, blankets, 2" foam boards, etc.

 

[sfgoat]

Bohemian lager yeast is also great in the range of 50-68℉

 

[Paradigm]

What if you put your fermenter In a larger bucket/keg tub and used an electric aquarium heater to heat the water surrounding your fermenter?


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I do this, $8 rope handle bucket at Target and a $30 aquarium heater from petco. The heater has it's own temperature control, but I use a control unit for more granularity. It keeps a water bath stable up to 88F (why would you ever do that though). Currently have it heading a water bath for my fermentation at 19-21c (19 at the bottom, 21 at the top)