ferment chamber - space heater...Safe??

[day_trippr]

fwiw, a 200w heater is most likely going to be a problem wrt controlling chamber temperature. It would take a really large chamber in a really cold ambient to use half of that power and from others' experiences the controller will ping-pong between heating and cooling.

(And I love Edison bulbs! In the right fixtures they can take a room back in time)

Cheers!

 

[Robert65]

40 watt Fermwrap taped to the back wall is more than I really need in my full size fridge. 200 watts sounds like way too much to me. Gonna cook your beer and/or keep your fridge constantly kicking on to compensate.

 

[LBussy]

Fan! Always use a fan.

 

[grampamark]

Geez, I have a 25 watt bulb inside a piece of 3” dryer duct for a heat source in my ferm fridge. It seems to be more than sufficient.

 

[LBussy]

I have a 25 watt bulb inside a piece of 3” dryer duct for a heat source in my ferm fridge

That's a nice idea. I'd been using a paint can, but that might work better by allowing convection.

 

[grampamark]

That's a nice idea. I'd been using a paint can, but that might work better by allowing convection.

It was, basically, a target of opportunity. I had the small light fixture (salvaged from an old entertainment center) and a piece of ducting, also a leftover. It took 10 or 15 minutes to assemble and install and I figured I wasn’t out anything but my time if I had to come up with a Plan B. It has proved to be an adequate heat source.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

I agree with others that you don't need much. A light bulb or reptile mat should be fine. But in my case, I just got a cheap ~$12 250W heater at Walmart, and it seems to be doing a good job. I have my inkbird set for 1 degree fluctuations (so with a 67 degree fermentation setting, it turns on heat at 66 degrees and it turns on cold at 68 degrees). I don't notice it cycling very much at all.

I'll likely unplug the freezer this weekend since it's starting to get colder in the garage.

 

[Surly]

I use a 60w bulb in a paint can. The 60w is enough for a small kegerator-sized box in my unheated garage, and the can keeps the light from skunking the beer.

I think a space heater is too much as well ... but a fan is a good addition no matter which mode is running.

Using a converted refrigerator I use the paint can method as well. I live in northern WI and brew in an unseated space. This winter I found I needed to upgrade to the 100w level. All is good.

 

[FrostyBeach]

All your unseated spaces are belong to us

 

[day_trippr]

I, for one, welcome our unseated overlords

 

[Curt Parker]

[duplicate]

 

[Oneandone]

Are you just wrapping it on the ferment vessel that you have? Also where do you have the probe for temp control

I think a lot of people overestimate the heating they need in their fermentation chambers. I use a brew belt, it's label says that it's 20w. I didn't get it from NB, but it looks just like this one:
FermoTemp® - Electric Fermentation Heater
I do 5G batches and have a 14CF upright freezer for a fermentation chamber. That little brew belt had no problem keeping ale fermentation temps in my Chicago suburb attached garage in the winter. Keep in mind, a refrigerator or freezer is intended to keep 0-40f temps in an environment of 70-80f efficiently. In this case, the 0f temps are outside and the 70F is inside, but that insulation works the same.

 

[DuncB]

I use a 30 w heating belt and have had no problems with Kveik ferments at nearly 40 celsius or 100F in old money in the fridge.
Put some extra insulation around the fermenter if you are trying to keep it hot it helps, if heating and cooling then I just have insulation across the fridge opening to stop the heat or cold falling out when I open it. I just use some bubble wrap for this.
If the ferment fridge is full I just cover the fermenter up with a sleeping bag and add hot or cold plastic bottles to adjust the temp if the heating belt is being used for another brew. Normally just needs hot water bottles twice a day to keep a kveik brew hot this way.
STC 1000 in this picture was just as a temperature measure as the relays were broken for heating and cooling.

 

[TallDan]

Are you just wrapping it on the ferment vessel that you have? Also where do you have the probe for temp control

Yes, i just wrap it on the fermenter. I've used it on a few different fermenters now. I used to use glass carboys and better bottles and I strapped my temp probe to the outside with a little foam insulation on the outside. I have some conicals now, I still use the brew belt wrapped around the outside of it, but now my temp probe is in a thermowell.

 

[Surly]

The yeast tell you at what temperature they are happy. Experiment with the least expensive heat source solution for your chamber. Trust yourself. And of course the yeast.

 

[Newbrew]

40 watt Fermwrap taped to the back wall is more than I really need in my full size fridge. 200 watts sounds like way too much to me. Gonna cook your beer and/or keep your fridge constantly kicking on to compensate.

I’m wondering two things 1. How warm? 2. Any idea if you can hook two together? I am converting a side by side fridge. Freezer side to kegerator; fridge side to fermentation chamber. I have two sec-1000 on for each side. Just looking for a heat source.

 

[DuncB]

Maybe not ideal running ferment fridge at 30c next to keg fridge.
Aim to heat the fermenter direct with belt / pad.

 

[Deadalus]

I’m wondering two things 1. How warm? 2. Any idea if you can hook two together? I am converting a side by side fridge. Freezer side to kegerator; fridge side to fermentation chamber. I have two sec-1000 on for each side. Just looking for a heat source.

If you wanted to hook two together on the temperature controllers heating outlet, you could use something like one of these. It would probably not interfere with the cooling plug. The problem is that these are usually in horizontal. This one is offset by 90 degrees. They make short extension cords that allow three plugs as well. Probably a dual one could be found tooI just happen to use these at Christmas a lot for outside decorations.