ferment heater?

[killian]

I just got a fancy new temp controller for my fridge and I'm wondering what I should use to heat. I have read that people use light bulbs to heat and others are using fermwraps, which is better?

 

[Chrisl77]

I use a brewers belt on mine its about the same as a fermwrap. A wrap will heat the fermenter where a bulb will heat the entire fridge making it work harder if it needs to cool back down.

 

[scottatdrake]

I use one of those ceramic bulbs that people use to keep their reptiles warm. I was afraid of what prolonged light from a regular bulb would do to the beer. Works great but was a bit pricey. Maybe $30 or so.

Like this one.

 

[broadbill]

Brew belt = Fermwrap = Flexwatt. Buy the Flexwatt material yourself (reptile pet supply)and make your own fermentation heater for half the price of the Brew Belt/Fermwrap product.

 

[microbusbrewery]

I use the Brewer's Edge Space Heater in mine (7.0 cf chest freezer). It works awesome and takes up no space whatsoever. I think it's essentially the same thing as an under-tank reptile heater. After I bought mine, I saw a post about car battery heater/warmer pads, and I think they'd also work really well and they're available in different wattages (although I wouldn't go above 65 watts).

Keep in mind the types of fermenters you may use in the future. I have a mix of different vessels and found that some heaters were fine for one vessel but were not recommended for another. For example, the manufacturer of the Brew Belt doesn't recommend using it with glass carboys. So a space heater type of heater (Brewers Edge, light bulb, ceramic bulb, mini space heater) seem to be the most versatile with different types of fermenters.

 

[stevea1210]

I followed these instructions and built my own out of a paint can. Cost about $15 and took 15 minutes.

brewstands.com - fermentation heater

With a 60 watt bulb in there it makes pretty quick work of temp raising. So far so good.

 

[canyonbrewer]

hair dryer. heat and fan built in. and no light to worry about

 

[timdsmith72]

I followed these instructions and built my own out of a paint can. Cost about $15 and took 15 minutes.

brewstands.com - fermentation heater

With a 60 watt bulb in there it makes pretty quick work of temp raising. So far so good.

This is what I did. Works great.

 

[killian]

the paint can seems cheap and easy,thanks.