Fermentation chamber - heating source necessary?

[jbaysurfer]

I have brewed saisons into the 30's (ambient) with nothing more then a 40 watt bulb in a chest freezer as heat. To answer your question OP, if you're mostly doing ales and lagers in a fairly stable ambient temp...No. You do not need a heat source. If you want one anyway, a 40 watt bulb is far less dangerous, and far more efficient then a 1000 watt hairdryer or a space heater. Another option is an aquarium heater, or a heating pad. If your ferment chamber is well insultated and sealed, that should be all the heat you need.

I get scared when I'm always reading about space heaters and unsupervised hair dryers in enclosed spaces. Better check the smoke detectors while building that out is all I can say.

 

[ILMSTMF]

Thanks for the input jbaysurfer! Saisons in ambient 30's farenheit or celsius? Ambient in the sense of the temperature OUTSIDE of your chamber or the internal ambient temp between chamber wall and FV?

I'll be honest, and I don't mean to discredit the wonderful folks who are daring enough to do try it, but I also get the willies thinking about putting one of those other heating sources in that enclosed space. Fast forward, I decided on getting the 50 watt reptile heating cable. Very very small footprint and should heat efficiently when needed. Also, again, the fridge will remain outdoors in all seasons! New Jersey sees pretty hot summers and winters that average lower than 40F.

Rock and roll!

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I have brewed saisons into the 30's (ambient) with nothing more then a 40 watt bulb in a chest freezer as heat. To answer your question OP, if you're mostly doing ales and lagers in a fairly stable ambient temp...No. You do not need a heat source. If you want one anyway, a 40 watt bulb is far less dangerous, and far more efficient then a 1000 watt hairdryer or a space heater. Another option is an aquarium heater, or a heating pad. If your ferment chamber is well insultated and sealed, that should be all the heat you need.

I get scared when I'm always reading about space heaters and unsupervised hair dryers in enclosed spaces. Better check the smoke detectors while building that out is all I can say.

Thats why the Lasko MyHeat tiny 200W heater is the best, because it has an auto thermal shutoff. If your chamber gets to like ~110F it will shut off and it wont turn back on unless you manually flip the switch off for 30 seconds then back on. Its the best option IMO, good power, built in fan, and the built in cutoff.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Thats why the Lasko MyHeat tiny 200W heater is the best, because it has an auto thermal shutoff. If your chamber gets to like ~110F it will shut off and it wont turn back on unless you manually flip the switch off for 30 seconds then back on. Its the best option IMO, good power, built in fan, and the built in cutoff.

I'm unfamiliar with that particular unit, but it does seem much safer then the 1k-1500W typical space heater unit people are using. I think 200W is overkill as well depending on the size of your space, but if it works for ya...great. The dirt cheap 40W bulb has been with me since my first brew.

 

[redshift76]

Thats why the Lasko MyHeat tiny 200W heater is the best, because it has an auto thermal shutoff. If your chamber gets to like ~110F it will shut off and it wont turn back on unless you manually flip the switch off for 30 seconds then back on. Its the best option IMO, good power, built in fan, and the built in cutoff.

The reptile cord in my ferm chamber is plugged into & controlled by the controller. It only turns on for a while then the controller shuts it off until the temp drops a few degrees. I've cranked it up as a test, the cord gets warm but is never at a point where its too hot to touch.