Fermentation Heat - 200W Lasko MyHeat

[SkyHighBrew88]

Bought one of these at Walmart yesterday for $11. It uses ceramic heat at only 200W so it won't overload the 10amp ebay controller. I also have a 25W Reptitherm Heat Pad ($35) stuck on the wall of the fridge but am kind of thinking that since this works so fast i'm not going to really need it anymore.

Here's an picture of what i'm talking about:



The only issue I see, and this is only because I tested it without anything actually actively fermenting with a free hanging probe, is that it worked so well it overshot the intended ambient air temperature. I think this won't be a problem though later because I'll be measuring against a carboy.

Let me know what you think, I just found it awfully cheap and simple rather than my comparably expensive heat pad.

 

[limulus]

I bought one of these:
Amazon.com: Lux WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat: Home Improvement

And, one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AQLUHC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[SkyHighBrew88]

Here's the 25W Reptitherm pad. It worked really well but the coldest it got outside was maybe 40F. I tested it prior & found that it'd raise the ambient temp of the fridge about 18-20F. I do like the pad because it's a gradual heat & all but at least now I know for sure i'm not gonna have any yeast drop out because the garage got too cold...

 

[alien]

I've heard about a couple of people who have bought one of these -- I'm talking about the Lasko myHeat ceramic heater. Do they work pretty good? Seem to be a slightly cheaper option than the pads.

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

As long as you insulate the probe attached to the fermenter you'll be fine. The air temp doesn't matter it's the temp of the fermenter that does. I have mine attached with a 3x3 piece of pipe insulation pressed against the fermenter by one of these
http://m.harborfreight.com/4-piece-...t-90984.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided

 

[alien]

This is the cheapest heating unit I have seen by the way. $0.99! would need a case or something though.

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G19756