Insulation for Fermentation Cubby

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eager_brewer

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I have a question about how to insulate my fermentation cubby. I have a small space underneath my basement stairs. It is only about 3 ft wide and 4 ft tall and slopes with the stairs so it is about 5 feet long from the top of the slope to the bottom. This is perfect for storing a couple of fermentors and kegs. I was going to just line the thing with 1/2 foam insulation. It is currently carpet but the wood doors have a small opeing where they meet. I would line the inside of the doors with insulation as well. Then I should be able to heat this with a small light bulb. Does anyone have any suggestions or am I on the right track?

Thank you!
EB
 
I would go with the pink 1.5" or 2" thick insulation. The temperature will fluctuate less with more insulation.

As far as the heating with a light bulb, that could work. Just make sure you block direct light from your fermenters (if they are clear) with maybe a piece of cardboard or extra foam insulation. I would also be very very sure that the bulb has no chance of catching anything on fire. Make sure it's not too close to the stairs or sides of the space.

A directional heat lamp may be more efficient. No matter what the method used to heat, keep in mind that you may need some way to vent excess heat and that would require some sort of temperature control either to switch the bulb on/off or a fan/vent.

Is it really cool enough to require heat?
 
I have a temp control unit that I used to use for my fridge but I don't need it any more so that is what I am going to use for the heat source. When you say 1.5 to 2 inch think insulation are you talking about the stuff that comes on a roll ot is this just a sheet I can buy? Thank you, as you can tell I know nothing about insulation.
 
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