what is everyone using as a heating source

[IYAOYAS]

what is everyone using as a heating source in there fermenting chambers with the stc1000?

 

[Hammy71]

My chamber is a fridge. I use the fridge (obviously) for chilling, and a Fermwrap tywrapped along the back inside wall, for heating. Cheap and works. My basement is in the low 60s and I can get my chamber into the 80s for Belgians with no problems.

http://morebeer.com/products/fermwrap-heater.html

 

[thadass]

I got a mini-crock-pot that's supposed to be for cheese sauce or potpourri or something and punched holed in the metal casing, took the bottom off, and attached a fan on either end. 40w ceramic heater for $2 + scrap fans and wiring

 

[brew_ny]

60 watt light bulb in a 14.7 cu ft chest freezer when it is really cold I use two

S_M

 

[dyqik]

Seed germination mat - about 20W, waterproof (fortunately, since the lid blew off the first brew I used it with).

 

[b-boy]

100W ceramic reptile heater in a ceramic light socket from Lowes.

 

[CGVT]

I have an old refrigerator and use a light bulb. Not sure of the wattage, but it doesn't really matter.

I took out all of the glass shelving and built a wooden shelf. The light is below the shelf so if I were to use a clear fermenter the the light doesn't get to it.

 

[Seven]

I use one of these paint can heaters in my fermentation chamber. But instead of using a regular light bulb I'm using a 100 watt reptile heating bulb like this one. It works great.http://www.brewstands.com/fermentation-heater.html

 

[te-wa]

would a ****ty, goodwill hair-dryer work? circulates heat better than light bulb radiation.. just toss it in there. idea or no?

 

[LandoLincoln]

would a ****ty, goodwill hair-dryer work? circulates heat better than light bulb radiation.. just toss it in there. idea or no?

Uh...well...personally, I'd advise against it. Hair dryers aren't meant to be running for long stretches of time and it might take a while for the hair dryer to heat the place good enough. Just my opinion. I may be really wrong.

 

[IYAOYAS]

thanks everyone for the ideas i really do appreciate it

 

[te-wa]

Uh...well...personally, I'd advise against it. Hair dryers aren't meant to be running for long stretches of time and it might take a while for the hair dryer to heat the place good enough. Just my opinion. I may be really wrong.

i'm not a physics professor nor an engineer. i would imagine however, that a 1500 watt hair dryer on high would take little time to heat and maintain a ~5 cubic foot chest freezer a couple degrees at at time.

we don't know the dimensions of the OP's fermentation chamber.. but if a 60 watt light bulb can maintain heat via radiation, a hair dryer will have no trouble using convection.

just my thoughts. i could be wrong, too. :cross:

 

[GoodDogShelby]

Using a 75 watt light bulb in a paint can. The chamber is in the garage. In this recent cold snap, the temp in the garage has gotten down to the 40's and the paint can heater has kept temps right at 20 deg. C.

 

[Odin_Brews]

another light bulb in a paint can here. I don't even use temp control, I just leave it on and change the bulb to different wattages depending how cold it is.

 

[cluckk]

I use a little thing known as South Texas weather to keep my fermenters warm enough. In January and about a week in February I can actually ferment without a swamp cooler to keep things cool. The rest of the time, if I want to ferment without cooling it has to be wine, mead or Belgians.

 

[hautlle]

I use a couple of old heating pads for heating purposes. Basically a fermwrap, but not =)

 

[Hammy71]

would a ****ty, goodwill hair-dryer work? circulates heat better than light bulb radiation.. just toss it in there. idea or no?

As an electrician, hair dryers and curling irons always scare me. Especially one from a second hand store. They get hot very fast and not something I would want running while unattended. Just my two cents.

 

[kh54s10]

My fermentation chamber is in the heated portion of my basement so I cool all year round. Even the unheated portion stays too warm.

 

[chocotaco]

My only heat source is the SUN!

 

[Beernik]

I'm using a brewbelt. The temp in my garage has dropped down to 20F and it hasn't had a problem maintaining 45F.

 

[justkev52]

what is everyone using as a heating source in there fermenting chambers with the stc1000?

Good old hot pad.

 

[egravy81]

Here are some things that helped me out with this controller:

-Use a thermowell
-set the compressor delay for 10 minutes and go down from there if needed
-set the threshold to 0.5C, 0.3C was short cycling both heat and cool on my setup and Chris white's book uses 0.5C as an acceptable tolerance

For heat I currently use a little personal heater fan from a discount/dollar store. It has a low/hi and intensity setting that I set to about midway on low. My ferm chamber is on the back porch and the heater definitely works even in sub-zero temps. I originally used an aluminum paint can with a socket and incandescent bulb installed on the inside of the lid (there's a build somewhere on here) but it didn't work during the winter.

 

[te-wa]

As an electrician, hair dryers and curling irons always scare me. Especially one from a second hand store. They get hot very fast and not something I would want running while unattended. Just my two cents.

i'm a sparky too.
with the local 640 here in phoenix.

i've prolly used a hair dryer once in my life. want dry hair? go outside. it's phoenix.

 

[MindenMan]

I had been using a heating pad hooked up to a STC-1000 until it was needed in the house. I then went to HD and picked up the 200 watt Lasko electric heater that was mentioned very often here. It seemed to work fine in my 5 cu ft freezer even with the temps here down to less than 10* F. My freezer has a deep shelf for a 6.5 gallon bucket, but on the top shelf, I can only fit a 5 gallon bucket w/o a vertical airlock, so I use a piece of sterile gauze underneath a foil cap. I am pretty sure the Lasco will heat both buckets. I will probably turn the freezer cooling off like it did before, otherwise they both cycle on and off for hours it seems. My fermenter is empty right now, but the next batch I ferment I will set the controller a little low to prevent major overshoots in the beginning days of fermentation, to prevent the occurrence of "off" flavors. At least that is my plan...

 

[Greatbreweh]

I can tell you the paint can heater works very well, very easy to build.

To my Canadian fellow brewers I can say it works, my kegorator is in a separate from house garage (no residual heat at all) and the paint can keeps my fridge temp no problem even in -20C (-4F) fridge is held rock steady at my desired serving temp. I leave fridge on to cool if necessary.

Using 40 watt refrigerator bulb for its shorter profile.