Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Good Morning All,
I currently do most of my fermenting in a full size fridge to keep things cool. However I've found I need to also heat inside for when I accidentally cool the yeast bed down to far whilst cooling my backset.
What would be the best option for heating? I was using a ceramic reptile heater sitting on the top shelf of the fridge, shelves are glass so it was heating up the shelf itself, however can't seem to find it since moving house. I've still got a few heater housing lying around so could just get a new heater but was wondering what other people do?
I want to be able to heat the most effective way.
Cheers Sin

I have heat belts and a heat pad. Plug one into a STC-1000 with your fridge and your good to go :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Where abouts have you got the pad?
Might give the belts a go if I can find somehwere up here that has them.
I've already got a controller that I bought from a HBS before I moved. I think it's similar to the STC1000 but comes fully wired up in a nice box etc.

In a chamber the size of a fridge I would use a a sparkies heat shink gun(like a hair dryer)
As it will also circulate the air in your chamber giving a faster responds time :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I use a reptile heat cord. I looked at a few options and felt safest with this with the humidity that can occur in a fridge. They are also pretty long so can spread out the heat pretty well.

Sinerjee wrote:Where abouts have you got the pad?

I use the pad under the fermenter when I use my chest freezer (I put the probe close to the bottom of the fermenter)
I tend to use the belts when I'm using the fridge or fermenting on the bench top. A lot of people seem to prefer the belts but I've found they both keep a pretty consistent temperature with a controller in a confined space.

The belts are better for putting around 60lt fermenters, pads you would have to lift them on.

Because of my stock in trade, I've got fish tanks sitting around as well as lots of heaters etc.

I've currently got three 30l fermenters sitting in a water bath in a 4 foot fish tank.
Got a 200 watt heater sitting in the water bath and it's set for 28 deg.

All the fermenters are bubbling away like crazy.
Given that we are heading into the cold part of the year I'm probably going to look at some other options if I continue doing this sort of thing.. As it is not the most energy efficient ( no insulation )
However it has solved my problem short term.

Here is my setup. Works great for heating

It's an old waterbed heating pad that you can pick up for cheap on the used internet sites like gumtree. I find heating one side creates a lot of circulation within the fermenter

The waterbed heater control is cranked as high as it will go and its thermocouple left hanging beside it. Plugged the control into the STC-1000 and temperature controlled via it's thermocouple from there.

I have a clear lexan top and two threaded PVC adapters with ping pong balls inside for an air lock. The thermocouple is encased in 3/8 copper tube and held in place with a threaded cord gland

CH3CH2OH wrote:I have a clear lexan top and two threaded PVC adapters with ping pong balls inside for an air lock.

I love that simple idea mate, but don't you balls blow off. :O)

The clear top makes it easy to see what is going on inside without having to lift the lid. It makes a tight seal especially if you put a little weight in the middle. No flying critters getting in and no pressure buildup inside.

The airlocks work great. I got the idea off of another forum and they were Doc's invention I believe. I just used the single piece construction as the inside bottom of these adapters are tapered and fits the curvature of the ping pong ball perfectly to create a seal and I cut the holes I needed to fit the adapters.

Here's a youtube video of a mulit piece one in action. With the right assortment of pieces it will screw right into the threaded hole of a barrel lid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUjHqj_8ce4

I just use my 50 year old fridge for my 30 litre UJ and use a 60 watt light bulb hooked up with pic micro circuit and relay. The light comes on at 24C and goes off at 23C, now if the temp goes above 26 and is rising the fridge kicks in to take it down to 22C and the light is disabled.

This system has worked for me for close to 2 years and one time I set up a data logger and the temps were spot on over a 3 week period.

So How do you get a fridge to turn on at that high a temp?

Fishboy wrote:So How do you get a fridge to turn on at that high a temp?

Think of a esky with a heat source. Fridges have great insulation. (I highly doubt he is using the fridge/thermostat) I spose one could hook up another thermostat to switch the heat source on or off for control but with a suitably sized lamp it wouldn't be a problem.

Sinerjee wrote:Good Morning All,
I currently do most of my fermenting in a full size fridge to keep things cool. However I've found I need to also heat inside for when I accidentally cool the yeast bed down to far whilst cooling my backset.
What would be the best option for heating? I was using a ceramic reptile heater sitting on the top shelf of the fridge, shelves are glass so it was heating up the shelf itself, however can't seem to find it since moving house. I've still got a few heater housing lying around so could just get a new heater but was wondering what other people do?
I want to be able to heat the most effective way.
Cheers Sin

Your in Tindal bro, dont even bother with temp control and get used to 3 day rums. I was there for 6 years and warming a ferment was the least of my concerns...

I only ever cooled dunder with ice and thats cos i was too impatient to wait all morning to get the next gen singing. :whistle: