Re: Heating a 200 litre fermenter
Posted: Sat May 12, 2018 10:25 pmdb1979 wrote:Salter wrote:Fishleg wrote:Last winter I used a fish tank heater turned up to full and wrapped a sleeping bag around my 200l drum. Works pretty good
Awesome! I was just looking at my fish tank thinking... "what's stopping me from using one?!"
Fish tank heaters work great, just be careful of the cheap ones. They don't have a high enough density and end up floating in a wash. This could cause them to fail (cracking open, leaching nasties into the wash) and potentially lose your wash. Or even start a fire.
I've got a good quality one, and a cheap one. To the cheap one I fastened a small stainless steel hose clamp to the bottom of it (lose enough not to break it) and now it sinks nicely in a wash. Hose clamp and cheap heater cost less than a more expensive heater.Salter wrote:Do you need some kind of way to stir the product?
A wash has enough Brownian motion to keep the yeast moving around and doesn't need stirring. Yeast produces carbon dioxide gas which causes it to become less dense and they float to the top, helping to stir the wash. They sink again when the carbon dioxide is released and the process repeats. When there is no sugar left they sink and the wash clears. They also make alcohol. Gotta love 'em :romance-kisscheek:
Thank you for the advice db1979
What if the temperature drops rapidly (winter nights) or the product (wash) is towards the end of its fermentation process? I'm guessing insulation should be used, is that right?