# Best Heating Source For St-1000 Controlled Fridge



## Newbee(r) (27/12/11)

Starting the build on the temp controller box today, which will have dual heating and cooling control after a trip out to jaycar for parts and thanks to wife's stc-1000 xmas gift :icon_cheers: . Just wanted some advice on best heating source for the fridge. 

There seem to be a range of choices - heat pads, to sit under the fermenter or hung in the fridge, heat belts, going around the fermenter, an aquarium heater put in the fermenter, or even a lightbulb option (which makes little sense to me given light and beer are not good friends). Heat pads I am a bit worried will give the bottom fermenting yeasts too high a temp, so am leaning towards a hanging arrangement or aquarium heater, unless people have had good experiences with the heat belts. Any recommendations and preferences for particular models greatly appreciated. 

Cheers

J


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## Yob (27/12/11)

Newbee(r) said:


> Starting the build on the temp controller box today, which will have dual heating and cooling control after a trip out to jaycar for parts and thanks to wife's stc-1000 xmas gift :icon_cheers: . Just wanted some advice on best heating source for the fridge.
> 
> There seem to be a range of choices - heat pads, to sit under the fermenter or hung in the fridge, heat belts, going around the fermenter, an aquarium heater put in the fermenter, or even a lightbulb option (which makes little sense to me given light and beer are not good friends). Heat pads I am a bit worried will give the bottom fermenting yeasts too high a temp, so am leaning towards a hanging arrangement or aquarium heater, unless people have had good experiences with the heat belts. Any recommendations and preferences for particular models greatly appreciated.
> 
> ...



a heat pad at the back of the fridge (not directly under the fermenter) is what I use and works a treat.

it's only UV light that affects yeast, so a light bulb is OK (some like to put a ceramic pot over it)

Directly heating the FV isnt what you want, heating ambient is the go.

aquarium heater in the FV is right out for me and would never consider it an option

Heat belts are good too I know of many people who just drape it over the light or tape it to the side of the fridge.

Yob

edit: LINKY : it's an older piccie and I now have it flat under a second shelf at the bottom of the fridge


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## Acasta (27/12/11)

I used an old lead light we had in the garage. Really simple, put some alu foil over it to stop the light going directly onto the fermenter but left some space for heat to escape.
Only problem is finding replacement incandescent globes...


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## iralosavic (27/12/11)

My wife used to run an aquarium, so I had a variety of heat globe setups to choose from. I went with infra-red in a reflective lamp mount. The main reason was that I didn't have to figre out a way to mount a socket and bulb only setup. It does a good job of heating indirectly without getting too hot. The reflective lamp would probably set you back close to $100, so if you had to buy your own, I'd just go with the plain cable-socket and a couple of heat globes and Mcgyver it - this would result in a similar cost to a heat belt, but with an indirect heat source.


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## Whiteferret (27/12/11)

I've got a 12v downlight under a milo tin with holes in mine run longer wires from outside so there is no 240 inside the frigde as there is a lot of condensation inside even with a computer fan in there.


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## MHB (27/12/11)

A Fan, a small fan will give you more consistent and faster heating and cooling, not only that but a 25 W (for instance) computer fan is giving you 25 W of heat as well.
In an insulated box (fridge) with the heat produced during fermentation plus the heat from the fan I doubt you will ever need to turn the heating circuit on, even in cold whether the fridge will be cycling occasionally just to get rid of the heat build up.
MHB


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## Amber Fluid (27/12/11)

I use a Reptile Heat Cord. So versatile and can conform to any shape needed. Mine is weaved between the shelves.


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## drsmurto (27/12/11)

Here is how one of my fermenting fridges is setup, reptile heat pad with the STC-1000.

Second fermenting fridge has a brewing heat pad rather than the reptile version.

Never sit the fermenter on the heating source.


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## Kingbrownbrewing (27/12/11)

I use a $15 small heating fan from retravision.

Best move I ever made and a very even heating source.


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## Newbee(r) (27/12/11)

Thanks for the replies, most appreciated. As a result of other hobbies, I have handy all the bits to do pretty much all the options (hence the question), but think a heat pad hung nearby is the go for me to start with. I have an occasionally used 240v propagation heat pad, which sits at 35 degrees steady within 5 minutes of switch on (so if all else fails I can keep myself in saison!), - will hook this one up and see how it goes. Meant to post in OP, the aquarium heater method is not into the fermenter but in a bucket of water that the fermenter is put into. 

Cheers again - With perfect temp control, 2012 is going to be a very busy brewing year!!! 

J


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## Yob (27/12/11)

lots of people, myself included, just hook up the heat source to a STC1000 or similar device liek a TEMPMATE which have a dual heat/cold option to control the fridge and the heat source (check out the STC 1000 topic) ...this way the whole process is automated.

without these sorts of devices I would not be able to maintain temps while Im away on holiday... currently I have 3 of these devices.. 1 for cold conditioning (also used for the HLT) and 2 controlling fridges with heat pads in... set and forget... dunno how I managed without them.. actually yes I do.. It was a PITA...

Id still be steering clear of the element in the water... you will use _ALOT_ of power this way for little return.. the devices and methods listed above are tried and tested with most pleasing results.

STC 1000 TOPIC it is a bit long now but I can assure you it contains ALL the info you need

Cheers


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