Fermenting Fridge heater

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TwoCrows

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I needed a heater to increase temps at the end of fermentation. Link to ebay 100W 12V DC PTC Fan Heater Constant Temperature Heating Incubator Hot Space | eBay

Winter in Melbourne can be cool.

We all need to hold temp or elevate to condition, especially when using warmer yeast strains.

I bought this 100 watt 12 volt heater complete with 12 volt fan and wired it to an old computer power supply.

Works well in tests.

I will soon know how well with this ferment of the Belgian Double.




Using the Inkbird controller to add heat.
 

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Given you have the controller programmed properly it should work.
I find just a fan is enough in an insulated box (fridge) used to have an upright glass door freezer, had two bigish fans in the bottom of it. Without the fridge running - just the fans it got up to 40oC.
So a 25W fan is a 25W heater, in a reasonably well insulated fridge its all you should, even if it was outside in the snow. Means you only need a single channel - lowest cost and easiest to wire up controller to.
Mark
 
I find the heating belt only really goes on during kveik ferments at the end if pitched hot enough in my ferment fridge.
Also putting some insulation such as bubble wrap across the front of the fridge and to the sides of the ferment vessel and above it stops heat escape when you look in and reduces dead space. Makes a big difference. Need to remove some of it when you are cold crashing.
 
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