Heat belt too hot?

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

scrap that, I found one locally here - I always try to go local if I can.

Where is the best place to source the wires? I reckon there will be someone who can help me rig it up.

Thanks guys for your inputs - the hobby extends..

 

[indica86]

Chest freezer + 2 PET bottles full of warm water and 2 FV generating heat gets to 20°c when needed without an issue. And it is down to 5°c here at night.

 

[dicko]

If you doubt your ability to wire one safely and correctly then use this

Cheers

 

[Cronessa]

After purchasing a heat belt and then reading horror stories of burnt fridges etc I didn't want to leave my heat belt on overnight or whilst I'm away from the house even on a temp control (although its only really needed at night).

I found if I switched the heat belt on when I got home from work the fermentor would be around 22C by the time I went to bed. I then turn off the heat belt and wrap blankets around the sides of the fermentor. Usually I'd only lose 2 or 3 degrees by morning doing this.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

If you doubt your ability to wire one safely and correctly then use this

Cheers

Is that a STC-1000 ? OR a different brand - price seems OK considering all the rooting around setting the thing up would be.

 

[Bribie G]

To wire up a temperature controller you buy a short extension cord from a supermarket, then cut it at a suitable point, strip back the outer casing to obtain three wires sticking out of each of the cut ends. That's your wires that you use to follow the installation instructions. The temp controller is the brains of the operation and depending what the reading is from the fermenter and what you have told it to do, it will turn the power on and off to the heat belt or fridge as required.

 

[pk.sax]

Mick, have you found paintbrush in this day and age?

 

[i-a-n]

After purchasing a heat belt and then reading horror stories of burnt fridges etc I didn't want to leave my heat belt on overnight or whilst I'm away from the house even on a temp control (although its only really needed at night).

I found if I switched the heat belt on when I got home from work the fermentor would be around 22C by the time I went to bed. I then turn off the heat belt and wrap blankets around the sides of the fermentor. Usually I'd only lose 2 or 3 degrees by morning doing this.

Blankets?
I reckon it's what wet suits should be used for during the cold weather.

 

[Cronessa]

Wet suit is an awesome idea!

Here's my current setup - actually working a charm and keeping fairly constant temps at its lowest setting. Not bad for a radiator that cost around $20 - $30.

 

[Scooby Tha Newbie]

Temp controlled heat belt on tile. Works a treat and no fire hazard. I had the belt rapped around the fermenter and it melted the foam insulation that my temp probe sits in.
Now I don't trust the belt,it was to hot to pick up and I bake for a living,so it must've gotten very hot.

 

[MaltyHops]

You could wrap the heat belt around a metal cake tin to help draw heat away from the belt. Wrap around twice if tin is smallish.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Hey guys,

Update - I bought the mangrove jacks bit of kit. Hasn't been that cold this week, so I'm trusting the blanket still - Will give it a go for the cube (just did a double)

Liking the tile idea and the cake tin.. I'll come up with something - Whats the best way to set up a belt in the fridge? And say you want 18 degree, and you put the probe central to the fridge, is it better to put the controller on say 19 degree to take account of the external proximity of the probe?