Heater For Stc-1000

[stux]

Hi Guys. Just ordered an STC-1000 from ebay and was wondering what to use for the heating side. Maybe a heating belt or pad. Any suggestions.

I recently started using a heatbelt instead of a heat lamp in my fridge.

I use a thermowell to measure the wort temperature, and I found applying the heat directly to the fermenter seemed to work much better.

It basically eliminated the wide swings I was seeing

 

[Tim F]

I've been using a little electric hotplate, it seems to be working well so far! Before that I had fish tank heater in a bucket of water which works too but the humidity was encouraging mold to grow in the fridge.

 

[ledgenko]

I am confused ... do u need to use heating elm ?? My fridge sits comfortably on 24 degrees if I need it too .. or 8 - 10 degrees ??? Am I missing something ???

Happy to hear !!

Teach me Yoda !!!

 

[michael_aussie]

I am confused ... do u need to use heating elm ?? My fridge sits comfortably on 24 degrees if I need it too .. or 8 - 10 degrees ??? Am I missing something ???

Happy to hear !!

Teach me Yoda !!!

to hold your frementer at 20ish degrees in the middle of a victorian (or even worse tassie) winter out in a tin shed .... unless you have a fridge with perfect insulation .. and make sure that your fermentation is a screamer .... then you will need to add heat.

mine is usually fine for the first 2 or 3 days .. but I like to sit in the primary for 3+ weeks... if i don't heat then the temperature will droop to 15 ..14..13 and then the yeasties have gone to sleep.

so i use heat .. and so do many others here..

if you keep your fermenter inside and the ambient temp is around 20 degrees then you won't need heat. .. unless you want to elevate to 22ish dgress at the "end" ..

 

[jakub76]

I use a lamp with a terracotta pot over the bulb. Works fine but has caused some plastic warping inside my fermenting fridge when too close to the wall.

I noticed on Brewing TV Ep40 Bryon used a hair-drier http://www.brewingtv.com/episodes/?currentPage=2

I'm not sure I'd feel too comfortable about that arrangement in my home (fire hazzard) but I imagine it would only operate in pretty short bursts.

 

[technoicon]

i used to use a electric blanket, but then it was on too long once and it came out all brown, didnt catch fire, but i think it could have. changed it out for a standard bed side table light... going to put in a heat lamp when i find one.

 

[ledgenko]

Cheers for the heads up ... I am in Perth ... does not get that cold (cough inserted here) .. but brewery is on bottlom level of a large house ... actually I had planned and tested the cellar (right next to current position of fermentation fridge for lagering ) so I guess I must be lucky .. no probs with temps here .. should be able to crack out Lagers all year around.

Thanks again for the response..

Matt