heating for fridge

[mfroes]

Hi guys, i recently acquired a 2 door fridge as a fermentation chamber. with it i can ferment 3*60L fermenter or 6 of the 30L.
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMTk2/z/B7oAAOSwWxNYxJ3~/$_75.JPG

i've been suggested by the homebrew shop to get heater panels and lay around the fridge but the heater panels inside don't seem to be able to heat and keep the fridge warm enough.

do anyone have any experience with any of these heaters to control temp on a large fridge ?
would the one with the fan would be better as it would create less hot spots inside the fridge?
Thin and wide. could be screwed in on a fixed position:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/EVANTAIR-2000W-CONVECTOR-HEATER-WITH-THERMOSTAT-TIMER-TURBO-/122740959944
flat/upright with fan so various positions it could fit:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1000W-20...Electric-Fan-Heater-Hot-Cold-E5-/172443531122
australian, low hight with fan and AU plug:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Heller-H...ile-Fan-Heater-Floor-Desk-Table-/142298111109
cheers,

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

There is no way in hell you need a 2 kW heater inside a fridge. My composites oven has an internal volume ~1 m^3 (1000 litres) and I can get it to 150 oC with a 2.2 kW heater unit. Admittedly it has better insulation than the average fridge but it's also three times the size. An oversized heater will lead to severe temperature swings above the set point as the cabinet continues to warm after the heater turns off due to stored energy in the heater.

To warm that fridge to ferment temperatures I'd suggest you try something like a 100 W enclosure heater, available from electrical suppliers for about $60. I've used an old 150W Par38 floodlight with the face painted black*, worked a treat and is very cheap.

Mark (MHB) will come along and suggest you use a 20 Watt computer fan, I say use both. Leave the fan on all the time and connect the heater to the temperature controller.

* Use stove enamel. In case it isn't obvious, you need the old fashioned incandescent sort, not an LED or CFL.

 

[mfroes]

There is no way in hell you need a 2 kW heater inside a fridge. My composites oven has an internal volume ~1 m^3 (1000 litres) and I can get it to 150 oC with a 2.2 kW heater unit. Admittedly it has better insulation than the average fridge but it's also three times the size. An oversized heater will lead to severe temperature swings above the set point as the cabinet continues to warm after the heater turns off due to stored energy in the heater.

To warm that fridge to ferment temperatures I'd suggest you try something like a 100 W enclosure heater, available from electrical suppliers for about $60. I've used an old 150W Par38 floodlight with the face painted black*, worked a treat and is very cheap.

Mark (MHB) will come along and suggest you use a 20 Watt computer fan, I say use both. Leave the fan on all the time and connect the heater to the temperature controller.

* Use stove enamel. In case it isn't obvious, you need the old fashioned incandescent sort, not an LED or CFL.

I just thought on using them because they are readily available in australia and i thought that would be heating it fast enough.
i admit that i havent thought about the residual heat from the heater.
so you were saying to paint the bulb black and put it inside the fridge?
something like this? https://www.bunnings.com.au/nelson-150w-par38-permaflood-globe_p4344739

I do have a piece of styrofoam on the top of the probe and the probe attached to the side of the FV.
there are a few 200w and 500w out there as well that could be better, maybe?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable...c-Winter-Warmer-Fan-Office-220W-/371953255574
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-Colors...ater-Electric-Winter-Warmer-Fan-/201949686228

 

[evoo4u]

If you don't mind a bit of noise, I found an el-cheapo hair dryer is effective. Not too powerful, and blows the hot air around nicely.

 

[mfroes]

found this recently, maybe could give it a go ?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220V-100...Wine-Beer-Fermentation-Pails-AU-/222598594024
put one on each side? one on the right and one on the left ?

 

[moonhead]

I've used just a normal heat pad in my ferm chamber, got it sitting on the door shelf with some air space all around it (put in some spacers to give it space). It's only 30w, so it's not getting the chamber up to kettle souring temps, but it'll bring and hold fermentation up to about 24 degrees.

I've got another chamber which I used a heat belt in. I'd suggest being careful with those, mine almost caught fire... Seems without contact against the fermenter to sink the heat into, the heating wire inside started burning through the plastic casing.

 

[Dae Tripper]

found this recently, maybe could give it a go ?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220V-100...Wine-Beer-Fermentation-Pails-AU-/222598594024
put one on each side? one on the right and one on the left ?

Those sort of heat belts really need to directly heating something otherwise can burnout.
If you are after a 240v solution with high wattage http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable...d=272846590155&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

But you would be supprised just how much heat a fan can impart. You could just keep the internal fan of that unit running full time and that should be all you need till winter.
Just chucking an 18w computer fan in mine was a good stopgap till I got a reptile heater like this one https://m.ebay.com.au/itm/Reptile-O...0946?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275&_mwBanner=1

A lot of people seem to go overboard with heating when I don't think they need to but hey all my heaters are retired till winter now.

 

[earle]

Also remember that most of the time you're trying to maintain temperature rather than actually raise the temperature. Fermenting wort will generate some heat as well. I just have a 25W heat pad sitting on its side at the side of my ~400L fermenting fridge and it does a fine job for with one or two fermenters. These low wattage heat pads often don't feel that warm but they are slowly doing their job. The one heat pad will also slowly ramp temps for things like D-rests, and ramping saisons & belgians. I reckon a couple of heat mats with a fan to distribute temps should be fine in a large double door fridge.

 

[Schikitar]

I still have a couple heat belts strapped to the two fermenters I can fit in my fridge but they rarely come on. If you don't like strapping a heat belt on directly then you can strap them to say another heatsink, my brother whipped up a water tight pvc tube and taped a heat belt to that to use as a heatsink in his fridge.

I quite like the light idea with the stove black paint, maybe a portable one like this which can plug straight into the controller - https://www.bunnings.com.au/nelson-150w-portable-security-flood-light_p4370249

A fan is a good idea though, heat rises!

 

[DU99]

i have small old fridge and run a heat belt which have support across the unit..and it's controlled by a thermostat