Hello and fermentation help?!

[Life Begins At The Hop]

After brewing with fresh wort kits (Bacchus and All Inn) for 2.5 years now, I've recently moved on to BIAB all-grain.

Yesterday, I got a MkII temp controller, plugged my fridge in and this morning I put my first brew into it, a Dubbel. I pitched the yeast, set the target temp to 20 degrees, but soon realised that it wasn't going above 10 degrees because - surprise, surprise! - I don't have a heating belt/pad! Argh!

I don't know if I can get a heating pad/belt today as all brew shops are closed. Two questions:

- Is there a good alternative I could get from, say, Bunnings?
- What's the best way to save the batch until I can get a belt/pad in another day or two: leave the fermenter in the fridge at 10 degrees? Or turn the fridge off and leave the fermenter in there? Or take the fermenter out and leave it to ferment at ambient temp?

Thanks!
Kyle.

 

[malt junkie]

In a pinch the girlfriends hair dryer will do the job.

 

[wynnum1]

What is ambient temp i though you only needed heat to go above ambient temp.

 

[manticle]

Light globe & fan

 

[mtb]

Incandescent globe if you can find one - an LED/halogen won't output as much heat. Hell, if you have an old lamp in the house, use that - no need to wire it up yourself

 

[manticle]

Wynumm has a point - what is your ambient temp range? Why is the fridge limited to 10?

 

[Bribie G]

Where are you living, Macquarie Island or Perisher?

(not being sarcastic but puzzled re ambient where you are).

 

[MHB]

You wouldn't be the first person to misunderstand the programing instructions for a temp controller, go through the settings and see that they are what you expected, sometimes factory defaults can reappear.
mark

 

[TheWiggman]

Reptile heat cords like this one do an excellent job, though I don't recall mine being this expensive.

 

[Garfield]

I can empathise with your upgrade...

I had the same MkII temp controller plugged into a fridge sometime back. They have a variety of settings as well as two separate sockets - one for heating and one for cooling. Assuming the ambient temperature isn't 10 deg, you must have set it up wrong because the fridge shouldn't turn on until the internal temp exceeds 20 deg. Double check you're plugged into the right socket.

To answer your questions 1.) I have used an electric blanket (plugged into temp controller) around a fermenter inside a fridge (turned off) to ease up ferment temp slowly. 2.) If the batch is airtight in the vessel it should be fine and may even start at the lower temp. 3.) Turn the fridge off and watch the temp on fermenter.

Hope that helps

Garf

 

[Garfield]

BTW,

Welcome to AHB and congrats on the uprgrade to BIAB. These guys are here to help you as they have for me!