Hot Box...

[oldbugman]

Sorry re-the pic rotation not real savy posting here yet. Anyway it's about 30cm long and high still kicking with a 12 month warranty. h34r: Click on pic for more detail, now back to the footy............

View attachment 19840

PS Go Bronco's

What global warming?


Energy bills, love em.

 

[Bribie G]

just moved into a new place and have commandeered the garage, the external brick wall is in the sun all day and soaks up the heat so garage doesn't get too cold. However if we get a real SE Queensland cold spell this year I'm thinking about using our spare single bed electric blanket and make sure I don't produce anything that's liable to froth out through the airlock. With ALDI blankets now less than $30 I reckon it's a possibility with the blanket as a 'tent' ?? They don't use a heck of a lot of current and can be placed under sheets and woolen underlay no probs so could cover the fermenters and then put an insulating layer over all - a silver space blanket or maybe wide bubble wrap?

 

[Cocko]

Mentioned this in a few other threads.

Just connect your temp controller to a hairdryer. You can pinch SWMBO's or pick up an el cheapo from a 2 bob shop. Air circulation and heating in the same unit.

Sounds genius!! Thanks floppinab...

Has anyone else tried this, a hairdryer???
:huh:

 

[Kai]

In my experience, unless you are dealing with seriously cold outside temps, as long as you pitch the yeast at around the correct temp, the exothermic effect of the fermentation will help to keep the temp up.

I too was wondering exactly how cold you are dealing with. Unless you're down to placing your fermenter in single-digit weather, a little rugging up is cheaper and easier than rigging up a hotbox. If it's freaking cold and you're not allowed to ferment in the house then I understand, otherwise you won't need the extra heat under most circumstances.

 

[Cocko]

I too was wondering exactly how cold you are dealing with. Unless you're down to placing your fermenter in single-digit weather, a little rugging up is cheaper and easier than rigging up a hotbox. If it's freaking cold and you're not allowed to ferment in the house then I understand, otherwise you won't need the extra heat under most circumstances.

I am in Melbourne and winter is closing in! I am brewing inside AND I have the fridges now so I WILL make them as functional as I can.... damn my perfectionist nature!!

At the moment I have a 30L with a fridge mate + NTC probe running a heatbelt = perfect! Another 30L just sitting in a cold part of the house [sits at about 12-14 deg] running lagers.... And a new 60L I refuse to fill until its fridge/"Hotbox" is sorted hence my post!!

Thanks Kai, and ALL on the tips, all advice is very much appreciated and any more post will be too!!
:beerbang:

 

[beer-bub]

I too was wondering exactly how cold you are dealing with. Unless you're down to placing your fermenter in single-digit weather, a little rugging up is cheaper and easier than rigging up a hotbox. If it's freaking cold and you're not allowed to ferment in the house then I understand, otherwise you won't need the extra heat under most circumstances.

For me its not the primary fermentation rather the secondary/bottle fermentation I'm concerned about. I'm not too keen on waiting 3 months to sample my efforts, especially since it is my first return to brewing in nearly a year. Although thanks to this thread I think I have found my answer, cheers dingo :beerbang:

 

[dkril]

Woo hoo, first ever post! A cheap temperature controller can be obtained from an old water bed. Doesn't do brilliantly for lagers (or even really cool fermenting ales), but it works. I use an ordinary 40W incandescent globe as a heat source -- with a light trap of course. An old K&K can (a relic from the Dark Ages :wacko with both ends cut out, placed over the light fixture is perfect.

 

[Tim F]

I still like my system of a tub of water in the fridge, with an aquarium heater set at or just above the desired temp. Then I run the fridge with a fridgemate and dial in the temperature I want. I like this because the water is a nice extra thermal mass, it doesn't use heaps of power, and the system seems to run well day and night regardless of the weather.

 

[vchead]

Thanks for the pic Dingo.

Go Roosters,

R

 

[Sprungmonkey]

For me its not the primary fermentation rather the secondary/bottle fermentation I'm concerned about. I'm not too keen on waiting 3 months to sample my efforts, especially since it is my first return to brewing in nearly a year. Although thanks to this thread I think I have found my answer, cheers dingo :beerbang:

View attachment 19853

I have one of these oil heaters and I was going to put it in a old fridge (turned off) and have the fermenter on a shelf above (set to 20C on a Fridgemate). Can anyone see any problem with doing this?

 

[dingodidit]

I have one of these oil heaters and I was going to put it in a old fridge (turned off) and have the fermenter on a shelf above (set to 20C on a Fridgemate). Can anyone see any problem with doing this?

I don't have a Fridgemate and it stays steady @18-20. Would be even better I'd assume with a controller.
Only problem I have is that doing multiple brews early fermentation temps can creep up to 22 :angry: while brews that are a week old are sitting on 18 degrees. I think I'll start putting down similar brews at the same time and run the heater at a lower temp for the initial fermentation, then bring it back up a bit when it's not producing their own heat. B)

 

[Barley Belly]

old thermostatically controlled plant propagating unit

Nothing like having a "old thermostatically controlled plant propagating unit" handy after you don't grow "tomatoes" any more

 

[Barley Belly]

Here's a pic of my heater setup
It's a titanium aquarium heater with built in LED thermostat
It cost $35 delivered from Evilbay

The only prob it was 300 Watt which was a little hot, I was lucky to have a dimmer switch lying around and I ran it through that, which worked out perfect for me.
As you can see the temp on the LED is 21.6deg, I found the sender runs at around 2deg above ambient (might have something to do with supposed to be immersed in water). So I just set it 2deg above what I want it at and I find it'll only vary a couple of degrees either way through the coldest night, without turning on and off a great deal.