How do you use a heat belt?

[Aydos]

I also might add that my temp controller also controls both my heat belt and the fridge, I have no drama with it continually switching, it seems to run the heat cycle for a decent amount of time while it brings the temp up. This suggests to me that the belt doesn't interfere with the probes temp pickup as much as you would think.

 

[verysupple]

Definitely not a good idea just hanging it in the back of the fridge. They get pretty hot.

Wow, yours must be beefy compared to mine. Mine only feels warm to the touch (as in holding it in my hand) even after an hour or so turned on.

 

[fletcher]

Wow, yours must be beefy compared to mine. Mine only feels warm to the touch (as in holding it in my hand) even after an hour or so turned on.

same as mine. it just dangles at the back of my fridge (about 5 cm from the back) and it's never even come close to burning a hole in anything. i won't let it touch a thing. it's a heat source. never had a problem.

 

[wbosher]

Wow, yours must be beefy compared to mine. Mine only feels warm to the touch (as in holding it in my hand) even after an hour or so turned on.

Same here, I can hold mine too. Doesn't get too hot at all.

 

[Yob]

Not a fan of heat pads because I don't like heating the yeast at the bottom (obviously not a problem the way you use it though). I put the belt down low, the sensor up high. I put a loop of the sensor wire through the rubber ring I use for the glad wrap to protect the sensor from being pulled off if I move it. Before that I had the sensor fall off and found the wort very hot! Fortunately it had mostly fermented out, so the resulting beer was still quite a good batch.

You dont sit the fermenter on the heat pad, mine sit in the fridge door bottom shelf, probe secured with an ocky strap and foam pad mid fermenter.

 

[pk.sax]

I used a heat belt as intended and now I have sarcasm syndrome. YMMV.

 

[spryzie]

Through experimentation, I can keep a half batch (10 to 16 litres) at 20 degrees by keeping my fermenter in a cool place (10-15 degrees) with the heating belt placed on the water line but tilted so that only half of the belt touches the wort and the other half touches the airspace above the wort.

This is after the initial 24 hours, which I keep the belt two inches above the waterline as I find that's enough with all the heat generated by the heat activity.

I would expect a full batch would be even better and hold 18 degrees with this configuration.

 

[mosto]

My fridge sits two 20L jerry's very snuggly side by side. I use a heat pad that sits on the a combo of the compressor hump and the vege cripser tirned upside down. I then have the three wire shelves from the fridge sitting about 15-20cm above the pad so it's not in direct contact with the fermenters. The temp probe from my STC sits jammed down between the two jerry's. At first, I was worried about the shelving holding 40+ kilos, but I find with all three shelves on top of one another, it seems to hold. I can also fit some 2 or 3 litre juice bottles of fermeting cider in the door. Obviously both batches have to have yeast with similar temp tolerance, ie two ales, two lagers etc.

So for a fridge I gave work $20 for because the cooling plate kept icing up, I can ferment nearly 50L of alcohol...happy days :beerbang:

 

[Dave70]

Bugger heat belts and they're hit'n'miss bullshit.
I've had far better (controllable, accurate) results with a fish tank heater, some water and a plastic tub from bunnings.

 

[sp0rk]

mmmm, liquid Beef

 

[Blackened]

I've had heat belts melt and burn too. I have successfully used one though for quite a while by putting it in a tin (baby formula size) along with a bag of river stones to smooth out the heat cycle. Plugged into a thermostat and used as ambient heat in my brew fridge.

 

[TidalPete]

Another one for the heat pads.
This has been my setup for years no problems & is hooked up to a TempMate permanently.

 

[Dave70]

mmmm, liquid Beef

Beef Saison, from memory.
I roasted the sucker all the way up to 28 deg. That 3724 really likes a fire under its bum.

 

[piraterum]

+1 Hang it in the fridge

The instructions say to wrap it around the fermenter but if you do that it will warm the beer up to at least 25 deg.

I have a fridgemate controller and put the the probe into a longneck of water next to the fermenter. Have the belt hanging in fridge and leave it running. When the fermenter gets to the ideal temp range I adjust the temp dial on the fridgemate so the fridge turns on if the temp goes about this range.

As others have said when hanging the belt make sure it's hanging freely without touching anything as it can melt stuff!

 

[Bridges]

You have to be careful here. A heater will be advertised as "X" watts, but that is only true if you connect it to the voltage source it is supposed to be connected to. If you plug it into a higher or lower voltage source than intended, it will produce a different number of watts. Victoria is 230V + or - 10% which means coming out of your wall could be (10% of 230 = 23 volts) or 207 volts to 253 volts which could explain (I have never used a heat belt) why some people are saying they don't even get hot to touch and others are saying they smell like they're about to burn the house down. They could be rated at different wattages and being connected to different voltages.
Hopefully I didn't just add to the confusion...

 

[Ross]

Do NOT hang heat belts in your fridge, it's a fire waiting to happen, regardless of some of the comments here.
They are designed (as several people have pointed out) to be wrapped around your fermenter.

There are many better sources of heat if you want to create "ambient" heat.

+++

Heat pads work great, again used as intended with the fermenter on top of them. It does not over heat the yeast cake as some seem to think.
Heat pads can be used as an ambient heater, but again there are more effective options.

cheers Ross

 

[CosmicBertie]

Having moved from Queensland to Australia

I'd be more concerned about this!

 

[Bribie G]

Seeing as I got the belt for free I'll use it as intended - I rather like the idea of wrapping above the wort line - I reckon that will give ambient without directly affecting any areas of the wort. Then I'll stick the probe onto the side of the fermenter with blu tack and a bubble wrap patch over the top, see how I get on.

Bertie, like I said

 

[Dave70]

Seeing as I got the belt for free I'll use it as intended - I rather like the idea of wrapping above the wort line - I reckon that will give ambient without directly affecting any areas of the wort. Then I'll stick the probe onto the side of the fermenter with blu tack and a bubble wrap patch over the top, see how I get on.

Bertie, like I said

I reckon the belt will get so hot it will likely cut the top off your fermenter.

 

[CosmicBertie]

Put the belt below the probe with the probe near the top of the wort. Then at least, theoretically, with the warm wort rising, you'll be measuring the wort before it overheats?

Theoretically speaking. My, that Stone and Wood Stone Ale is good.