New Heater Looming

[woodwormm]

looking at my old tired heat belt i think it's only time before it melts/catches fire/ or electrifies my brew fridge...

i use a brew fridge and an stc1000 controlling the fridge and the heat belt, which is draped in the fridge and a pc fan mixing things up...

if i am to replace, what would people recommend?

another belt, a heat pad, or a light globe?

what's everyone else using?

 

[Peteoz77]

looking at my old tired heat belt i think it's only time before it melts/catches fire/ or electrifies my brew fridge...

i use a brew fridge and an stc1000 controlling the fridge and the heat belt, which is draped in the fridge and a pc fan mixing things up...

if i am to replace, what would people recommend?

another belt, a heat pad, or a light globe?

what's everyone else using?

I use an outdoor lamp in an outdoor fitting screwed to the bottom on the inside of my fridge. Then I covered it completely with Alu Foil. It works VERY WELL.

 

[Silo Ted]

I would like to hear from guys in Sydney, and whether they need heating in winter to do ales. It's my first cold season with a fridge, and I fear that time will run out before I get the next four brews done.

Dont like the heatbelt/mat idea too much, would rather construct a globe array.

 

[hsb]

I do need heating in winter for ales. Used blankets previously and a burst of a heater, all in a cupboard.

First season approaches for my ebay-procured lizard mat heater thing, going to plug it into my fridgemate/ferment fridge, seemed less hassle than a globe as it's waterproof/simple but haven't fired it up yet.

Another thread on heating:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...=32818&st=0

 

[brocky_555]

You don't need a great deal of heat, a 60W light globe is more than enough. The brewing process creates it's own heat so you are just topping up the heat. Cover the light globe with something non flammable to avoid any chance of light strike. I used to use a light globe before i scored a low wattage heating element and it worked fine only changed becaused this was a better option and it was free.

 

[DU99]

170lt fridge with 40watt globe,plus i stick on old t-shirt over the fermenter

 

[Phoney]

They dont sell incandescent light globes anymore, and compact fluorescents dont emit any heat.

Nothing wrong with a heat-belt imo.

 

[Silo Ted]

Cover the light globe with something non flammable to avoid any chance of light strike.

For the kids reading at home... your sources, please ? My understanding is that a light source with significant ultraviolet spectrum emission would be a cause for concern, not your average, everyday light globe.

They dont sell incandescent light globes anymore

Not true.

It's like Mythbusters around here sometimes :lol:

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

Not true.

It's like Mythbusters around here sometimes :lol:

Really, must be a shop that still has some very old stock, the phase out started in 2009!

OP, I'm using a heat pad but I don't sit the fermenter on it, worried it might over cook the yeasties, I use it like a space heater :icon_cheers:

 

[ianh]

You cannot buy the old 60 watt plus globes but you can still buy 40 watt ones.

I use two globes ( just in case one blows and I am away for a week) under a solid shelf at the bottom of my fridge.

 

[Silo Ted]

You might be right, but I have purchased filament style globes in three different stores in the past six months. I think the catch is that they put the word "Eco" on the box, and that makes it OK.

I dread the day that theyre no longer available. Have gone down the path of the compact flouro spirals, and theyre overpriced, take too long to warm up, and fail mroe often than old fashioned globes.

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

Good point, it's probably more about the watts than the actual globs themselves. I would think that even a 40 watt globe would heat up a largish fridge pretty quick.

 

[sjcampbell]

Just have an old heater belt hanging down the side of the fridge. Works a treat.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Superoo]

I got thru last winter with just a 240v pc cooling fan in my fermenting chest freezer.
You could just try using 2 of these.

Cheap, ez to set up, and the benefits of even temperature plus
Reduces mould.

 

[QldKev]

The new Eco globes are no longer incandescent, they are halogen; still produce heat thou.


QldKev

 

[woodwormm]

dare i say it.. got an idea from SWMBO...

the pet lizard has a ceramic heat lamp...

basically a ceramic looking light globe, that puts out heat not light..

just gotta find one at low wattage range (i think ours is 150W - way too much for a ferment fridge in my opinion, lizard likes 30 degrees plus!)

i think a pad or a ceramic globe will be my next purchase

 

[asis]

dare i say it.. got an idea from SWMBO...

the pet lizard has a ceramic heat lamp...

basically a ceramic looking light globe, that puts out heat not light..

just gotta find one at low wattage range (i think ours is 150W - way too much for a ferment fridge in my opinion, lizard likes 30 degrees plus!)

i think a pad or a ceramic globe will be my next purchase

Be careful with ceramics. They get bloody hot, even the 60 watt ones and should be used with ceramic fittings. They are pretty damn expensive for what they are too, way better off with 40 or 60 watt reflector globes for basking and a heat cord for brewing.

 

[Silo Ted]

The new Eco globes are no longer incandescent, they are halogen; still produce heat thou.


QldKev

Just checked one. Right you are !

I stand corrected, Bob. *******, I hate being wrong.

Still doesn't let the lightstrike comment from Brocky go unnoticed earlier

 

[QldKev]

Just checked one. Right you are !

I stand corrected, Bob. *******, I hate being wrong.

Still doesn't let the lightstrike comment from Brocky go unnoticed earlier

You are not wrong here! the new Eco globes still produce heat, which is what we are after. I'm not sure if they produce more waves at the correct frequency for light struck beers?.

QldKev