Temperature Control In Winter

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sah

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Brewers,

With this colder weather I'm struggling with reaching and keeping my fermentation fridge at ale temperatures.

My thermostat can trigger at temp too high and temp too low. However I think it is one or the other, it can't do both at once.

How have you solved this problem?

Would running a 60W (or other power) globe in the fridge full time work?

Thanks in advance.

Scott
 
I've got a 60W bulb in my fridge, helps out in the cold nights.

I have got it connected to a temp controller though - it doesn't take long for one of them to heat the fridge up. I wouldn't run it full time.
 
same as goat for me but Wrap your fementer in a sheet or towel to keep the heat in and stop the light from affecting the beer
 
An incandescent globe shouldn't affect your beer.

You could get a second thermostat set for heating, attach it to the globe or to a heat belt and have the two thermostats calibrated to keep the ferment within the yeast's ideal range.
 
Brewers,

With this colder weather I'm struggling with reaching and keeping my fermentation fridge at ale temperatures.

My thermostat can trigger at temp too high and temp too low. However I think it is one or the other, it can't do both at once.

How have you solved this problem?

Would running a 60W (or other power) globe in the fridge full time work?

Thanks in advance.

Scott

SAH,
Pet stores sell cheap plug in thermostats that would do the trick. If you are electrically inclined (i am not) you can probably just switch the wires in your current themostat and it will switch to heat rather than cool.

cheers

Darren
 
I have a desk lamp with a 25W globe in the bottom of my fridge, the head part of the lamp is wrapped in aluminium foil and its on all the time. This keeps the fridge at just below 18C and I have the fridge thermostat set between 18 and 19C. Since Im not home through the day to check but I think the fridge turns on once or twice.
 
With Ales in winter I find that semi submerging my fermenters into a plastic tub of water with a fish tank heater works extreemly well.
 
Hey Devo

With Melbourne mornings ATM you may need 2 heaters to prevent your water freezing. :lol:

Those 3 degree mornings are shockers. :blink:

FWIW. I've got a 100 watt bulb in an insulated cabinet. Just fits 2 glass carboys with some effort.

Warren -
 
I have my complete keg setup on order, and am going to be brewing in the next few weeks, I have a hot water bed heater that I am going to use.
Anybody have any to do's and not to do's for using one of these?

Cheers in advance

Robbo
 
I use a temperature controller to swithc power on and off on a power point.

I plug a cheap shit electric blankey in to it and wrap it around the firmenter.

Probe in through the lid tells it the temp and it switches on and off to hold temp with in 0.1 deg of setpoint.

I do the same with lagers in the fridge. I use the liquid temp of the brew to switch the fridge on and off, not the air temp in the fridge. I have found it can be a couple of deg different.

cheers
 
Hey Devo

With Melbourne mornings ATM you may need 2 heaters to prevent your water freezing. :lol:

Those 3 degree mornings are shockers. :blink:

FWIW. I've got a 100 watt bulb in an insulated cabinet. Just fits 2 glass carboys with some effort.

Warren -


haha :D yes it's been getting pretty cold but my lagers are loving it. I'm planning to do a pilsner on monday.
 
haha :D yes it's been getting pretty cold but my lagers are loving it. I'm planning to do a pilsner on monday.

Sounds like a plan! I've been contemplating something similar. We could almost dispense with our ferm. fridges. :lol:

Enough to freeze the nuts off a brass monkey. :ph34r:

Warren -
 
I have my complete keg setup on order, and am going to be brewing in the next few weeks, I have a hot water bed heater that I am going to use.
Anybody have any to do's and not to do's for using one of these?

Cheers in advance

Robbo

Robbo,

I found a water be heater on the verge during bulk rubbish collection(Refer avatar) and have tried using it once. Mine has a temp range of 24-30(From memory) and it sat at 24C minimum..I guess a layer of insulating material between the heater pad and the fermenter or moving the probe closer to the heater pad may result in lower temperature control. I was a lager only brewer for ages but have had a recent 'thirst for ale' and may revisit the water bed heater(Thanks for the inspiration).

Cheers
Chilla
 
If you already have a temp controller you may find that it is at least a SPDT and may have three poles, one common, one "normally closed" and the other "normally open". It may be as simple as moving one wire to change a controller from switching on above a temp to the inverse. Open the controller up and have a look.

Me? I do all lagers at this time of year.
 
If you already have a temp controller you may find that it is at least a SPDT and may have three poles, one common, one "normally closed" and the other "normally open". It may be as simple as moving one wire to change a controller from switching on above a temp to the inverse. Open the controller up and have a look.

Me? I do all lagers at this time of year.


Its gets cool enough in Qld this time of year??

cheers

Darren
 
in tamworth it has been -1 when i get to work at 7:30 in the morning........ every morning, and its not cold yet.

And thats with the sun out!!!!!

firmenters full of steraliser get to 10 deg on the floor in the garage so perfect lager weather now.

I have 2 tins of extract in the garage that are only going to go off.

I am thinking od tipping one in a tin, boiling some hops in it and adding the other one and topping up and brewing with a lager yeast in the garave at what ever temp it gets to.

could be interesting.

mmmmmmm 2 x 1.7KG tins of ESB extra light malt extract.

Some POR flowers at 60 min
a bit of cluster at 10 min

mmmmm XXXX here we come without the sugar :)

cheers
 
Me? I do all lagers at this time of year.

Its gets cool enough in Qld this time of year??

cheers

Darren

I have a 330L freezer with contoller - cooling is no problem but overnight temps at 6*C (it's gonna be a cold winter) make ales difficult right now.
 
That's the beauty of Brizzybrews temp controller. At present I only have the one - running in heat mode. Previous to this I had it running in cool mode. What am I saying? I can use it to contol a fridge when I need to or I can use it to control a heat pad to keep a brew at the temp I desire.

For Brizzybrew, just plugging your fantastic controller, because it works a treat! And cheap!

Steve
 
My control box has 3 temp probes that control 2 outputs each (3 x heating & 3 x cooling). Brisbane weather at the moment still needs cooling action during early ferment of ales but switches to heating mode as yeast activity slows. I have the probes in s/s diptubes that sit in the wort (fitted through the lid), I've set dead space to 0.5c, so wort is held within 1c.
Just controling fridge ambient temp can be very inaccurate - My most modern fridge doesnt appear to have the insulating properties of my older one & 2 fermenters can easily be 5c apart in the same fridge, whereas the older one there's generally less than 0.5c diff.

cheers Ross
 
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

I had an old 15W heat belt and plugged it and threw it in the bottom of my ferm fridge. It seems to be doing the trick.

Scott
 
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