Tempmate Heating Options

[AntCoop]

Hi Guys, great site with plenty of top reading.

Just wondering what type of heating setups people use for heating inside fridges for use with a tempmate, as I have just purchased one and its great for keeping the ales at 18 degrees.

Just thinking ahead for when winter comes when it gets much cooler as heating may need to be applied to keep at desired temps.

Cheers Coops :icon_cheers:

 

[Supra-Jim]

I use one of those heating belts around the fermenter and plug this into my fridgemate.

:icon_cheers: SJ

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I use a 40watt incandescent globe in a couple of (empty) dog food tins. Some people reckon you don't need anything as the exothermic fermentation is enough.

There's plenty of different solutions people have come up with. Google is your friend even inside this site.

 

[zabond]

I use an old waterbed heater under the fermentor-set heater control to lowest setting-plug into frigemate set at desired temp with probes tapped to outside of fermentor at 25mm below brew level
Russ

 

[kevin_smevin]

I use a heat pad in the vegie crisper at the bottom of the fridge that runs off a thermostat. This way the beer doesn't get any direct heat. I found that if i sit the fermenter on top of the heating pad the bottom of the fermenter gets far too hot before the rest of the fermenter reaches the correct temp. Doing it the way i do now, you heat the air inside the fridge which will gently bring the fermenting beer up to temp. Its a great way for making sure your bottles get carbonated in the colder months too.

 

[AntCoop]

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

I think I might look into a heat source that heats ambient air rather than have a pad or heat cord directly in contact with the fermenter, as the temp probe is stuck on the side of the fermenter under a piece of polystyrene and measures the wort more accurately then just sitting inside the fridge.


Cheers Coops :icon_cheers:

 

[fergi]

i also use an old water bed heater pad, just coil it around the fermenter and set fridge mate to temp.
fergi

 

[rich_lamb]

Hi coops,
I normally use something more exotic than a fridge for bidirectional temp control, but in winter when heating only is needed I've used a heatpad and it works very well.

You don't need to panic about hot spots by having the heater in direct contact - your concern about ambient air is a bit of overkill - as these devices are very weak and provide a very gentle heat from the base. Convection does the rest. Heatbelts are OK too, but tend to get a fraction hotter over a smaller area.

In your fridge the lightbulb solution is pretty common too (I haven't actually done this)

Temp control in winter is necessary, as the temp drops rapidly at night (somewhat less rapidly in the fridge) but more than a couple of degrees can stuff up a fermentation, particularly if you're near the low side of the range to start with.

 

[Gavo]

Light bulb here, just hanging low in the fridge.

Cheers
Gavo.

 

[seemax]

A tempmate will do combined heating/cooling.

For the heating side you have several options - heat lamp, heater belt/water bed OR aqaurium submersible heater.

It has been posted before but the other option is to run your fridge normally where it will sit around 4C give or take. Then, using your tempmate in HEAT mode, use an aquarium heater to keep your wort desired temp (ale or lager). Insulating the fermentor will help to retain heat.

The advantage is you can keep drinks (ie beer) cold in the fridge and use the freezer for storing hops. Not very "green", but easily offset by my no-meat diet

 

[gava]

Im using a submersible heater with my tempmate and it seems to be working good.

 

[ohitsbrad]

Hey yall Im considering upgrading to a tempmate too.

Am considering a heater belt or pad - whats the consensus on whats better - belt or pad?

Have previously used a fridgemate with a aluminum covered lamp in the chest freezer when on heat mode but this has struggled to raise temps very well.

I dont like the look of the belts Ive seen - they just look like an insulated wire a couple of centimetres wide and seem like they wouldnt heat the beer evenly. Although as others have said the action of convection currents probably means its fine. The pad I think would be better for the convection as the heat should rise from bottom to top pretty well. What looks really good is the fermwrap sold on Northern Brewer or Morebeer that are like 250mm high or something and can wrap around the whole fermenter. Pretty costly though considering you'd need a $50 transformer to step down to the US voltage.

 

[warra48]

I have a TempMate, and haven't to date used the heating function, as it's not needed in summer etc.

However, come winter, I have in the past had some brews drop below the comfort zone of the yeast overnight, so I'll be investing in a heating pad.

It seems to me the pad gives a more even spread of warming, and as it's situated under the brew, convection should work better to spread the warming throughout the entire batch, better than a narrower belt would.

 

[Bizier]

Last winter I got a new electric blanket off ebay and the lowest setting is great because it is a very low heat applied to the whole fermenter, and it also acts as an insulator. I will be using this again when it gets colder, and I might switch from Fridgemate to Tempmate.