Cold weather setup

[NeckStiller]

Hello all

I'm a newbie with some prior beer experience, but I'm wondering how everyone handles this hobby in the winter. I ferment and distill in an unheated garage so it has been perfect this summer.

I run a couple Lowes buckets for fermenter and a keg still with a column. I'm thinking I need either aquarium heaters for the buckets or possible an old fridge with light bulbs. How large of bulbs should I need? Anyone have picks on their rigs? The only thing I can do for the still is insulate the column and possible preheat the garage to help me get up to temps. Again any rig pics are appreciated. .

Thanks

[googe]

Depends what part of the world your in and how cold your garage gets in winter?.

[NeckStiller]

Googe

I'm in the mid atlantic and the garage could see temps in the low 40s rather quickly. If we have another brutally cold winter we're talking 30s easy.

[Ayay]

Basically any heat source will do. If the source is weak it will run continuously and if it's strong it will cycle on and off if it has a thermostat. An airtight box is as inportant as the insulation. Lights are not the best energy wise unless they are heat lamps.

Here's mine, outside is a digital thermometer, below that a thermostat knob, and to the right is the spyhole (plugged with a white cork) to spy on the pilot light...one day I'll fit the pilot light into the spyhole.

Inside, a 120L fermenting barrel, white panel heater 250Watts (sold as a pet heater). The top of the heating cabinet is hinged and flips up for looking inside/feeding/emptying the barrel.

The cabinet is as artight as I can get using duct tape and weather strip to seal gaps, and the insulation is just 20mm chipboard. It will maintain around 25*C regardless of outside temps which go as low as 0*C. Because of the thermostat.

[bearriver]

I use a heat shield around the boiler in the winter. It's just a 55 gallon drum with a hole that the column fits through.

[james123]

I have a few vivarium heat mats taped around my fermenter and one underneath.
Also have a hot water tank jacket just in case the temps drop too much.
A few winters ago it was pretty cold here so I put the fermenter into a large cardboard box and used all of the above, kept the temps perfect

[DAD300]

I ferment in the house in the winter. I raise the fermentor off the floor, sits where sun shines on it and a Stainless aquarium heater to keep temp around 85F.

[SoMo]

I ferment in the house in the winter. I raise the fermentor off the floor, sits where sun shines on it and a Stainless aquarium heater to keep temp around 85F.

I ferment in the house too, just makes that part easier but then I'm lugging stuff thru the house. I've found I like running in the cold better , a lot less heat building from the burner even with good ventilation.

[NeckStiller]

Wow thank you for replies and information. I love the pics! Nice to see other rigs. The pet heater was a new idea for me. I'm assuming that's for some sort of reptile. Great idea! I got my hands on an old fridge that I could morph into a fermentation chamber for all seasons using these ideas.
Thank you! I really need to convert to electric anyway to make distilling more convenient.

[Paulinka]

As we do not want to heat ANY air, nor we need light, IMHO optimal heating can only be made with an immersion heat-tube if we wish to ferment in cold environment. It is easy to make and lasts a lifetime:

- Buy a soil pipe, it is grey, made from PVC, 11cm diameter is good. Cut it to be a bit less long than the height of your barrel.
- Buy an end cap for it, glue it on liberately with silicone glue.
- Buy an aquarium heater with a thermostat, even a 75W is good for a 120L barrel, I use it for an 50L.
- Have some big polyethylene plastic bags, these are food safe.

Fill your heating pipe with water, set the heater to 26Celsius, push the heater down into the water. Now instert the heating pipe in the poly bag, and put it in the center of your insulated barrels' mash. Plug it in. It takes about a day to equalize temperatures, but an 50L insulated barrel filled with thick AG-mash will have a constant 22C inside at the sides with this setup.

I found it that a three layer insulation works perfectly, first I ducttape a windshield heatreflector around, then a bubblewrap plastic blanket, then I fix a polarblanket on the outside with flexible ropes. Also it is good to have some insulation on the bottom, a polystirene block is a good choice. I only screw the lid of the barrel lightly, and then a pillow goes on top of it, which is weighted down with something heavy that you find around, a brick is enough.

[S-Cackalacky]

I use a washing machine shipping box - corrugated cardboard. I rigged up a wooden frame that fits inside with a plywood floor. Four 5 gallon buckets fit in it nicely, or it will hold a 36 gallon brute trash barrel. I heat it with a 60 Watt light bulb and have a thermostat controller that I will be using for the first time this winter. The whole thing sits on 4 of those plastic milk crates to raise it off the concrete floor. My basement doesn't get terribly cold - 50s to 60s, but enough to stall a ferment. The light bulb and the natural heat generated by the ferment seem to be enough for a quick ferment.

[bellybuster]

My basement is cool in the winter, I just turn to colder fermenting yeasts.

A fridge makes a perfect ferment chamber, especially if it still works. A dual temp controller can run both heat and cool cycles.

[Rastus]

i had a stuck ferment that has been a real problem for me. it is just too cold until now.

i tried a few things to get it warmed up, didnt work, until today.

I went to the autoparts store, bought me a insulated Battery Blanket, 80 watts, taped it around the fermenter about 5 inches from the bottom. plugged it in, within 3 hours i had new signs of life. the temp has risen from 65f to 78 in 4 hours thank goodness ...

what i like about the Blanket is it spreads the heat out over a large area and doesnt get too hot in a small spot.

it started at 1.080 and stuck at 1.040 now it seems to be waking up i can finally get the program back on the road....

what a relief!

[Rastus]

so yesterday i put the blanket on and plugged it in within 9 hours my 10 gallons heated up to 88f and is now actively fermenting again... so i pulled the plug i will let it coast down to 80 f and I will plug it back in to keep it in the 80-85 range till it finishes....

i can see now where a PID that would control the temp range with a thermo probe and switching the 80 watt Automotive Battery blanket on and off to stay within the preferred temperature range would be the frosting on the cake
wrap it in a insulated blanket and let it rip, all a guy would need then is a sensor that could indicate specific gravity so you know when it is done and a little beeper will get your attention, so you can then unwrap and rack off and proceed to your next phase.

summer is coming but where i live it is still not a certainty of the warmth needed to sustain Bakers yeast. so i am going to default to MY tried and true Premiere Cuvee by red star... it does OK in cooler temps and doesnt stress with a heavier work load...

End of my Ramblings

Good Day to you all