a fermenting question

[davethecarp2]

Hi guys,

been looking around and have seen heat belts for sale (belts that go around your fermenting barrel keep a consistent temp).

so i was thinking what temp do you ferment at?
whats the best temp to work the yeast?
are the belts a good idea for the cold wet uk?

i've followed UJSM as best as i can at room temp (19 c), it took 2 days before i saw a bubble, its been bubbling now for about 12 days, still bubbling like crazy and still sweet as hell, is this normal and how long should i ferment it for?

ps. thank to every one for all the help and info.

[Prairiepiss]

Depends on the yeast. Some like it hot some like it cold. Bread yeast like it around 80 f 27 c. So really you need to look your yeast up and see what it calls for.

[Dnderhead]

"is this normal and how long should i ferment it for?"
until it finishes,,,it taking its time because 19c is a bit low.

[davethecarp2]

Hi Mr P,

I'm using bakers yeast, Allinsons active bakers yeast from Tescos, any ideas?

[Prairiepiss]

Warm it up get the temps up. It's gona take for ever at that temp.

[Dnderhead]

i just answerd ,,i thought,,??,, bread/bakers yeast like rather high temperature the bottom is 75f /24c and tops out about 100f /38c.

[davethecarp2]

Thanks guys,

Would you go for a heat belt or heat plate?

i'm thinking plate, but let me know what you think.

[Dnderhead]

i have a heat "belt" id give it to the first one that fiends a use for it..its like trying to heat your house with a 15w light bulb.

[davethecarp2]

i was thinking about the plate then getting some insulation around it, do ya think it would work with the belt as well?

if anyone's got any suggestions, im open for help

[Dnderhead]

try putting it to bed,,that is rapping in a blanket.
if your serious about this save your money,and git/make something better than a heat belt.
a fermenter cupboard is real nice.they can be made to fit decor and even vented.

[Prairiepiss]

I use a heating pad. I tape it to the side down low. Then wrap a blanket around it. It works with my 15 gal fermenter.

But I have been kicking around the idea of an insulated encloser. But I want to see how my new fermenters act first.

[Uncle Lozza]

Hi friends, I am using a 25 watt fish tank heater that I bought from pets at home for £17.50, I adjusted the thermostat for 28c and my 60 litre wash is going like the clappers. The British summer has been very unkind so far this year, temp has been well down but I seem to have found a great way of keeping the yeasties busy!

[Marshwalker]

that will be one of the first things going in my new house when i move... i will be building a ferment closet in my shop with a vent and a decent range of temps for the interior... i will make it big enough to hold about 8-6 gallon fermenters... 4 on a shelf and 4 on the bottom... gonna be an interesting project.. right now everything goes into my pantry for fermenting.. it stays about 74 F in there... the garage ranges from 80F-92F right now but that will increase in the coming months...

[davethecarp2]

got the fish tank heater going, its going crazy!!, it took about 3 hours to get up to 26c ,its fizzing like a bottle of cola!!!

[Dnderhead]

"got the fish tank heater going"
i had one of those and it "cook" stuff to it,as if it got real hot befor cooling off.
fish must learn to stay away.

[Frosteecat]

I wrap my fermenter in a thick thermal blanket (usually in the campIng section...not a cheapo thin kind but that may help too) a d have a bulb hanging at the top, teepee style.

[beowoulfe]

For my cold months, I built a wooden box 8" x8" x 16". Put a ceramic light fixture in there with a 60w bulb connected to a dimmer. Set the fermenter on top and fiddle with the dimmer until I get the desired temp. Wrap a blanket around it when it's really cold. Inexpensive.

[John Barleycorn]

I've been using an aquarium heater as well -- works great. Just remember to keep it clean just like anything else. They have all sorts of nooks & crannies where the bad stuff can grow -- especially around the knob and where the wire enters the housing. I toss everything but the plug itself into the fermenting bucket while sanitizing.

Also, I used to keep the temps in the 28 - 30 C range with baker's yeast but found that lower temps gave me much cleaner results. Now I keep it set at 22 C.

--JB

[davethecarp2]

using the fishtank heater set it to 26c, started with big bubbles, now its got micro bubbles but still fizzing.
its now been going for 3 weeks now it 19% vol

[Dnderhead]

"its now been going for 3 weeks now it 19% vol"
the 19% is why its taking so long.you could have 2-3 washes at 8-10%

[NotSuperman]

Would someone mind explaining how you fix your cord from the heater so that you can keep the lid on tightly? I suppose I could cut a hole in the top just big enough to get the plug through and then seal around it with a silicone. It just seems like a difficult set-up to clean and sanitize.
Appreciate the responses.
NotSuperman

[Braz]

I use a seed starting heat mat with a controller. It has a temp probe designed to stick in the soil but I tape it to the outside of a plastic fermenting bucket. Then I wrap the buckets with bubble foil (Reflectix) insulation. Works for me.

[NotSuperman]

Where do you find seed starting mats? I already have an aquarium heat, so, I would like to hear about the cord placement issue.
Thanks

[HolyBear]

"its now been going for 3 weeks now it 19% vol"
the 19% is why its taking so long.you could have 2-3 washes at 8-10%

Yep, faster and cleaner... no Turbo nastiness...

[Prairiepiss]

Would someone mind explaining how you fix your cord from the heater so that you can keep the lid on tightly? I suppose I could cut a hole in the top just big enough to get the plug through and then seal around it with a silicone. It just seems like a difficult set-up to clean and sanitize.
Appreciate the responses.
NotSuperman

It is difficult. That's why I won't mess with them. Maheal just posted he just sits the lid on top of the cord. So it just covers it and the CO2 comes out around it.

Personaly I use a heating pad. Like you use on a hurt back. Tape it to the side of the fermenter. And wrap a blanket around it.

[Horses-n-Hooch]

i had an old stand up chest freezer that went bad some years ago. It doesn't get too cold in the winter in Florida so I took all the mechanical stuff out, cut a 2" hole on top and fitted it with a butterfly air valve like you see on propane grills to regulate the ventalation. I kept it on the garage out of direct sun and it worked like a charm with no energy consumption. Nice part about it is it's insulated so should be very energy efficient if you needed to add a cooling or heating element for colder or hotter climates.

[shadylane]

"its now been going for 3 weeks now it 19% vol"
the 19% is why its taking so long.you could have 2-3 washes at 8-10%

I agree 100% yeast doesn't like being tortured.

[Braz]

Where do you find seed starting mats? Thanks

Just google "Hydrofarm Seed Heat Mat" and several sellers will come up. If you go this way you'll also need the digital controller.

[Mr.Brown]

I use one of the belts on occasion on a 6 gal bucket. i have to be careful though because it will get the wash to warm (95ish) , so i really have to keep an eye on it.

I also use an old waterbed heater. This works great ! keeps a 24 gal ferment up to temp no problem. i put the thermostat against the outside of the pail & cover it with a blanket. I wish i had another couple of these.

[smokindave]

This is something that I have been thinking about myself. I am just now finally taking some action on this hobby after many, many months of reading and planning. Just finished up my 2" Bokakob this week.

I plan to build a styrofoam insulated plywood box big enough to hold two 6.5 gallon ferment buckets plus adequate room to move things around. I would then mount a light bulb fixture centered on the inside on the lid. I figure I can use my Harbor Freight Router control to control the output of the bulb, and I will put a thermometer inside the box so I can keep the temp around 75-80 *F. Plan to keep in my basement storage room, which stays about 65-70 *F year around.

Another idea I had was using a spare mattress pad heater from a twin sized bed. They have a pretty good control thermostat which would be adjustable to hold the required temp range. This could be wrapped several times around a ferment bucket or carboy to keep the temp regulated. The heating pad (for back pain,etc) seems like a perfect idea also, and might be an alternative to my lightbulb box idea.