keeping the mash at temperature

[Grappa-Gringo]

Has anyone ever used a immersion heater made for fish tanks to keep the mash warn, I don't have a specific room or area that I can keep at a fairly warm tempurature. The first wash I used it on... actually bubbled for a few days,,,,nicely...

Anyone have any ideas,,,,

[jholmz]

heard about people wanting to try them but havnt seen any results theres lots of ways to do it you can get a nonworking dorm fridge or small freezer and mount a lightbulb inside to warm you can wrap a heating pad around a bucket you can buy a bucket heater strip from some sights they make a pipe tape that you can put around the bucket (not sure what temp they are) or you can stick it in a closet in your house or apt even in winter you keep your house warm

[TheRevDr]

I have heard of people using them directly in the mash/wash. I use one but externally. I place my fermenter in a secondary container with water in it. The fish tank heater goes in the water of the secondary container. Without mixing of the water, there can be about a 10°F degree difference top to bottom but generally it works well.

[Dnderhead]

the trouble with them is they git hot and stuff will stick to them..

[Dirge]

I used one all the time in my beer brewing days and would have no hesitation getting another if the price was right and i have trouble with ferments here. Get one with a built in thermostat. Mine was permanently wired through a hole in the drum and when sterilising I did drum and heater in one. I never had trouble with wort baking on that I remember.

I'm sure the various reasons given above as to why they aren't the best are right but it works, and it's a lot neater solution than a dead frig' for starters!

I seem to remember this was the usual solution to getting beer to ferment in a british winter in the 60's and 70's; mats and suchlike came later, I think.

[mtnshiner85]

I use a 25-60 gallon one in my oak barrel it keeps my mash warm in my cool shop, also got two small ones for 6.5 gallon buckets they work good there the kind you get at wal-mart grain dosnt burn to them either.