Fermenting saftey with electric blankets

[captin-ahab]

I know of many people on this site who use electric blankets wrapped around the fermentor to heat the mash to a good temp for the yeast to be happy. I know many of you will tell me you have been doing in for many years with no problems too, but it it really safe?

I have heard of quite a few house fires that have started with electric blankets being left on. After a while the blanket gets so hot that it melts the plastic and shorts itself out causing a fire. Over the years i have read about this in the paper more than once.

I talked to our local fire cheif who im friends with. He says, belive it or not, the number one most common thing that starts a house fire in our area is glade plug-ins. I guess they heat up so much it causes the plug it to get to hot at starts a fire up the wall. He also confirmed over the years that many electric blankets have started fires.

Its not just the blanket i am worried about. If the mash boils over or blows the air lock it will then leak all over the electric blanket possibly causing a fire or at least a shock hazzard.

When we run the still we are always watching to keep a close eye on things........ but we ferment 24 hours a day and its often unattended.


Is this a problem i should be worried about...or am i thinking to hard here.

[flip]

thinking to hard ha ha.

[theholymackerel]

I think an electric blanket is a waste for keepin' a mash warm.

The act of fermentation produces heat... if ya need to keep yer mash/wash warm all ya need is insulation.

[airhill]

There is a difference between having an applied sweating heavy weight on a blanket and merely wrapping one round a fermenter. In any case circuits in contact with or possible contact with liquids should be protected with an ELCB or RCD.

[kiwistiller]

I think an electric blanket is a waste for keepin' a mash warm.

The act of fermentation produces heat... if ya need to keep yer mash/wash warm all ya need is insulation.

How cold does it get where you ferment? When stuff was freezing in my shed I simply couldn't keep them from getting too cold without applying some heat...

[ol'blue]

if you got it use what you got. fish tank heaters are better for warming your wash.

carefull how warm you get it though, I prefer to ferment on the cold side, it takes longer but it makes for a cleaner distillate.

[troutscout48]

Electric blankets make me nervous too so I switched to electric mattress pads. As these are designed for folks to sleep on top, they are far more robust and made for heavy weights and moisture. A little pricey but you can really set the temp you want and they are washable. No problems after two years. Buy "em at Wally World in the fall.
thanx,
rich

[kiwistiller]

Electric blankets make me nervous too so I switched to electric mattress pads. As these are designed for folks to sleep on top, they are far more robust and made for heavy weights and moisture. A little pricey but you can really set the temp you want and they are washable. No problems after two years. Buy "em at Wally World in the fall.
thanx,
rich

oh... that's what we call an electric blanket here... wasn't aware there was any other type? Shit I hope I haven't been reccommending something bad...

[blanikdog]

We call them electric blankets too Kiwi.

I've never liked the idea us using them rolled around a fermenter If one must add heat to a ferment, why not use an aquarium heater that was designed for use in liquid rather that something designed to sleep on?

blanik

[Dnderhead]

I like a aquarium heater. then if it is real cold add insulation.I believe I bought a SS one for 20$ much cheaper than a blanket.

[kiwistiller]

We call them electric blankets too Kiwi.
I've never liked the idea us using them rolled around a fermenter If one must add heat to a ferment, why not use an aquarium heater that was designed for use in liquid rather that something designed to sleep on?
blanik

I figure if it's safe enough for an application where you elderly folks (or a child) might piss on it, it's safe enough around a fermenter

As for why not use an aquarium heater, because I don't have one and I'm cheap. now i'm in the warmer north I just put the barrel outside and when it's done it's done. I guess I'll have to change my ways over winter though.

[blanikdog]

Jeez, I hadn't thought of pissing on it. Must be very low power cos it's never given me a shock, doesn't even wake me.

blanik

[cob]

Jeez, I hadn't thought of pissing on it. Must be very low power cos it's never given me a shock, doesn't even wake me.

blanik

could you have got used to those shocks in the coo coo's nest?
back on topic i bought a waterbed heater at a second hand store for $5 us. copper probe, controller, flexable, waterproof heater element. upper temperature limit is 100f/38c. but theholymackerel is spot on in that more insulation is more effective than more heat. 2 inches of bead foam and a roll of ducktape is not the fire hazzard an electric blanket could be. cob

[drunkmore]

I live in Australia, and believe it or not it gets to minus degree c here.
I wraped my fermenter with one of those felt blankets from a removal truck i use an elsatic bungy to hold it in place.
I recently (durring colder months) added a fish tank heater that is settable (bought it on Evelbay ) $1.99 and $8 to post it.
Temp range is 20* c to 34*c Makes my brew work like magic.

[maheel]

if you need temp control the simple way to do it is invest in a fridge or freezer and a temp controller

buy a fridge or freezer and add this
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Mini-Digital-Tem ... _Equipment" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

you set it up with 2 power plugs one heat one cool in a project / jiffy box
plug fridge into cool, put light bulb / heat pad / small fan heater / ??? inside fridge to "heat" and plug it into heat
you set the temp eg 20c (or whatever you want)
turn on the power and the controller turns the fridge on to cool, then off and turns heat on and off if needed
walk away and no worries about temp control on fermentor

you get this !!


i have one much the same, and i can set any temp from 2 - 30+ deg with ease
i dial in 18deg for ALE's, 12 deg for larger, while fermenting 3 deg to cold crash out any yeasts (settle it fast)
right now i have bottle beer in there at 20c conditioning

i pull the plug out of cool when i am heating and reverse it for cooling as i dont want the heater fighting the cooling.... but you don't have to.....

i got a free working fridge so total cost was about $40 aud.....
you can uplug the controller and it's a normal "fridge again"

[pistachio_nut]

When I was very young, I set fire to my father's house with an electric blanket. All I knew was that my room smelled bad, so I went downstairs. When the smoke came pouring down the stairs I used the house's intercom to alert my parents that the house was on fire.

After that experience, I have a hard time leaving electric heaters unattended.

[Samohon]

I think an electric blanket is a waste for keepin' a mash warm.

The act of fermentation produces heat... if ya need to keep yer mash/wash warm all ya need is insulation.

I just put the fermenter into a sleeping bag. There excellent for keeping the mash at a stable temp and in-expensive too...

[drinktofabfabtodrink]

i've been looking into heating my washes, I have four 5 gallon glass water jugs i keep my mash in, why im hesitant to use 4 individual fish tank heaters. i was thinking a heating pad (like a 4'x4' or bed one folded over) would be good because it will heat all four of them... also in the summer when i have more time i want to do larger washes and i figure an aquarium heater wont keep up with that much volume....? any suggestions? it doesnt get super cold here, maybe into the low 50's F at night, but its cold enough that i feel like what should be week long washes take up to a month

[rtalbigr]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned brew belts, about $20US. That's all I use.

Big R

[SingaporeSling]

If you do want to use an Electric Blanket, just make sure its is newish and the electrical cords are not showing signs of cracks or wear and tear. I got an electric blanket a few years ago as a gift (which I don't use, theres other ways to get warm in bed ) reading the care label I was surprised to find it was machine washable! so the modern day ones must be getting better and safer (at least I hope they are). Read the electic blankets instructions as I dont think you should ever use an electic blanket unless its fully spread out as the heating elements that cross other heating elements can cause heat hot spots.

Just adding my method of keeping mashs warm. I went out and bought a large plastic storage tub where you can place 2 x 30 l fermenters side by side into it. Then I fill the tub with water and then add an aquarium heater (the heater sits on an old tile so it doesn't come in contact with the plastic tub bottom). Then I place an old large towel over the fermenters and tub. Works well. The water in the tub is warmed by the heater, then the heat in the water transfers to the fermenters and the towel keeps the heat in. I sometimes add a half bromide spa tablet to the water to stop bacteria and algae growth, but most ferments finish before this becomes a problem.