Home Distiller

My fermenter (a 32 gallon garbage can) is located outside in a storage building and during the winter it can get rather cold during the night. I've read on this site that some use aquarium heaters, how effective are they? I would like the temp to remain at a constant 80 degrees, which shouldn't be difficult.

Really, looking for opinions before I drop $50 on the heater.

you can find a very reasonable heater for around $12-15 that will keep your fermenting containers plenty warm. I enclose my fermenters in wooden box with the heater inside and this works very well during the winter months. I even heard of some folks using a light bulb to heat with.

Insulation and a heat source is all you need. Anything from an insulated box with a incandescent light bulb in it. Find the wattage that will give you the right temp. To a insulated box with a thermotaticly controlled heater. Heat blanket, hot pad, heat tape, heat wire, hot water soak, aquarium heater, or whatever else you can think of. You would be surprised how effective just insulation will be. The yeast make their own heat. Depending on how cold we are talking? Your quite cold mite be different then my quite cold?

I personaly never liked the idea of sticking an aquarium heater in my ferment. Many do it and it works for them. Just not my thing. I would prefer a heat source outside the sealed fermenter. I use a heating pad and blankets. For now. I have a controller that will be used for some other heat source when I get around to it.

You could do like me. Remove a house plant and place it behind it then resit the plant in front to camo the barrel!
GA Flatwoods

I do mine in a small downstairs bathroom but like PP my heat source is outside with an aquarium heat controller to keep the temps constant. Here is the thread:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =2&t=25475

Prairiepiss wrote:Insulation and a heat source is all you need. Anything from an insulated box with a incandescent light bulb in it. Find the wattage that will give you the right temp. To a insulated box with a thermotaticly controlled heater. Heat blanket, hot pad, heat tape, heat wire, hot water soak, aquarium heater, or whatever else you can think of. You would be surprised how effective just insulation will be. The yeast make their own heat. Depending on how cold we are talking? Your quite cold mite be different then my quite cold?

I personaly never liked the idea of sticking an aquarium heater in my ferment. Many do it and it works for them. Just not my thing. I would prefer a heat source outside the sealed fermenter. I use a heating pad and blankets. For now. I have a controller that will be used for some other heat source when I get around to it.

During the winter months here (late December through January) the temps average 40 to 45 at night, and the high during the day average 50 to 55.

DFitz, That's pretty much how I do it. My box is a little bigger and I put a cheap 300 watt walmart heater in the box. It's got its own thermostat, not too accurate but I make adjustments.

I'm new to this and winter is rapidly approaching. I don't even have one ferment under my belt yet and I've been thinking about this already. I'm in the northeast and it gets pretty cold here. Routinely in the teens in January and February. I would be able to ferment in my basement but my shack is unheated and not attached to the house. I foresee it being a pain slugging pails up the steps and out back.

Xep

40 to 45 that's warm.

Yup. At 35 I'm still in shirtsleeves with the windows down. I hoping to insulate the shack before the real cold sets in.

Same weather here in CT. I do it all in the basement but its always cold down there. you are going to need a heat source and insulation. The beer guys like our temps but not the best for our needs but very correct able.

try removing the controler from a cheap heating pad. and wire it to a router controller from harbor freight. you can run several heating pads at once if needed

JT

DFitz, your setup looks like mine. I have a heating panel, a thermostat, and a thermometer all hooked up in an insulated fermenting box. This box contains a 130L fermentor. It makes no difference whether it contains many small fermentors or one big one. All it needs to do is maintain a constant optimum temp. If the outside temps drops below the optimum temp, a box such as this will kick in and sort it out automatically.

yup, I use an old chest freezer a heat pad and sometimes blankets, it gets cold in nz (currently 3deg c) and about 12-16c during the day, sometimes I can get away without using tyhe blanket but the new place I have moved into I find need them..

On the plyus side, one of my new flatmates brews beer... we get on like a house on fire...

some info for those who use light bulbs...

they can be set up just like any heater also....and made variable. one could use a dimmer switch for variability and also wire in series a thermostat. that way you can use alot or alittle heat. and have it set to a max temperature.

*disclaimer.....if you dont know enough to work with household electricity then i suggest staying away from touching any. more people die from 120v than any other voltage.

I just found a great deal. The habitat restore here got a metric shite ton of 2" foamboard in. They want $4.80 a 4x8 sheet. I've been needing some for my trailer. And I wanted some for a fermenter climate control box. So I'm gona go fill up a truck bed with them. And have plenty for both projects and more.

The Man Cave has a ferment room in the back
8' x 3' x 8', insulated heated with a milk barn heater
works like a champ

Coyote

I have an electric blanket, I just wrap It around my fermenter and put it on almost the lowest setting, stays pretty stable. You'll need to experiment with the heat level, might try putting water in your fermenter and check the temp/setting a few times to find the right setting. You can find used blankets sometimes at thrift store, we just happened to have one we didn't use, so I took it.