Comments on: Heating Pad For Fermentation http://www.brew-dudes.com/heating-pad-for-fermentation/219 Resource for home brewers created by home brewers. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:06:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Jim http://www.brew-dudes.com/heating-pad-for-fermentation/219#comment-948 Jim Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:07:43 +0000 http://www.brew-dudes.com/heating-pad-for-fermentation/219#comment-948 I have a cold basement, too - usually around 60-62 degrees F. To keep my ale fermentation temperatures in a yeast-friendly range, I do the following. I put a milk crate upside-down on the floor, and put a piece of cardboard on top of the crate. I put a reading lamp under the crate with a 40- or 60-watt incandescent bulb - depending on how cold the basement is. Then, I set the carboy on the crate and wrap it in a thick bath towel. I cover the whole works with a large cardboard box that has a footprint a few inches bigger than the crate and is tall enough to accommodate the height of the crate/carboy/airlock. I got cheap ($10) indoor/outdoor thermometer at the home improvement store and put the "outside" probe inside the cardboard box so I can monitor the temp of the air in the box. It records max and min temps, too. I use flaps cut near the bottom of the box and a couple on the sides near the top to vent the box to fine-tune the temp. It works great - max to min range is only about 3 or 4 degrees, and liquids don't change temp as fast as the air, so it's probably even a tighter range than that in the fermenter. The system consistently holds air temps between 68 and 72 degrees. I use the same setup to control bottle carbonation temps. I can fit 50 bottles into two milk crates. I just stack the crates of bottles where the carboy would have been and cover them with the same towel to keep the light off of them. As a safety note, the lamp is plugged into a GFI outlet, and there is a floor drain a few feet from the setup in case of a blowoff or other spill. I have a cold basement, too - usually around 60-62 degrees F. To keep my ale fermentation temperatures in a yeast-friendly range, I do the following. I put a milk crate upside-down on the floor, and put a piece of cardboard on top of the crate. I put a reading lamp under the crate with a 40- or 60-watt incandescent bulb - depending on how cold the basement is. Then, I set the carboy on the crate and wrap it in a thick bath towel. I cover the whole works with a large cardboard box that has a footprint a few inches bigger than the crate and is tall enough to accommodate the height of the crate/carboy/airlock.

I got cheap ($10) indoor/outdoor thermometer at the home improvement store and put the “outside” probe inside the cardboard box so I can monitor the temp of the air in the box. It records max and min temps, too. I use flaps cut near the bottom of the box and a couple on the sides near the top to vent the box to fine-tune the temp. It works great - max to min range is only about 3 or 4 degrees, and liquids don’t change temp as fast as the air, so it’s probably even a tighter range than that in the fermenter. The system consistently holds air temps between 68 and 72 degrees.

I use the same setup to control bottle carbonation temps. I can fit 50 bottles into two milk crates. I just stack the crates of bottles where the carboy would have been and cover them with the same towel to keep the light off of them.

As a safety note, the lamp is plugged into a GFI outlet, and there is a floor drain a few feet from the setup in case of a blowoff or other spill.

]]> By: Scott http://www.brew-dudes.com/heating-pad-for-fermentation/219#comment-856 Scott Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:14:24 +0000 http://www.brew-dudes.com/heating-pad-for-fermentation/219#comment-856 Interesting. I have mine in our laundry room. We have a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/etcmedia/2378722395/" rel="nofollow">little cubby hole</a> that's the perfect spot for fermenting (if you look at the picture, I now have it shoved into the far right corner). The room stays at a pretty constant 68 degrees with it dropping a bit more at night. Occasionally, I put on a heater/fan across from the hole (not sure if that's a good idea or not). The floor is cold and I wonder if I'd benefit from elevating it off the floor. I'm starting to realize light might be an issue as well. The laundry room/pantry gets a lot of use throughout the day with the light on a great deal of the time. I think I'll wrap glass at least in a towel or sweatshirt. Speaking of fermenting in the bathroom, here's the result of one gone bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJM_n3jXPE4 (not for a weak stomach). Interesting. I have mine in our laundry room. We have a little cubby hole that’s the perfect spot for fermenting (if you look at the picture, I now have it shoved into the far right corner).

The room stays at a pretty constant 68 degrees with it dropping a bit more at night. Occasionally, I put on a heater/fan across from the hole (not sure if that’s a good idea or not).

The floor is cold and I wonder if I’d benefit from elevating it off the floor.

I’m starting to realize light might be an issue as well. The laundry room/pantry gets a lot of use throughout the day with the light on a great deal of the time. I think I’ll wrap glass at least in a towel or sweatshirt.

Speaking of fermenting in the bathroom, here’s the result of one gone bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJM_n3jXPE4 (not for a weak stomach).

]]> By: Travis http://www.brew-dudes.com/heating-pad-for-fermentation/219#comment-848 Travis Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:06:53 +0000 http://www.brew-dudes.com/heating-pad-for-fermentation/219#comment-848 All great ideas. My basement is a very sympathetic 64f most of the time. I have been keeping my fermentors off of the floor due to the cold concrete. The only yeast I found that didn't do well in those temps was the Belgian Strong ale. With that I had to stash it up stairs in the bathroom (the brew wife was like "ew, you're going to drink that after it's been in the bathroom like that?"). All great ideas. My basement is a very sympathetic 64f most of the time. I have been keeping my fermentors off of the floor due to the cold concrete. The only yeast I found that didn’t do well in those temps was the Belgian Strong ale. With that I had to stash it up stairs in the bathroom (the brew wife was like “ew, you’re going to drink that after it’s been in the bathroom like that?”).

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