Incubation....

[crookedeyeboy]

Unbeknownst to me my living room temp has dropped to a lovely 13.5C whilst I was away this weekend and I have now come to the conclusion I have finally been hit by the issue of fermenting temp.
I dont normally have to bother as the lounge is a nice consistent temp but obviously that is not the case, has anyone got any suggestions on maybe an old fridge and heater or something else I could do? Im not convinced by the heating belt as Ive tried one...

Thanks

[jubby]

I think the best bet is an old larder fridge (without the ice box) with a TC10 or if you need reading glasses like me, then an ATC800+ with that lovely big temp display . You will also need a heater. I use a 12" tube heater. I guess it costs about £60 for all the stuff including bits and pieces, but excluding a fridge. You can sometimes pick these up free, it depends on how much of a rush you are in. There are loads of posts here on building one of these. If you want to be able to make consistent beers (summer or winter) especially the beers with liquid yeasts, then one of these is a must have.

[trucker5774]

About 12 months ago, as a teporary fix, I used a large cardboard box (1m cube) with a 40W bulb. It regulated itself to within 1degree of 20C............still using it

[crookedeyeboy]

Thanks for the info. Where can I get the heater and fridge etc? May have a look through the local paper for a fridge, I take it you are only after its insulating properties?
Is the heater Thermostatically controlled?

[BrewingAgain]

Couldn't you just use an aquarium type immersion heater and put your fermentor in a box or wrap it up ? That should be fine for this time of year. In our long, hot Summers you may have to think about cooling your wort to the desired temperature or not brewing during the Summer months. Do lots of brews in the cooler months and get plenty of stock in for the Summer !

[jubby]

Thanks for the info. Where can I get the heater and fridge etc? May have a look through the local paper for a fridge, I take it you are only after its insulating properties?
Is the heater Thermostatically controlled?

Heater from amazon or just search tube heater, here's one: http://www.cnmonline.co.uk/Thermotube-T ... 16969.html
Fridge from freecycle if you have the patience. JabbA managed to get two from there
The fridge offers cooling and insulation. If you are only brewing in the winter, then you probably only want heating, in which case any insulated cabinet will do. If you want to brew in the summer, then a fridge is best. The temp. controllers control heating and cooling to maintain the selected temp.
Heres one of many posts on the subject: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26719&p=291487&hili ... ge#p291487

[Prozac]

I brew PERFECTLY happily all year round in my unheated garage with a £15 50w submersible fishtank heater .... I use a sleeping bag to keep it warm.
It's effort less. Set it to 20c put it in , turn it on, and wrap it up.
Fish are quite susceptible to temperature changes so these thermostatic heater are pretty good and very reliable.

[Scooby]

Ah but a fridge-heater-temp controller is more flexible. You can cool/chill to assist clearing in secondary or to prevent chill haze.

[JabbA]

As that jolly good fellow Jubby said, I was quick/lucky enough to spot two larder fridges on Freecycle and have just taken delivery of a TC-10. I'm planning on getting a lager on the go over the festive period and using one fridge (which can take an FV) to ferment in and the other (which gets closer to 0ºC and can only just fit two cornies in) to lager in when kegged; or I'll probably just stick a corny in the shed with the weather as it is

[Slight hi-jack]
As i'm yet to sort out an electricity supply to the shed I'm going to be using the fridges under the stairs and so won't need any form of heating. When the fridges do find themselves out in the shed would this 45W heater from my local supplier do the trick? Just that they don't do a 1ft long / 60W which seems to be the preferred option round these parts!

Cheers,
Jamie

[Scooby]

I use a 25w heater in a 2 cornie larder fridge and it's easily up to the job so that will be fine

[JabbA]

Nice one, cheers Scooby!

[dave-o]

A temperature controlled fridge would be great, but if you haven't got that kind of cash at the moment, you can convert your FV for under a tenner:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27682

Works great for me, and you only need the cooling aspect of the fridge if the temperature goes above 20c (ish), and i can't see that happening for some time!