hi all, i currently do all my real ale brewing in the garage and due to the cold temps recently have found that my brew belt just can't hack it. i also am a bit bored of having to check the temp every day to make sure my brew isnt getting too hot, or in this case too cold. so really what im after is a heater that can both handle the cold temps, by that i mean down to around freezing air temperature and something with a built in thermostat so i dont have to worry about getting my beer too hot/cold. i have been looking around and have seen a few people recommending the electrim 75, my only niggling doubt is whether this would be able to handle the freezing conditions any better than a brew belt, im assuming the "75" bit of the name indicated 75 watts, is this powerful enough to heat a fv with 40 pints of beer in it?.
if anybody could let me know what they use and preferabably a make and model of the device then it would be very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Paul
electrim 75 or fish tank heater
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Hoodlum
Re: electrim 75 or fish tank heater
a big hydor shaterproof 150w will warm 125 litres. Given that you'll be brewing in a cold area, get the biggest wattage you can for peace of mind. I've always used 50 Watt fish tank heaters in a room with an ambiemt temp of 10 degrees C, and these have been fine.
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paule
Re: electrim 75 or fish tank heater
hi hoodlum, thanks for your post, so hydor are a good make to go with?, im looking for something that's easy to clean (no crevises) and very reliable, im assuming your using a hydor heater in your fv?Hoodlum wrote:a big hydor shaterproof 150w will warm 125 litres. Given that you'll be brewing in a cold area, get the biggest wattage you can for peace of mind. I've always used 50 Watt fish tank heaters in a room with an ambiemt temp of 10 degrees C, and these have been fine.
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Hoodlum
Re: electrim 75 or fish tank heater
no, both of mine are a brand called "interpet" I went for cheap and reasonably easy to clean from the limited range that was available at the time in the local pet shop!
If I remember rightly, the stated volumes on the packets were well in excess of what was going to be in my FV, but of course what's written on the package (volume of liquid heated) is probably to be taken with a pinch of salt. I set mine at 20 Deg C and just lob them in, not had a problem yet.
If I remember rightly, the stated volumes on the packets were well in excess of what was going to be in my FV, but of course what's written on the package (volume of liquid heated) is probably to be taken with a pinch of salt. I set mine at 20 Deg C and just lob them in, not had a problem yet.