QUOTE (IanRMartin @ Jun 27 2006, 02:02 PM) Has any one used one of these heaters before?

Ian
(Just for info its from H&G item number IMM20154627 price £21)
I don't use an immersion heater. For some reason I don't like the idea of leaving something in a fermenting brew. I don't want to take a risk of introducing an infection. Although I'm sure if it's properly sanitized, it shouldn't be a problem.
In the winter, I sometimes use a heater tray to stand my fermenter bucket on. When I used King Kegs, I also stand the keg on a heater tray in the colder months for the first week of secondary fermentation to condition. Then transfered it to a cooler place to clear for a month or so.
Neither have I used a digital thermometer. I use the cheap stick on liquid crystal type. Although these do apear to be about 2'c innacurate. So I just have to remember to compensate for that.
From Andy's wonderful/scary yeast cam pics, I remember he uses a digital thermometer (Don't view these pics if you're of a nervous disposition though

).