Fish tank heaters ?

[anto01]

Hi is it ok to use a submersible fish tank heater in my fermenter im having trouble keeping temp up and a friend gave me the heater to try .
ps its new still in box.

[Pav]

I'm wanting to do the same so I can put the brew in the garage. Other on here do similar. It has been suggested you check with a water! run first to check the temp. Its got to beat a heating pad that almost ruined one of my brews.

Tank heaters are sold according to volume of tank.. which is usually in Litres. Not sure n my units! How many Litres in a brew bucket?!

[sparky Paul]

Aquarium heaters are identical to home brew heaters, lot of people use them for brewing.

The ideal wattage for a 5 gallon (23L) fermenter is 50W or 75W, and with integral thermostat.

[boingy]

Yes, those heaters are spot on. Make sure you try the heater in a bucket of water first to set the temperature correctly, then you just chuck it in the brew and plug it in.

[anto01]

Hi the heater i have is 55 watt it says one watt = one litres of water i have a 23l fermenter so a smaller one would have done ie 25 watt but i got mine free so cant complain I guess its ok to use then.?

[Shoit]

Should be fine, just like the other posters suggest - it's worth testing in a FV to check the thermostat. I've just used one over the last week in the garage and it sat at 20 deg c. throughout. If your using a 23l container I would suggest some additional insulation (old blankets etc). This way you'll keep the heat in, use less energy etc.

Just make sure it's properly sanitised.

Kev

[anto01]

Hi again should i put it at bottom . middle .top ?

[sparky Paul]

Hi the heater i have is 55 watt it says one watt = one litres of water i have a 23l fermenter so a smaller one would have done ie 25 watt but i got mine free so cant complain I guess its ok to use then.?

It'll be perfect.

You need 50W because of the greater relative heat loss from smaller vessels. It can get pretty nippy in a garage or outbuilding too!

As Kev says, use some insulation to cut electricity usage.

Hi again should i put it at bottom . middle .top ?

Ideally, it should be suspended by the cable in the centre of the fermenter, with the top of the glass level with the surface.

[anto01]

Thanks for the advice guys .

[Titanium Tone]

I have been using a submersible heater Electrim 75 in the garage it worked fine in the better weather but now its droping to near frezzing it cant cope. If you think about it you would not put a fish tank full of tropical fish in a garage just to cold. What i am now using is a brew belt with an ATC300 for temp control and this seems to be working fine.

[KevP]

May I just be the Health & Safety voice here, I make it a point of never going near touching the liquid whilst the heater is still plugged in, I always unplug the heater before checking gravity levels etc, you can never be too cautious when it comes to elastic trickery and water.

[batemans fan]

iirc, my Electrim instructions said to unplug the heater and leave for 40 minutes before siphoning off - it seems that a hot heater prefers to be submersed. I believe it is also a bad idea to plug one in and feel it to check that it's getting hot. It might be worth bearing this in mind if you use one.

[Ditch]

I believe it is also a bad idea to plug one in and feel it to check that it's getting hot.

Your belief is deeply justified too. I've had a lot of experience around these things and have found, through bitter experience, it's amazing how hot they can quickly become when 'dry'.

Thus it's not a good idea to mess with them and it's also a good idea to leave them to cool down before removing them from their liquid, after turning one off. Otherwise, ye could end up with burned fingers, melted plastic or a burst tube. Possibly all three and worse

Saying all that; I use them and love them

[boingy]

Never, ever turn on the power with the heater out of water/wort. It takes only a few seconds to burn out the coil.

[Shoit]

I have been using a submersible heater Electrim 75 in the garage it worked fine in the better weather but now its droping to near frezzing it cant cope. If you think about it you would not put a fish tank full of tropical fish in a garage just to cold. What i am now using is a brew belt with an ATC300 for temp control and this seems to be working fine.

Did you use any insulation around the fv? As I said i've been using exactly the same thing and it's been getting down to -3c and holding the temp at 20?

Kev