Kettle element to heat a fermenting vessel?

[Blackaddler]

Does anyone use a kettle element in their FV, controlled by a rheostat of some kind?

I've spent all day googling alternative methods of heating my 100L stockpot FV. I've got a couple of aquarium heaters, but I'd rather have something more resilient.

150W towel rail elements look interesting, but not ideal.

Cooker type simmerstats to control a 2.2KW kettle element don't appear to be ideal either, as I feel that the full on/off action might be too severe.

I've seen travel kettles rated at 500W or 650W, but don't know if the elements are suitable.

Is there a cheap method [for under £20, say] of throttling a kettle element to about 100W?

[OldSpeckledBadger]

Use an aquarium heater.

[Blackaddler]

Use an aquarium heater.

Like I said...

I've got a couple of aquarium heaters, but I'd rather have something more resilient.

[leewink]

+1

Dont DIY something you dont watch, isnt worth it, drop an aquarium heater in it job done, they have all the gubbings in them for safety, I saw them somewhere on a home brew site, with a bung threaded on the cable and a second hole in it for your airlock etc, drops straight in one of those red writing twin handle fermenters i believe.

I have looked at different heating methods here, from mats to belts, dont like these as theres no thermostat, and they only heat 5 above ambient which is no good to me, ambient could be anything, back to my fishkeeping days ideas, bung a heater in it literally LOL

[Blackaddler]

I have temperature controllers, so don't need thermostatic aquarium heaters [even though I have them].

They're too fragile for my liking, anyway.

Anyway, back to the original question.... does anyone know of a cheap method of controlling a kettle element?

[leewink]

"They're too fragile for my liking, anyway."

LOL, are you in the habit of throwing your fermenter around then !! LOL

Or do you mean you are clumsy or heavy handed

[Blackaddler]

Hot, glass aquarium heater + stainless fermenter = accident waiting to happen, in my opinion.

I'd like something I can fit in the fermenter and forget [like an immersion element].

[kay-jay]

Hot, glass aquarium heater + stainless fermenter = accident waiting to happen, in my opinion.

I'd like something I can fit in the fermenter and forget [like an immersion element].

hi,

why don't you look into a standard hot water cylinder immersion heater? you can get a short one that should fit into your fermenter. they are very robust, but at 3 kw they have much more heat potential than you could utilise in an fv, however they have a built in thermostat (which you would need to calibrate) and can easily be coupled to a secondary stat.

KJ

[Garth]

Hot, glass aquarium heater + stainless fermenter = accident waiting to happen, in my opinion.

the aqaurium heater I have has a plastic body.

[Blackaddler]

A 3kw immersion heater is going to be way too much, even for a 100L stainless fermenter. I'm thinking that at best it would create a hotspot, or at worst would shock the yeast and kill it.

I've not seen plastic aquarium heaters, but I'd still like something that's more permanent.

Travel kettle elements might do, but the heated towel rail element at 150w is looking favourite.

I have a PID which might be useful here. I'll have to check the instructions, but I have a feeling that it can also be programmed to cycle power on and off for short periods of time, which could help to prevent too much heat going into the wort at once.

I brewed a 6.0% stout yesterday, and I'm using my new FV for the first time. [Previously, my Coleman 66L mash tun was doubling up as a fermenter for large batches.]
It's in the kitchen at about 21-22°C, so no heater or chiller hooked up at the moment. Just an ATC800+ monitoring the temperature. Less than 12 hours since pitching and the dried yeast has got going already.

Here's a pic of the FV, minus the insulated jacket.

[cqout]

Hi Blackaddier

just a quick question - is the copper pipe around the outside for cooling? if so how long is it and how well does it work?

cheers

[Blackaddler]

Yes, it's just for cooling, and works well with my Maxi 110 chiller.

10 metres of 10mm copper pipe [from B@Q].

[Fil]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Stai ... 729wt_1004

stainless steel aquarium heater! might b of interest

[gnutz2]

For me the obvious choice and simplest would be to wrap heat trace around the FV, it would fit nicely inbetweem the copper coils, nothing will touch the beer so it's easier to sanitise and you can hook it straight up to your ACT 100.

From memory it's about 25 watt per meter so 4 meters sounds about right, you may also need an electrician to terminate the ends for you as they can be fiddly.

[trucker5774]

For me the obvious choice and simplest would be to wrap heat trace around the FV, it would fit nicely inbetweem the copper coils, nothing will touch the beer so it's easier to sanitise and you can hook it straight up to your ACT 100.

From memory it's about 25 watt per meter so 4 meters sounds about right, you may also need an electrician to terminate the ends for you as they can be fiddly.

If you fancy going along this road, I may have some heat trace in several resistance values so you can fine tune it for total length/resistance/wattage. I will happily send you some if you fancy it