Working on a fermentation fridge...

[Traz1986]

Has anyone seen integrated a heater of some type to your fermentation fridge to raise the temperature slightly if needed. I read an article of someone using a infrared lamp used for pets. I later read that the infrared would be bad for the beer, plastic bottles, etc. just curious what everyone is using if anything.

 

[JonM]

Yep. I just put a fermwrap along the back wall of my ferm chamber and hooked it up to the temp controller. Works great and takes up practically no space.

 

[Anyhowe]

Good idea it works very well.

I use picobrews kegsmarts that includes a heated jacket for fermentation. I ferment in the keg. I keep my keezer at 38. The keezer is great because all access is from the top. After brewing I drop in the keg with the jacket to be fermented. It keeps the keg at the exact fermentation temp regardless of the keezer temp. When done I just remove the jacket and it cold crashes. Add gelatin, let it sit for a few more days and then pressure transfer it to serving kegs. Whole process done without me having to ever move the fermentation vessel.

 

[Nagorg]

I use this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XDTWN2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 I saw a post somewhere about someone saying he had one catch fire. I have no idea of the details around that incident but mine has worked great for a number of years.

 

[Godot]

Good idea it works very well.

I use picobrews kegsmarts that includes a heated jacket for fermentation. I ferment in the keg. I keep my keezer at 38. The keezer is great because all access is from the top. After brewing I drop in the keg with the jacket to be fermented. It keeps the keg at the exact fermentation temp regardless of the keezer temp. When done I just remove the jacket and it cold crashes. Add gelatin, let it sit for a few more days and then pressure transfer it to serving kegs. Whole process done without me having to ever move the fermentation vessel.

This sounds intriguing (and cheaper than buying a separate fermentation fridge). How do you accurately monitor the temperature inside the keg? Normally, strapping a thermometer to the outside of a carboy would do, but surely not to the outside of a corny with a jacket? Or is that all part of the picobrew thing?

 

[Anyhowe]

This sounds intriguing (and cheaper than buying a separate fermentation fridge). How do you accurately monitor the temperature inside the keg? Normally, strapping a thermometer to the outside of a carboy would do, but surely not to the outside of a corny with a jacket? Or is that all part of the picobrew thing?

Not sure it's cheaper than a new fridge

The temp probe goes between the keg and the jacket.

 

[philipCT]

Yep. I just put a fermwrap along the back wall of my ferm chamber and hooked it up to the temp controller. Works great and takes up practically no space.

This. Also.

Small caveat - one of my fridges is outside. This arrangement works well even when outside temps go down to as low as 26-28F. Below that the single fermwrap can't handle it. In those cases I've just put in a second one.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Has anyone seen integrated a heater of some type to your fermentation fridge to raise the temperature slightly if needed. I read an article of someone using a infrared lamp used for pets. I later read that the infrared would be bad for the beer, plastic bottles, etc. just curious what everyone is using if anything.

I use a ceramic heat lamp to keep mine from dropping too low during the Winter. I use the ceramic lamp for heat and a window A/C unit for cooling.

 

[Traz1986]

I use this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XDTWN2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 I saw a post somewhere about someone saying he had one catch fire. I have no idea of the details around that incident but mine has worked great for a number of years.

Does that heater have a fan ?

 

[Traz1986]

Yep. I just put a fermwrap along the back wall of my ferm chamber and hooked it up to the temp controller. Works great and takes up practically no space.

How much have you asked the firm wrap to do? Can it move the temp multiple degrees if needed?

 

[Nagorg]

Does that heater have a fan ?

Yes it has a fan.

 

[devils4ever]

I used a 60W light bulb in a new 1 gal paint can for heat. Works great and is easy to make.

 

[tagz]

I use a seed germination mat. Waterproof and only ran me about $11 on Amazon. I brew lots of saisons and regularly ferment in the 80s/90s. I wrap the carboy and mat in down vest to help maintain steady temps in the fridge.

 

[philipCT]

I use a seed germination mat. Waterproof and only ran me about $11 on Amazon. I brew lots of saisons and regularly ferment in the 80s/90s. I wrap the carboy and mat in down vest to help maintain steady temps in the fridge.

Whoa. Could I ask - what yeast do you do that with and what is your approximate ferm temp profile (I mean - are you in the 80's and 90's all the time or are there ramps???).

 

[HopHeavy]

There are more than a few yeast strains that provide good or even better results 'above and beyond' optimum ranges. For example:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=316404

 

[HiImBrian]

I've seen people use ferm wraps, bulbs in paint cans, hair dryers, small space heaters...yet I'm still not sure which method I think is best. I'm wondering the same thing. Which is best or is there even a best?

 

[tagz]

Whoa. Could I ask - what yeast do you do that with and what is your approximate ferm temp profile (I mean - are you in the 80's and 90's all the time or are there ramps???).

It's 3724. I've been playing with it for a few months. The first few runs I started at 75 and finished at 88-90. The last few batches I've started at 80 and finished at 92-94, and I get a better profile. No fusels at all in the finished product. I also ferment without an airlock for the first 5 days or so, as I've read that the strain can be pressure sensitive. I can get it to finish in about 2 weeks, but I'd like to push it closer to ten days.

 

[Anyhowe]

I've seen people use ferm wraps, bulbs in paint cans, hair dryers, small space heaters...yet I'm still not sure which method I think is best. I'm wondering the same thing. Which is best or is there even a best?

Quality controlled fermentation is, in my experience, a key to a quality product. The minimum I would do is a fridge/cooler with a controller.

 

[Traz1986]

I've seen people use ferm wraps, bulbs in paint cans, hair dryers, small space heaters...yet I'm still not sure which method I think is best. I'm wondering the same thing. Which is best or is there even a best?

I'm right there with you, heard someone using heat lamps found in pet stores, ordered them. Then read the IR Rays would hurt beer an possibly plastic better bottle. Scrapped that. Small heater, someone said, I measured and ordered one on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004649SK4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 then I read the post on the seed starter mat, and that waterproof mat seems to be the safest option, so I may end up with that. So confusing...

 

[MaryB]

I am planning on adding a heater to the PID I use to control my fermenting fridge. When it drops to 30 outside my porch gets to cold. There are any number of silicone heating blankets available online that would work.

 

[HiImBrian]

Has anybody ever thought about utilizing a wine cooler to ferment in? I don't think they have any sort of heating element built in, but they can regulate temps up to like 66F.

 

[tagz]

I use one. But I still use a temp controller. I also had to bypass the thermostat to cold crash. The advantage is that I can fit a carboy in there with no problem. A lot of the mini-fridges have a large compressed hump and door shelving that gets in the way. It also has a glass door which lets me look in without opening the door.

 

[HiImBrian]

I use one. But I still use a temp controller. I also had to bypass the thermostat to cold crash. The advantage is that I can fit a carboy in there with no problem. A lot of the mini-fridges have a large compressed hump and door shelving that gets in the way. It also has a glass door which lets me look in without opening the door.

I'm curious as to why you were unable to cold crash without bypassing the thermostat. I thought most of these ranged between 20-65F or so.

 

[cegan09]

I'm right there with you, heard someone using heat lamps found in pet stores, ordered them. Then read the IR Rays would hurt beer an possibly plastic better bottle. Scrapped that. Small heater, someone said, I measured and ordered one on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004649SK4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 then I read the post on the seed starter mat, and that waterproof mat seems to be the safest option, so I may end up with that. So confusing...

Don't over think it. If you have a controller, a method to cool, and a method to heat, you're good. If you're feeling ambitious go the extra step and get a thermowell so you can accurately monitor the temp of the beer. Once you have that whatever controller you pick should take care of the rest.

What you pick for heat isn't that critical. I use one of those cheap small heaters you listed, works great, just takes up space. Fine with me becuase I can't get a carboy on the step inside my fridge anyway. I also considered heater pads and all the rest. I'm convinced that any of them would have worked just as well.

I personally use a brewpi, which learns your chamber and adjusts it's algorithms accordingly, so it's amazingly stable. But any controller should work fine.

 

[tagz]

I'm curious as to why you were unable to cold crash without bypassing the thermostat. I thought most of these ranged between 20-65F or so.

Not sure. I would set the stc to 3*C with the fridge on max and it wouldn't make it past 9-10. Anyway, it was super easy to bypass and now it sits at whatever temp I tell it to.

 

[Traz1986]

All done. Gently bent the freezer tray out of the way to make room for two 3 gallon better bottles. The bottles are sitting on a seed starter heat mat. Does not give off a ton of heat but it should gently move the temp back up if needed. A/C and heat mat are both tied in to a Inkbird ITC-1000 thermostat I cut into the right rear of the fridge.View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1461823928.583814.jpg

 

[Traz1986]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1461823984.652907.jpg

 

[tagz]

Well done! Looks great!