wort temp control

[dstaffy]

Hi I have an old fish tank heater I was just wondering if any body has used one and will it work

Thanks all Dave

 

[sappypics]

Dstaffy,
I was wondering the same thing. Although I think a fish tank heater needs to be in water when on or it will burn out.... I think.

 

[Setesh]

The problem with fish tank heaters is that they need to be in water when they are turned on. Like was mentioned above, they will destroy themselves if fired dry. You could use a tub full of water to put your carboy in, and use the fish tank heater to control the temp of the water bath and it would be fine.

 

[dstaffy]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't use the fish tank heater in the end last night. I was going to cut a 2 litre bottle top off an put the heater in there and then in to the beer but I just didn't want all the hassle just in case the water in the bottle spells in to the beer then I'll have all sorts of problems the big thick winter blanket is the best I could come up with at the moment lol thanks again

 

[Setesh]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't use the fish tank heater in the end last night. I was going to cut a 2 litre bottle top off an put the heater in there and then in to the beer but I just didn't want all the hassle just in case the water in the bottle spells in to the beer then I'll have all sorts of problems the big thick winter blanket is the best I could come up with at the moment lol thanks again

I understand more now of what you are trying to do I think. I would recommend a brew belt heating wrap if you are trying for around 10 degrees over ambient temperature. They are dead simple, cheap, and you can use it with a temp controller in a fermentation chamber if you ever get that fancy:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D6IUB6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Remember too that fermentation is an exothermic reaction, in other words it produces heat. The temperature of fermenting wort is usually 5-10 degrees warmer than the ambient air temperature.

 

[Dolomieu]

fish tank heaters work well if you put it in a tub of water with you bucket or carboy. You also need a small pump like a 404 or 606 to circulate the water. using a STC 1000 works better than just using the heater. I have done this but the down side is the amount of water in the water bath.

I now use a brew belt and a freezer.