Snowy Al Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 With winter approaching I would appreciate some advise on the best way to keep a controlled brewing temperature. I am using the standard cooper croisen collar 23lt brew kit. I have heard of heat belts, heat mats, electric blankets, temperature controllers and old fridges. Any advise on the best combinations please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Temp controlled fridge with a heat source inside it would be the best way to do it. Whereabouts are you? I'm in Brisbane and don't really need heating in winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 8 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Temp controlled fridge with a heat source inside it would be the best way to do it. Whereabouts are you? I'm in Brisbane and don't really need heating in winter. yep I don't get the heat pad use ... if you use a fridge no need as far as I see ... alternately if you live in an area where it is colder that ferment temp no need for the fridge use the heat mat ... but I just don't get the idea of using both ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 4 minutes ago, MartyG1525230263 said: yep I don't get the heat pad use ... if you use a fridge no need as far as I see ... alternately if you live in an area where it is colder that ferment temp no need for the fridge use the heat mat ... but I just don't get the idea of using both ... Regardless of whether you are heating or cooling, the fridge acts as an insulated chamber which stops large fluctuations in temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Al Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 Yes the fridge as an insulated box sounds good. I live in the Snowy Mountains so cold temperature is a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Yeah what hairy said. When using a fridge for this it's less a fridge and more just a temp control chamber. In a fridge you don't have to have the heat source directly on the fermenter either, which is probably better. The once or twice a year I need heat I just boil some water in an Erlenmeyer flask and stick that in there, reboiling as needed. A hot water bottle would work too. In the snowy mountains however I'd definitely suggest a heat source inside the fridge. You'll need it a lot more there than up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark D Pirate Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Here in Adelaide I use both fridge and heat belt, if wired to a controller only 1 can possibly run at any given time. Setup like that allows me to precisely set my temp no matter what ambient temps are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 5 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: In the snowy mountains however I'd definitely suggest a heat source inside the fridge. You'll need it a lot more there than up here. Yep horses for courses ... the overwhelming majority of brewers would not need cooling not heat ... I may be wrong but that is how i read it .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 6 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: I'm in Brisbane and don't really need heating in winter. last year on the Sunny coast I did a couple of lagers at ambient in the shed right in the middle of the cold snap ... turned out pretty damn good nights down to about 6 degrees and the days up to about 16-18 .... it takes so long for 23 litres of liquid to change temp i imagine that the range of temp was reduced in the brew by a couple of degrees at the high and low ends but that is not taking into account the increase in wort temp during ferment... those lagers i am drinking now and they are good ... but not as good as the consistent 10 or 12 degree temp control with DA rest and cold crash ... but still good ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 The D rest is what I need the heating for on that one or two batches a year. I find without it that it doesn't warm up very well, gets to about 15 or 16 and then starts dropping again once the fermentation itself stops. The nights sometimes get down under 5 where we are now. It's only about 2 months of the year though, the rest of the time I don't need heating. The point of having a heat source inside a fridge is to essentially turn the fridge into a chamber that keeps the temp where it should be using the cooling of the fridge and the heating when they're needed. During active fermentation, heating most likely wouldn't be required so the fridge works to keep it from warming up while the heater sits idle. Once it slows and stops though, it will drop in temp even in a fridge, so the heat source then comes into play to keep the temp from dropping as required. It would come on less often inside a fridge than out in the ambient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 that is so bloody logical ... and something I really had not thought about ... lucky I have a heat belt may need to use it during winter ... cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Yeah just play it by ear I reckon. Other times I've simply opened the door during the day and set the controller to something like 30 degrees to prevent the fridge turning on, then closed it again at night. I can't do that anymore though because the fridge is outside where the dogs are and they'd get straight into it if I did. Fortunately they leave it alone when it's closed. Because I rarely need heating I haven't bothered buying a heat belt or whatever and just use the hot water, but if you already have one then it could be worth using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beers Gone Wild Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 On 3/25/2019 at 8:59 PM, Otto Von Blotto said: The D rest is what I need the heating for on that one or two batches a year. I find without it that it doesn't warm up very well, gets to about 15 or 16 and then starts dropping again once the fermentation itself stops. The nights sometimes get down under 5 where we are now. It's only about 2 months of the year though, the rest of the time I don't need heating. The point of having a heat source inside a fridge is to essentially turn the fridge into a chamber that keeps the temp where it should be using the cooling of the fridge and the heating when they're needed. During active fermentation, heating most likely wouldn't be required so the fridge works to keep it from warming up while the heater sits idle. Once it slows and stops though, it will drop in temp even in a fridge, so the heat source then comes into play to keep the temp from dropping as required. It would come on less often inside a fridge than out in the ambient. That’s a top explanation and so true. Consistent temp at all times makes a big difference. For me: Fridge + temp controller + heat pad = winter. fridge + temp controller = summer. i get probably 1c fluctuation for whole brew in any outside temperatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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