karlos_1984 Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I've got a beer in the FV at the moment and I'm struggling to keep it at 18 degrees with my inkbird as we've got a bit of a cold snap at the moment. I've got an old desk lamp with the twistable neck thing. If I cover the shade with foil to block the light from the 75w bulb and hook it up to the inkbird, will this be a suitable option to warm up inside the fridge? I'm just mindful of it becoming a fire hazard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Could try a hot water bottle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Do you have a hot water bottle? That would work to keep it warm enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I love lamp! I have read about people putting a light bulb in a terracotta pot but personally I would be concerned about fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos_1984 Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 I lost the lid to the hot water bottle in a move last year. I've got a metal flask in there with boiled water but I still need to get a bit more heat. Used those microwaveable wheat bag things but they make the fridge stink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerNuts81 Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Why not wrap the FV with the foil? Or just fold some cardboard to create a light trap (if still worried about fire, wrap the cardboard in foil, the foil will dissipate the heat very well) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
der kleine Drache Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Ceramic heater lamp for reptiles is what some use. I'm gonna get a 50 W one myself. Going to the pet shop monday after work. Something like this ---> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HQLSTQW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07HQLSTQW&pd_rd_w=CAoiL&pf_rd_p=80559f3c-f83b-49c1-8a72-40f936e9df7a&pd_rd_wg=v6KD8&pf_rd_r=VXKWH5HNANRXKXRC8GX6&pd_rd_r=8a8682df-532f-11e9-a577-3bbfcd35dc51 Some people use hair dryers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 from experience the lamp will work great ... 30 yeas ago I made a hot box from ply wood insulated the sides with foam, hung a thermometer and in the lid I put a light bulb ... it was a tight squeeze but worked treat during the Sunny Coast winters ... I had a 2 story house that was on a slab and the laundry where I did my brewing was very well insulated .... no internet or ink birds in those days .... brewed with an open vat covered by a tea towel,at ambient and I knew brewing was over when the wort had visually stopped bubbling .... oh the good old days .... but yes the light will work a treat ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuley Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 I had the same problem with the cold snap over the weekend, and was jumping on here to see what the best options for heating was. So good timing. The FV dropped to about 15.5 deg for the last couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 On 3/30/2019 at 9:27 PM, karlos_1984 said: I've got a beer in the FV at the moment and I'm struggling to keep it at 18 degrees with my inkbird as we've got a bit of a cold snap at the moment. I've got an old desk lamp with the twistable neck thing. If I cover the shade with foil to block the light from the 75w bulb and hook it up to the inkbird, will this be a suitable option to warm up inside the fridge? I'm just mindful of it becoming a fire hazard. This is my cheap option for winter Insulated large rubbish bin from bunnings with Coopers FV and a heat belt, with ETC. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headmaster Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 I run reptile heat cords, mine are 5 metres long, 25 watt. Used to be able to buy them for $11 delivered from asia, no longer.. I use them for my two brew fridges, plus for broccoli/seafood foam box wintertime bottle carbonation chambers. I like these as the power density is low so it never gets hot enough to do any damage. In a broccoli box you can distribute the 5M evenly around the bottles. You need to have a controller like an inkbird or STC or you will overheat the chamber. Power meter said it only ran 6W average in winter inside the fridge to run 18c inside with ambient say 10c. Some for sale here: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Reptile-Heat-Cord-Small-Large-Sizes-Available-1m-3m-6m-9m-10m-14m-18m-/182760016573?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10&var=690078717168&varId=690078717168 I would go the 3m 25W version there. Not cheap any more though.. looks like 30$ delivered. You could buy a brewing heat belt for that, but I actually prefer these cords. The heat belts are designed to be wrapped around a fermenter. Not what I want to do. Have heard that you can melt a heat belt if not wrapped around the FV as not heatsunk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus96 Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Last winter I just dangled my 20 year old heat belt in the freezer (plugged into the Inkbird) and it was fine, no sign of melting. Once up to temp it doesn't take much to keep it there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beers Gone Wild Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 I’m gonna grab one of them reptile heaters, great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Yep just throw a reptile in the beer. Will be fine but drunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Make sure you warm up the reptile in the sun first though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 Many good suggestions here. LEDs and CFLs don't throw off much heat so you need to look for an incandescent bulb, which are getting hard to find, hence the suggestion for a reptile bulb, but they are expensive. If your FV lets light through it is important that the bulb be red, as regular white bulbs will skunk the beer. In Canada you can still buy 25watt red incandescent "party" bulbs, which is what I used to use to help keep my beer above 18C while it carbonated; I used to live in a cold house (Canada). Note that I bottle in green glass, so that is why I needed to use a red bulb. If you use brown bottles, the colour of the bulb does not matter. Personally I use a string of 35 red mini-Christmas lights from the Dollar Store in my brew fridge, as they are super cheap, and the cord is very thin. They come in both incandescent and LED versions, so be aware of that if you go that route. Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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