King Ruddager Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Anyone have any tips for using heat belts? I got a cheap one from eBay (similar to this one) and just set it up to test it out. My only real concern is that as it heats and expands it could slip off of the fermenter ... or does this simply not happen? I'm ultimately planning to hook it up to a thermostat, so if it did slip it could be stuck on for quite some time. Is it necessary to secure it in place? And if so, how? So yeah, any tips or experience to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 It just doesn't happen. They are made for that purpose and expanding and retracting because they heat up is not even noticeable if they do. I suggest putting the belt on a timer and working out how often the timer should come on to regulate it at a decent temp, say 18C for Ales is pretty good. Also do not place your belt closer to the bottom of the FV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 Don't place it close to the bottom? Why not? Mine's just above where the indentation for the tap is, which is a bit under half way to the 23L mark I guess (can't see the marks) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 fluid thermodynamics my friend [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 I thought hot fluid would rise like hot air, therefore it would be best to keep the heat source lower ... where have I gone wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 no i just being silly. [biggrin] It's not good to warm up the trub (the sediment) cos it can make the yeasties give off bad flavours. It's best to heat up the air surrounding the FV from what I've seen people say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Like Adam said it is best not to even have your heat source in contact with the fermentor as you'll stress out your yeast. Best to sit it somewhere else and rely on it's ambient heat...of course this is only possible if you have a brew fridge or cabinet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 Hmmm ... okie dokie then. I suppose that leads to bad flavours? Not really sure I have an alternative yet unfortunately. Before this I was using a 75W light globe, and then I got a $550 electricity bill ... I'll be looking at getting a fridge eventually anyway. Do you guys have any tips on fridge-finding? Ideally I'd like something small - just big enough to fit the DIY thingo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Like others have said..... too close to the bottom will give a chance top heat the trub and you don't want that. Assuming you don't have a fridge or cabinet of some sort then I'd place it around the top half of your wort level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 With regards to fridge finding, just keep your eyes and ears to the ground. You will get a cheap/free one from Gumtree, Ebay or your local paper. One will come up sooner or later. Otherwise just buy a cheap one less than $50 will do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wal Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Do you guys have any tips on fridge-finding? Keep ypur ears open and let people know you are on the lookout. Just 2 weeks ago I acquired one from a local girl guide outfit that had been given a new fridge and were going to chuck the old one out so I went and picked it up. I found out about it almost by accident, friend of a friend type of deal. It works a treat and fits 2 FVs....and best of all it was free..!!! [biggrin] Is it right to accept donations from the girl guides for the purpose of brewing beer though???[innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Hmmm ... okie dokie then. I suppose that leads to bad flavours? Not really sure I have an alternative yet unfortunately. Don't give up on it, just play with it a bit [wink] I use a similar belt in the winter. I keep it at about 6-7 liter mark. You can either have it on a timer like Bill says, to get blasts of warmth, or some othe rpeople put something insulating like packaging foam under parts to adjust the heat. Otherwise, mine keeps the brew at a constant 24C (a bit too high for my liking, although it never led to a 'bad' beer and seems to make awesome wheetbeer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Heh, just realised I wrote "$75 light globe" above when I meant 75W. Anyway, I guess heat pads are probably a bad thing too if they're sat directly under the bottom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Yes, they're good for lizards but bad for beer. They're actually pretty good for wine too because you can get some nice fruity esters (aparently for some ales its also good, but I don't know that from experience, just a piece of info that's in my head) [happy] But you can strap them to the side of the FV. No real point in that though as it would basically be the same as the heatbelt that you aleady have.[wink] Heat bulbs can be good in a confined and insulated environment (ie a fridge) where you just want to blast a bit of heat into the surrounding air. but if you had a bill $550 electric bill, I guess you just had it out in the open beaming away at the FV.[pinched] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregT5 Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Ruddager, how do you have your globe mounted? I have a 42W globe in a terracotta plant pot in my brew fridge. The light heats up the pot which in turn heats up the air in the fridge so it is not running as long as it would be if out in the open air of the fridge. The pot also holds heat after the light switches off. There is minimal light coming from the hole in the top of the pot so light hitting the fermenter isnt an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrLeeB Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Hi to All !!! Before I got my thermostat I watched the temp if it was too high I lifted the belt up, so it only heated the upper part of the fermenter, if it was too low i moved the belt down,move it only a few centimeters at a time, but do spend the $25.00 on e-bay and get the thermostat, one I use is the STC-1000, it can control both heating and cooling.... Cheers ..... PS. I recommend the Extra Strong Vintage Ale from Coopers recipe page it's under the strong beers section ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 Really hanging for my thermostat to arrive - it's still on it's way from Honkers. In the meantime I've twice accidentally left the brew belt on overnight. This morning it was only sitting at 20, so not so bad, but the first time I forgot it reached 24 ... eep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wal Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Really hanging for my thermostat to arrive - it's still on it's way from Honkers. In the meantime I've twice accidentally left the brew belt on overnight. This morning it was only sitting at 20' date=' so not so bad, but the first time I forgot it reached 24 ... eep[/quote'] If you don't have some form of automated temperature control, you could just use a timer to plug your heater belt into. I used one for a while when I didn't have a temp control. They are available at any hardware store and most likely at the supermarket as well. You may need to spend a day or two fine tuning the timing but once that is done you can pretty much forget about it. Given your thermostat will probably arrive soon it might not be worth buggerising about with.....in which case I have just wasted your time...!!! [annoyed] [pinched] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 This is why I brew ales in the warmer months and lagers in the cooler months, I don't have to use any heating control for lagers because it doesn't really get cold enough to be too cold for them where I live, it's actually just about bang on the right temps most of the time. In summer I use my wet towel around the fermenter method to cool it down. Works perfectly and costs nothing. It usually sits in a saucer with cold water and ice as well. Edit: I like both ale and lager though, so it works for me. [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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