Aquarium heater

[thegoatboy]

Hello

Since I'm coming up to bottling day, I'm starting to think about the next brew.

As the temp is dropping, I wanna get an aquarium heater and a larger container with water.

Probably looking at 50w.

My question is.... is it worth getting an aquarium pump to go with it to get water circulating and therefore getting a more constant temperature?

 

[rodabod]

Convection currents will take care of this. I wouldn't bother.

 

[Bevvied]

I use an old aquarium filter. Without it I had hot water one end of my water bath, colder the other end. Probably overkill but I had the pump/filter anyway. Temp is stable at all corners and depths now though.

 

[Racinsnake]

I use a 50w in a B n Cooo trug, tested all the way round, top to bottom and no temp difference.

 

[Bevvied]

I use a 50w in a B n Cooo trug, tested all the way round, top to bottom and no temp difference.

I've no doubt mate.
I should have said really, my water bath is huge, I get two FVs in it and it's (obviously) rectangular. The heater has to go one end, as the tub isn't wide enough when the FVs are in.

 

[thegoatboy]

Quick question on this again as it's brew day today

Do you put anything in the water?

Like disinfectant or something, as it is standing water

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I cannot remember anyone in the forum saying they do this, if you are going to change the water occasional there is probably no point.

 

[thegoatboy]

Well I guess I'll be chucking the water after every brew

 

[MyQul]

Quick question on this again as it's brew day today

Do you put anything in the water?

Like disinfectant or something, as it is standing water

You can put a little thin bleach in there. The water can get a bit stagnant if your water bath is somewhere warmish/gets warm and start to smell slightly - If the water gets quite warm things can breed in there. Over the summer I was trialing some water bath/ice bottle cooling. After the first week when the danger of of flavours is passed I just let the water warm up to ambient which was quite warm at the time. One day I looked in the water and I could see tiny little creaturs swimming up an down in the water. :shock: They looked like some sort of nymphs or something. So I chucked a load of bleach in the water and slaughered them all :twisted:

 

[Racinsnake]

Check you out and your fancy "that London" tap water out :rofl:

 

[DanST]

I chuck a bit of vwp in the water as it gets a bit manky otherwise, I don't bother measuring just shake some out the pot. Never had an infected brew when I didn't mind. I take the fv out of the water when I'm doing something to it and will only open it once or twice over the ~3 weeks I give my brews. Bleach would work too.

 

[thegoatboy]

I'll bung some sanitiser I'm there

Thanks all

 

[Racinsnake]

Iv never had problems with mine, it's as clear as the day I put it in and I ferment long, just my opinion but it all sounds a bit obsessive, plus VWP has a very strong smell you could be inviting problems with it that close to your FV.