Fish tank heaters

[samnorfolk]

HI there i recently purchased a fish tank heater 100w that has the 2 plastic clips to attach to the side, now i just wanted to ask if these are safe enough to use in a plastci fermenting bucket and has anyone used them at all

 

[liamg1285]

yeap will be perfectly fine many people use them i believe. ive got a cheap ass 1 from china that does the job for me using it in a water bath setup

 

[fermentall]

Yep they are fine,i normally take the clips off & submerge the heater completely.The best way is to put your fv in a flexible Gorilla tub or garden trug the fill to about 1/3 & the heater goes into the water. :

 

[samnorfolk]

yeah i got mine from china as well but havent used it yet i guess if its immersed in the brew then it will be fine i take it was just concerned as obviously the FV is a plastic bin as well

 

[fermentall]

A water bath as i described is better than in the fv, as you could get an infection if the fv isnt sealed properly.

 

[tonyhibbett]

used them years ago in glass, perfectly safe, but providing the fermentation actually gets started, a slower, cooler fermentation is no bad thing. The longer it all takes, the better the outcome and the more you make, the longer the reward for waiting.

 

[samnorfolk]

Do the fish tank heaters have to be completey submersed in the must it can it go in partially say if I'm only doing 5 litres in a plastic Fv?

 

[screamlead]

Yep fully submerged will keep the temps constant, if not then theres a chance the unsubmerged tube will over heat. :thumb:

 

[GeorgeSalt]

Do the fish tank heaters have to be completey submersed in the must it can it go in partially say if I'm only doing 5 litres in a plastic Fv?

Yes - if not submerged they overheat and have been known to crack.

And don't rely on the numbers next to the thermostat.. if it's within 5C of the indicated number I'd be very suprised.

 

[PD]

never switch the heater on unless its fully underwater. Otherwise you get an awful burn on your fingertips !.....I know...

 

[Leeds Chimp]

think got crossed wires....

you dont put the heater in the actual brew....

 

[samnorfolk]

think got crossed wires....

you dont put the heater in the actual brew....

where do they go then?

 

[GeorgeSalt]

think got crossed wires....

you dont put the heater in the actual brew....

where do they go then?

You make a waterbath and stand the FV in that.

 

[samnorfolk]

Ok sorry for sounding stupid but I've never used a fish tank heater luckily haven't had too even through this cold winter could be due to underfloor heating I have but I brought a fish tank heater just in case but have no idea what a water bath is

 

[Stone Cold]

i have always used them, i also have cheap china made ones i take all the clips off and also all plastic parts and rubber knob until its a glass tube with wire coming out so there are no parts that nasty things can gather. then put them straight into the FV on lowest setting always. i think they are great, many hate them

 

[oldbloke]

think got crossed wires....

you dont put the heater in the actual brew....

Quite a few people do, but it's not ideal and it's a fiddly job sanitising the thing

 

[oldbloke]

have no idea what a water bath is

Instead of putting the heater in the FV - hot spots, sanitising problems, blahblahblah - you put the whole FV into something bigger, eg builder's trug, put water in that, and the heater in /that/ water. and insulate as well as you can.

Or, I used a standard household-items plassy crate, covered it in EPS for insulation, lid of EPs with hole for fermenter to stick out through, same effect

 

[Stu]

For my next attempt, I'm going to try as someone above said - clear the thing of plastic and rubber and chuck it in the FV with a shed load of bubble wrap around the FV to save on wasted heat.

I've just ordered another one so that I can have 2 brews on the go - our gas bill (in our new house) is absolutely horrendous at the moment - it's way over £100 a month so I can't really afford to heat it when we're not in it. I know it's Winter and all but even so....

Talking of... my first (new) attempt has hit the point where it could do with a secondary. Instructions say to keep it at 18c for this. Is this strict? Generally, the house doesn't go below 16c and hopefully it's going to start getting warmer.

 

[jordibird]

Hi,
glad I found this topic, I have 4 5l PET's on the go at the minute and they are fermenting but I was concerned at the temperature which isn't constant as I'm out during the day and to be honest don't have the heating on as much as I'd like when I'm in either, extortionate bills! Should I be taking extra steps here like giving them a coat of bubble wrap or the fish tank heater?
I even contemplated using Hotties those hand warmers haha.

Cheers
Lezli

 

[oldbloke]

Well, ideally you'd keep them around 19 or 20, but as long as they don't drop below, say (wild guess) 11, it'll just add time to the ferment.
I expect there's some brew or other that won't give its best if messed about like that but I don't know which