Heat belt to bottle condition?

[Bocker Wright]

I'm about a week away from bottling and I've just realised I'm going to need a heat source to bottle condition in the brew fridge. Can a heat belt be used in some way for 30 - 40 500ml bottles? I've also got a heated propagator I use for tomato and pepper seedlings, can this be used maybe along side the heat belt? It's not a tall fridge it's the smaller type that would sit under your kitchen worktops. Cheers.

 

[chopps]

Is this just to achieve bottle carbonation?

 

[Bocker Wright]

Yeah just for that.

 

[chopps]

Just put the correct amount of sugar in, and keep the bottles (in crates maybe) at room temperature. You don’t need a fridge for this part. And if you did use one it would be at room temperature inside anyway for carbonation.

 

[Bocker Wright]

Yeah the thing is I'm pushed to find anywhere else for the bottles and the fridge is in the very cold spare room that has no heating of its own. I have to work around this. SWMBO says she doesn't care what I'm doing as long as it is confined to the spare room. I've been looking at tube heaters which if ordered by Tuesday should arrive in time for bottling. Obviously if I could use something I already have there'd be no point in forking out for a tube heater. I'm wondering if the heat belt wrapped around a couple of demijohns full of water would work. I could put them on the shelf below the beers. No reason it shouldn't work, the heat belt has kept ambient temps up with the FV, all I'd be doing is swapping what it's wrapped around hey

 

[chopps]

Wow how cold is your spare room mate? :)
Any low wattage heater will be fine in a fridge.
Brewbelts scorch if they’re not able to pass the heat into something they are snug against. I’d go for a tube heater. You will easily get the inside of the fridge to the right temp for carbonation. Mines in the shed outdoors and I can maintain 21 all the time. ps Your mrs sounds like mine :)

 

[Bocker Wright]

I have a wall thermometer in there, at the moment its reading 13°C, that would drop a bit further over night I'd assume. I've read about brew belts scorching but it would be snug around 2 demijohns with water in them. What do you think? If a tube heater is still the better way to go do you have any recommendations? Yes Mrs Wright certainly has her ways...in a good way of course

 

[chopps]

Just try the belt if you’re happy to. You’ll soon see if it’s too cold on the thermometer.

 

[Bocker Wright]

I'll give it a whirl. At the moment the stick on thermometer on the inside of the fridge wall is 20°C with the heat belt around the FV.

 

[Deathstar]

I bottle carb mine under the dining room table, away from feet.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

If it's your home as well, can you not find space somewhere warmer in the house for a few boxes of beer for a week (though I appreciate there may jot be the space) or turn up the heating in the spare room?

 

[Racehunter]

I use my water bath in the garage to carb up the bottles. Seems to work well and the lid fits.