heat for brew fridge

[Sozzled]

I will be getting a greenhouse heater at some point, but seeing as I'm very challenged when it comes to anything DIY I need to wait for my father-in-law to help me build the shelf unit. At the moment I'm using a good ol' heat mat and it seems to be doing the trick pretty well.

Only issue is it's slightly to big for the fridge so I have to stand something heavy in front of it to keep the door closed.

 

[Dutto]

I will be getting a greenhouse heater at some point, but seeing as I'm very challenged when it comes to anything DIY I need to wait for my father-in-law to help me build the shelf unit. At the moment I'm using a good ol' heat mat and it seems to be doing the trick pretty well.

Only issue is it's slightly to big for the fridge so I have to stand something heavy in front of it to keep the door closed.

My advice is "Don't use the Heat Pad!" Either you will strain the hinges on the fridge door or the amount of air that escapes past the door seal will make it so inefficient that having a fridge will be a waste of time.

Better to wait for the greenhouse heater and the old man knocking up the shelf unit. :thumb:

In the meantime, for the Heat Pad it may be better to nip down to Lidl and buy an exercise mat. (They have some really chintzy ones on sale here at the moment!) and use it to insulate the FV as per the photograph.

http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=41750

It's not "DIY" really, more like the "Cut and paste." classes at primary school. :lol:

Also, it doubles your capacity. At the moment the last brew is bottled and conditioning in the fridge and the current brew is fermenting on the work-top using the heat pad. :thumb:

 

[Hoddy]

I use a cheap Argos hairdryer, it works well the fan blows warm air around the fridge and it can be positioned wherever there's space.

This all I've ever done is use a hairdryer. Loads more accurate and better at getting an even heat around the whole fridge. Especially as I age a full height larder fridge with two FV's in it at anyone time.

I just use the ink bird heat/cool controller with plug for heat = hair drier and cool = fridge and that works a treat [emoji1303]


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[Ale]

I think the most important thing is to have a fridge and the source of heat is less important, as long as its heating the brew properly and keeping it at the right temperature. The most important thing is temperature control. It also helps having a proper sealed unit and being able to cool the brew in the summer.

 

[oo7tk]

I'm just trying to set up my brew fridge at the mo and ordered my inkbird and I have to say I never thought of the hairdryer so defo going to give that a go first before I go and buy a tube heater..

Cheers for the tips :-)

 

[Hoddy]

I'm just trying to set up my brew fridge at the mo and ordered my inkbird and I have to say I never thought of the hairdryer so defo going to give that a go first before I go and buy a tube heater..



Cheers for the tips :-)

My only other tip would be to spend a fair amount on the hair drier. Super cheap ones just won't last much more than a month or two. About 15-20 (which is the same as a decent tube heater) should do it.


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[grmski]

My only other tip would be to spend a fair amount on the hair drier. Super cheap ones just won't last much more than a month or two. About 15-20 (which is the same as a decent tube heater) should do it.


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Not sure this is true, in my experience I've had the cheapest hairdryer I could find in my fridge for years. They are designed to be used for relatively extended periods rather than the 30 second bursts that happens in the brew fridge.