Keeping it warm

[cardigan]

I've just posted this on JBK but I thought a second airing over here can't hurt...

Saturday is here and I'm just off to the brew shop to get my my new gear and a two-can kit, but there still one problem I can't resolve which until I answer brewing can't commence.

I haven't got an airing cupboard.

I have plenty of room to set up, and the cellar will be ideal for conditioning as its a constant 14oC, but I've got to ferment it first. Any suggestions? I've thought about heat jackets, a thermo-controlled electic heater, and wrapping the thing up in coats and blankets. What would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Samarith]

I'd go with a brewbelt and wrap something round it all (Blanket, large towel, etc).

 

[prolix]

Airing cupboards are not for brewing never use one, at this time of the year any room will be warm enough 18c is all you need any hotter and fermentation gets funky.

I wouldn't worry about heating unless the romm gets colder than 15c

 

[cardigan]

Thanks for the advice chaps. After discussing the matter with the brewshop owner (who should know a thing or two as she also owns the Filey Brewery) I've gone for the fish-tank heater as suggested by Jim over at JBK.

I'll let you all know how I get on...

 

[Moley]

After discussing the matter with the brewshop owner (who should know a thing or two as she also owns the Filey Brewery)

Knows a thing or two about selling you stuff you don't need at the moment

Assuming you are UK based, the problem will now become one of finding somewhere cooler to ferment. I also use aquarium heaters, but mine have now been put away until the Autumn. We've got a cellar too, it's perfect for conditioning and storage, but I'm fortunte in having a couple of areas where I ferment, which don't catch direct sunlight and which stay relatively cool when compared to other rooms.

 

[mickeyt69]

Knows a thing or two about selling you stuff you don't need at the moment

Agreed!! no need for heating in the summer

 

[Dunfie]

If you are going to use the aquarium heater then make sure you calibrate it with a trusted thermometer. I got what looked to be a fairly good one a couple of years ago but when I tested it with some water is was way off the temps it was reporting. I ended up not using it as I just didn't trust it. Probably okay was expensive marine fish but not my beer. :lol:

I now manage the temperature with a heat belt controlled with a PID and I wrap the whole thing in a big sleeping bag. It really is worth the effort.

Hope it goes well. :

 

[graysalchemy]

I made an insulated cabinet with a ceramic heater in it which i got with a thermostat of flea bay. My workshop were I brew rarely gets above 17c (minus 5 in winter). My last brew a few weeks ago i managed to maintain the contents of the fv at 19C. My guess is that your cellar with a constant temp of 14c would be ideal with a cabinet and heater as you don,t run the risk of the temp rising above that set in the cabinet.

Here is a photo of it (modified with selves for the conditioning bottles)

:

AG

 

[artyb]

my brews are fermenting nicely at room temp, at this time of year,
in a spare room, was a different story in jan though..... :?

 

[Hawks]

I've had to move to fermenting in the garage as the house gets too hot at the moment.

 

[cardigan]

My second brew has gone great and every sample I've taken to measure the gravity has had a temperature of 20oC (measured with a thermometer tested in boiling water) despite the cellar never getting above 18oC.

The aquarium heater is a must for me.