Keeping brew warm in winter

rahne · Post by **rahne** » Saturday May 12, 2007 3:07 pm

I'm having troubles keeping the brew warm i have to brew outside as the people i live with hate the smell and i tend to have trouble keeping it warm so i'm after some tip, cheap tip as money tends to be a bit tight

Green Horn · Post by **Green Horn** » Saturday May 12, 2007 4:37 pm

Don't think this was the best place to post this sorta question mate but a search of the Forums reveals plenty of info about keeping the temp constant during the colder and warmer months

Try here for starters:

Warming the Brew

Cheers,

Mick

Edit: Was this moved from Recipes just then or was it originally posted in Making Beer???

geoffclifton · Post by **geoffclifton** » Saturday May 12, 2007 5:57 pm

Hi Rahne.

A cupboard and a 15w incandesent light globe. maybe put a terra cotta flower pot over the globe BUT BUT BUT ---

Unless you want to go stir crazy constantly checking the temperature then the best investment you can make towards your brewing career is a temperature controller. Thats a sensor that sticks on the fermenter and turns the heating, or cooling if in a fridge, on and off as required. $47 from mashmaster.com.au (and others HBS) plus a couple of dick smith bits.

Cheers, Geoff.

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Monday May 14, 2007 10:57 am

FridgeMate HOWTO

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Monday May 14, 2007 12:00 pm

Hotbox is the way to go IMO. Especially if you add a dimmer switch to the light. Then you don't need to check, as after a day or so, you can find a setting that keeps the temp fairly constant.

FazerPete · Post by **FazerPete** » Monday May 14, 2007 2:20 pm

Simplest and cheapest option is to put the fermenter in a tub of water with an aquarium heater in it. The heaters have an adjustable thermostat so you can set and forget and only cost about $15. If you put some steriliser in the tub of water, it'll keep the fermenter tap clean as well.

pacman · Post by **pacman** » Monday May 14, 2007 9:05 pm

Yep, I agree with FazerPete. Works a treat. Simple and inexpensive.

Trizza · Post by **Trizza** » Monday May 14, 2007 9:22 pm

I've got a brewbelt ($30), it raises the temperature by about 5 degrees.

Problem is that it's about 15 degrees atm when brewing so I just use it intermittently for a few hours every day to get the temp above 18.

when it gets even colder it's going to be on over the nights to keep the brew at ale temperatures, but it won't be needed for lagers.

Trizza.

geoffclifton · Post by **geoffclifton** » Monday May 14, 2007 10:11 pm

Hi Trizza

Get your head around the fridgemate

In heating mode you can set it to turn on at 17* and off at 19* (that's an 18* set point with a 1* differential, fully programmable)

In cooling mode you can set it to turn on at 19* and off at 17* (again that's an 18* set point with a 1* differential, fully programmable)

The little jigger just rocks, +- 1*

It is simply the cheapest and most reliable thermostat control for both heaters and fridges. I haven't read a single complaint, all praise. I've got two.

Cheers, Geoff.

Green Horn · Post by **Green Horn** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 8:11 am

I have just scored a free 210L fridge so I'm off to order my Fridgemate within the fortnight. Ahhhh consistency in brewing temperature

Cheers,

Mick

Edit: Damn typos

Swifty · Post by **Swifty** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 8:27 am

I take it when useing a fridgemate in heating mode, you would have the immersion heater set on a high temperature like you have the fridge set on the coldest temperature then use the fridgemate to control the temp??

geoffclifton · Post by **geoffclifton** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 8:53 am

Correct Swifty

rahne · Post by **rahne** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 8:05 pm

does fridge mate reverse the fridge cycle to heat the inside(herd of this a while back) or do you need a heating device

geoffclifton · Post by **geoffclifton** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 8:29 pm

The fridgemate just turns things on or off within 1* of a set point. In cooling mode it turns on at set +1, in heating mode at set - 1. You need to change the setting (F04 - 1/2) for heat or cool and swap the fridge power plug to the heating device plug. I'm using 40 watt yellow light globes but could go smaller.

It would be great if the fridgemate automatically turned on the cooling or heating as required but in reality they are mass produced programmable thermostats. Very good at what they do for the price and you could do the heat/cool scenario with two fridgemates which would likely be less than the cost of a dual mode unit unless the manufacturer, distributors, recognise a huge demand for spring (November) and autumn (April) home brewing.

Cheers, Geoff.

Rysa · Post by **Rysa** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 8:33 pm

Probably missed it but where do you get a fridgemate and how much are they?

geoffclifton · Post by **geoffclifton** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 9:20 pm

http://www.mashmaster.com.au plus some HBS's

$47 + $5 P&P

Cheers, Geoff.

rahne · Post by **rahne** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 9:34 pm

so now i don't know weather this is possible but theory this might work a reverse cycle air conditioner works like a fridge though reverses the proses to get heat. so in theory this should be possible with a fridge the question is how my thought are to swap the the positive and negative wire to reverse the proses but i dout it will work probaly to sensitive probaly needs alot of work . but if it was this simple then life could be alot simpler with A devices that plugs into the power plug and a sensor in the fridge that could heat and cool for those month where it hot one day and fr3eezing the next

morgs · Post by **morgs** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 9:40 pm

Not possible

KEG · Post by **KEG** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 9:59 pm

definitely not possible. to begin with, a fridge compressor runs off AC, not DC - so you can't swap the polarity. secondly, it's not reversed in that sense anyway.

Rysa · Post by **Rysa** » Tuesday May 15, 2007 10:01 pm

Thanks Geoff.