How to get secondary fermentation temp after bottling.

[Damn]

Newbie here again. Still planning my first brew. I'm aiming to make my brew in the basement of my place which has a temp flux of 10 - 20. How do I keep the bottles warm after they have been bottled? Would I stack the on a heat pad and rotate them each day. Wrap them in blankets/Insulation? I do have a fridge down there that's off? I also see my neighbor has some insulation foam lying about which I'm sure he would part with. Interested in your thoughts.

[Flux]

Hi there matey, my advice is because you have a temp range below 20C down there which is the temp you want for aging, you should utilise the fridge that's not being used and get yourself one of these
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DIGITAL-FRIDGE-THERMOSTAT-HOME-BREWING-9-38-Deg-C-Genuine-Brand-/270837508275#ht_4911wt_1044.
You'll eventually need one anyways when you start doing different beers and lagers.
Best of luck.

[Sonny]

That thing is excellent value Flux, nice find!

But Damn, you haven't done your first brew yet. I suggest you make a few brews first, drink them, have fun and then see if you want to keep investing in gear.
You're obviously an 'All the gear" type of guy.

[Bum]

But Damn, you haven't done your first brew yet. I suggest you make a few brews first, drink them, have fun and then see if you want to keep investing in gear.

Why? If he has the means and desire to start of with good temp control then beers brewed under good conditions will give him a better idea of whether he will want to continue or not.

That picture looks like a total parody, of course.

[Damn]

Thanks Flux and again Sonny, U2 Bum.

Its just bloody cold in my basement. We haven't got A/C in the hills, instead I sleep in the basement on those real balmy nights. Being so bloody cold, from what I've read the yeast will go to sleep. I don't mind having a few failures but I can already see this as a problem. So I might look at that switch and put the bottles in crates in to the fridge with the heat pad.
Unless I see a better Idea. (Management won't let the new family upstairs).

[barrelboy]

Hi Damm, easy one. About an hour before bottling put your heat pad in the fridge, turn on and close the door (against the wire lead). Bottle your beer put in fridge without the heat pad and cover bottles with a blanket. Close door and leave for 2 weeks, should work fine.
Cheers BB

[Flux]

Or get the internal temp of the fridge to 20C, (he says he has a room ambient temp range of 10-20C) just open the door up on the 20C day and bottle then plug the fridge into the Temp controller above and set the differential cut out to 20C and I would think the thermal insulation of the fridge itself would keep it stable for 2 weeks at least, just make sure the door seal around the temperature probe wire is sealed.I presume your room Temp variant is between day and night time.I'd like to think the fridge with the door closed would hold steady at 20C.The fridge won't even turn on, the temp controller would be just to monitor the fridge environment. Then if you find it isn't holding temp steady at 20C at night then add your heat pad to the mix via the temp controller, as suggested above.