Cedar Rapids Beer Nuts

jjbuck · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 111 Location: Marion

I have a v-bottle fermentorbut can't figure how, because of the shape, to wrap my temp control around it. I haven't seen any immersion heaters (I haven't looked real hard) so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas.

tompb · Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 16777215 Location: CR IA

Are you trying to warm it up in the frig? If it's in your beer frig at mid 30's it may be hard to warm it up enough for anything but lagers. I'm not sure if a brew belt could be wrapped around it a couple times or not. What exactly are you trying John?

tompb · Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 16777215 Location: CR IA

After taking a look could you use wire ties or string around the stubs it hangs on to support your heater?

jjbuck · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 111 Location: Marion

My basement this winter has been running about 65 degrees. I have one of those flat plastic? sheets that plugs into a Johnson controller. Jamil suggests starting the ferment (for most Belgian ales) at 68 and increasing the temp to 72 over a period of 4 to 5 days. I'm a little leery of over lapping the heater at the bottom of the cone. I can't fit the v-bottle into my beer fridge so I will use it (v-bottle) for ales only. Do you think over-lapping that heater is hazardous or am I being unnecessarily cautious? I thought about the belt but I thought it would keep slipping down the cone unless I taped it in place. Again ?dangerous? or not?
JB

tompb · Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 16777215 Location: CR IA

I don't think 65 would be that far off. Once fermentation starts it will gain a few degrees in temp. I don't remember the exact # somewhere between 4-10.

TappedOut · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 164

Usually for me, the issue is keeping it cool, not warm. When I do need to warm it up, I bungee a heating pad to my fermenter. I'm not sure what you're using for warming, but as far as I can tell, the brew belt is a glorified heating pad, and I can't imagine any problems with it overlapping. As far as an immersion heater, you could try a submersible aquarium heater, after giving it a soak in sanitizer.

Matt F · Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 706 Location: Cedar Rapids, IA

I have heard of using a light bulb inside an insulated box to provide a heat source.

Mr T · Joined: 29 Nov 2006 Posts: 406 Location: Cedar Rapids, IA

So have I, and you can use different wattage for various temps.. only downside is you need to wrap up your fermentor pretty good to shield from the light.

From: Matt F [mailto:brew-equipment@crbeernuts.org]
Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 11:29 PM
To: brew-equipment@crbeernuts.org
Subject: Re: V-bottle temp control

I have heard of using a light bulb inside an insulated box to provide a heat source.

Matt Franklin
Slappy Brewing

Post generated using Mail2Forum (http://www.mail2forum.com)

Matt F · Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 706 Location: Cedar Rapids, IA

To block the light you can paint the light bulb black or just buy one that way from a pet store. Darkened light bulbs are used as heaters in lizard enclosures.

DrPaulsen · Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 106

Alternatively, you can use the Johnson temp controller to drive a small, electric space heater. I've done that in my fermentation fridge a couple of times with good success.

If you can put any type of box around the fermenter, the space heater should hold the temp pretty well - just take care to place the temp sensor intelligently (i.e. not directly in front of the heater).

Since I don't intrinsically trust the temp sensors and I don't want to calibrate the temp controller to the non-linear system response (the time-varying thermal energy given off by the yeast makes it seem non-linear from the perspective of the temp controller), I also have a strip fermometer attached to the side of the fermenting vessel. I use that to guide the temp controller setting.