 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 11/28/2012(UTC)
Posts: 77
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Hey all. I use an 8 gallon food-grade fermenters bucket with an airlock and a sealed lid. To date, I've always used an electric blanket wrapped around my bucket to keep it warm. I'm looking for alternatives, as I realize this is probably not the safest or most efficient way. I've heard people talk about using aquarium heaters, but short of drilling a hole in the lid and using a grommet of some sort for the cord to run through, I can't see a way that I could use something like that. Anyone have any suggestions?
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 Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/12/2012(UTC)
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Tracyman,
I've used an aquarium heater in the past. And yes, the cord can be an issue. However, during primary fermentation, I found that there was adequate CO2 production to keep things protected, so I never had any infections. The downside was that I never saw much (if any) activity in the airlock since it's really not sealed.
IMO the biggest issue with using an aquarium heater is keeping it clean ... there are so many little nooks & cranies where the bad stuff can grow. A soft bristle toothbrush and plenty of StarSan became essential tools for keeping the thing clean.
--JB
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 11/28/2012(UTC)
Posts: 77
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So theoretically, if I didn't mind the heater being permanently attached to the lid, and I didn't mind the extra cleaning time for the heater, I could drill a hole, run the cord through, fill around it with some kind of clear silicone, and still have an airtight seal for the airlock to work.....
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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"I think that would work fine.
I was going to cut a hole in the lid that was large enough to pass the plug through. Then drill a rubber bung that would fit snuggly in the hole and around the cord. It was going to have a slit cut from one edge to the hole so I could slide the cord into it before placing it in the hole. The idea was to avoid anything permanent. I never got around to it, so I have no idea how easy/difficult it would be to deal with the bung. Just food for thought."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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I would proffer that a beer brewers air lock bung re-purposed so you can pass the cord thru and then seal the hole with silicon as you were thinking before? I have some 1" tapered airlock bungs I got from a beer brewers supply which seems to have a larger I.D. that the grommet on the BH 26L lid.. Yes, one would have to find away to thread the cord thru the bung, but it's easy to redo the plug end of the heater with a new plug head. Something like this: http://www.homebrewhq.co...ails.aspx?productID=1854 Or This: http://www.homebrewhq.co...ails.aspx?productID=1124 Cheers |
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 Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/6/2015(UTC)
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I personally have had good success with a seedling propagation mat that is used in the farming/greenhouse industry. I purchased the "Seedling Propagation Mat - 48" x 20" (4 flats) 107 watts" from Greenhouse Megastore (online) and this will accommodate three of Brewhaus' fermentation buckets at a time, keeping the temperature in the 70s to 80s depending on the floor surface (seems to heat better with a carpeted floor or rug as opposed to hardwood or concrete floors). If the temp increases too much, I use a wall timer to cycle the heating periods, say 3-4 cycles per day. I suppose you could build a box and insulate it appropriately to reduce heat loss if you want to obtain higher fermentation temps.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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they also sell a thermostat for the seedling mats. I think it is about $35
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/1/2012(UTC)
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I have had really good luck with the Brew Belt from Midwest Supplies (www.midwestsupplies.com/the-brew-belt.html). It fits perfect around a 6.5 gallon bucket. I just throw a towel over the top to help hold the heat in. It raises the temp in the bucket about 10 degrees over the ambient room temp. 
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