Keeping brew at right temp

[Nathan]

Just wanted to know if anyone had tried an aquarium heater to keep their brew at the right temp. I've got a belt heater (no thermostat) but I'm sick of checking it all the time, turning it on and off to keep the temp around 20-22 degrees. The aquarium heaters have thermostats and should keep the brew at the perfect temp. Any suggestions?

[Dogger Dan]

Yeh, I thought about an aquarium heater but unless you can circulate your brew you will stratify the temperatures. Remember, heat rises so you will only be heating the top 6 inches of the wort. I just read about a guy who used his swimming pool to regulate the temps.

Dogger

[Nathan]

Hi Dan, The aquarium heaters are totally submersible, so you could have them in the brew hanging about 2 inches above the bottom so it doesn't mix with the sediment in the bottom at the end. This should heat the brew through and would be no more localised than a brew belt.

[Franky]

Someone else suggested to me getting a powerboard with a timer that switches off during the day and on at night.

You could use this on your brew belt and that way you wouldn't need to check it all the time. Apparently they are cheap and available at K-mart.

[Nathan]

Thanks Franky, but you still get fluctuations in temp. I have a timer on it and this time of year the temp varies a fair bit. If I have the brew belt on overnight, the temp goes to 24-26 degrees. If its off, it hovers down around 18-20, which is fine but I'm worried one night it will decrease below 18. From all reports, tyhe two biggest keys to a successful brew is sanitation and constant temperature. I have been reading other sites which suggest puting your fermenter in a larger container, fill the second container with water and put an aquarium heater in the second container. Sounds like a good idea to me.

[the Baron]

Hey mate, I know a bloke who distills and he was having sort of the same problems (getting pissed off about adjusting the temp when distilling his mash) and he bought a thermostat from Dick Smith electronics (or some other electronics shop) and rigged it up to his hotplate so it would automatically turn on and off, maybe you could do this, didn't seem to hard or expensive

[Dogger Dan]

We don't have those fully submersible fish heaters here. Bloody Shame, I could use one

Dogger

[rain]

Off topic I know, but a bloke I know claims to have installed a fish-tank filter into his second fermentation supposedly with wonderful results.
Who said there is no humour in brewing??

[Dogger Dan]

I do the same thing with the filter

Dogger

[John]

I have made myself a temperature controller using an old thermostat switch and a 60W lamp. The thermostat and the lamp are placed under a 75 litre bin that is insulated with an old sleeping bag. The air temp inside is 21'C to 23'C and the brew sits rock steady on 22.5'C. I use the controller to keep freshly bottled beer at 22'C for the the first week as well.
Both of my brews have turned out great (not just my opinion) and I'm happy to help anyone who wants to know more.

My father has been brewing with one of these that I made for him years ago and he wouldn't be without it.

[Andy]

I have tried a fish tank heater in a large dustbin of water with the fermenting bin inside that. It worked well, just remember to remove the water from the dustbin before syphoning out the beer once it has fermented or it will start to float, move and stir up the sediment. I speak from experience! It works well and something to lift the fermenter off the bottom (I used bricks) will let the heat circulate.