Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have made wine at a store with satisfactory results, and am planning to do my next batch at home. My problem is that the logical fermentation area (an unheated but attached workshop) is too cool for some purposes, probably averaging about 50 F. The Brewbelt sounds like just the ticket, but these things often don’t work as well as the idea sounds. Has anyone had some experience with these? WHat are the good & bad points? Greg I have used them for both wine and beer in 5 gall plastic fermenters, and glass carboys. The only problem is that temperature control is rather tricky and depends on the ambient temp, volume being fermented, desired temperature etc. You can position the belt higher or lower on the container but then you tend to get differential temperatures between the top and bottom. I have found that using a time switch with 15min on/off settings is much better. You can vary the on/off ratio to suit. Cheers I have found little difficulty but I am working in a basement with a relativly stable temperature. Thus far I would recomend the belts providing you wrap a towel or something arond the belt to keep the tepperture from getting too high. Barry Fletcher Geoff
I missed the original note, but here’s a suggestion that works extremely well (but doesn’t use the belt). Make yourself a fermentation cabinet. Get a box large enough to contain your fermentor (cardboard is OK, but wood will last longer). Insulate if possible (not essential, just cheaper in the long run). Inside the box instal a simple room thermostat ($20 at your local hardware store) and hook a hair drier into it as the heater (follow the wiring diagram that comes with the thermostat). Put the hair drier and your fermentor in the box, making sure the air intake and outlet of the drier are not obstructed, set the thermostat at your desired temperature and your up and running. It’s a very dependable and safe system that gives plus or minus a couple of degrees F temperature control.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have made wine at a store with satisfactory results, and am planning to do my next batch at home. My problem is that the logical fermentation area (an unheated but attached workshop) is too cool for some purposes, probably averaging about 50 F. The Brewbelt sounds like just the ticket, but these things often don’t work as well as the idea sounds. Has anyone had some experience with these? WHat are the good & bad points? Greg I have used them for both wine and beer in 5 gall plastic fermenters, and glass carboys. The only problem is that temperature control is rather tricky and depends on the ambient temp, volume being fermented, desired temperature etc. You can position the belt higher or lower on the container but then you tend to get differential temperatures between the top and bottom. I have found that using a time switch with 15min on/off settings is much better. You can vary the on/off ratio to suit. Cheers
I have found little difficulty but I am working in a basement with a relativly stable temperature. Thus far I would recomend the belts providing you wrap a towel or something arond the belt to keep the tepperture from getting too high. Barry Fletcher – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Geoff
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: Greg, Around here I noticed brew belts don’t have temp : controls so I think a heating pad is better. I bought my brew belt about two years ago, and I have always wondered if there is some kind of internal thermostat to control the temperature. Does anyone know for certain? As a precaution, I always keep it on a timer switch, leaving it on for eight hours and off for four. Lorne — .
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I have been making wine in my basement which is a little too cool during Montreal’s brutal winters. I needed a clean area to ferment the wine and a little warmth. Killed two birds with one stone by fixing up a cheap old armoire and installed a double shelf, lightbulb and connected it to a thermostat. I understand that this is a little better than the brewbelt because the heat is now concentrated on the side of the carboy. A therrmostat for electric baseboard heating will set you back about $10 and the wiring is simple. have fun
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I have made wine at a store with satisfactory results, and am planning to do my next batch at home. My problem is that the logical fermentation area
snip I’ve been using a brewbelt in a 55F deg basement for the past 2 winters. I cover the fermenter with an old blanket and check the thermometer strip several times a day (when I’m home) and if necessary adjust the blanket to keep a constant temperature. Never had a problem
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Greg, I use small square heating pads, I hold it to the side of the carboy with a coat hanger and adjust the heating pad switch for the amount of heat I want Works fine, (just start at the lowest setting and see what temp things go to then increase it if needed). Around here I noticed brew belts don’t have temp controls so I think a heating pad is better. [ ] / | | heating pad – (| | (| | ——- Good luck……Pete
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I have made wine at a store with satisfactory results, and am planning to do my next batch at home. My problem is that the logical fermentation area (a I am currently using a waterbed heater with good results. My basement runs a consistent 65F all year round. I just wrap the heater around the primary or the carboy (held with bungee cords), coil the sensor underneath, set it to 20C and way it goes. I usually wrap an old towel around to keep the heat a little better.
I do my fermentations in my basement and the room temperatre varies a lot. I built a small frame cabinet (4ft W x 3ft D x 4ft H) and covered it with 2" insulation to create a reasonably insulated cabinet. This cabinet can hold up to 3 fermenters at once – I often do things in 3’s. I then installed an electrical plug and a thermostat (as used for baseboard heating). The thermostat is inside the cabinet. I suspend my brewbelt across the middle of the cabinet toward the bottom. I can set the thermostat to 70oF and it will turn on or off the power to the brewbelt. I have also installed an indoor/outdoor thermometer. I out the sensor inside the cabinet and the display on the outside. This lets me watch the temperature without having to open the cabinet. This setup works well for me – the brewbelt provides all of the heat needed. Bob Jackson
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I have made wine at a store with satisfactory results, and am planning to do my next batch at home. My problem is that the logical fermentation area (an unheated but attached workshop) is too cool for some purposes, probably averaging about 50 F. The Brewbelt sounds like just the ticket, but these things often don’t work as well as the idea sounds. Has anyone had some experience with these? WHat are the good & bad points?
I’ve used a heating pad taped around the outside of the fermentation bucket. That seemed to work fairly well. Keep an eye on the temperature though. I used it on a Zinfandel kit, and the temperature ran away on me (I wasn’t checking often enough), it got up to ~90F and was fermenting up a storm. Thought I might have killed off the yeast with the high temp, but everything turned out ok. Actually, that batch turned out to be quite tasty…. — Derek Lloyd amateur.astronomer.photographer "Understanding….is a three edged sword" Kosh
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about 50 F. The Brewbelt sounds like just the ticket, but these things often don’t work as well as the idea sounds. Has anyone had some experience with these? WHat are the good & bad points? Greg You can position the belt higher or lower on the container but then you tend to get differential temperatures between the top and bottom. I have found that using a time switch with 15min on/off settings is much better. You can vary the on/off ratio to suit. Cheers Geoff
How about using a heating pad? Depending on the shed temp, you may want to insulate it with a towel. I think it offers a wider area of temp so that you don’t have as muck difference between the top and bottom temps. Also they’re cheap and can be used for you back next time you fall on ice. BrewWard
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I have made wine at a store with satisfactory results, and am planning to do my next batch at home.
My problem is that the logical fermentation area (an unheated but attached workshop) is too cool for some purposes, probably averaging about 50 F. The Brewbelt sounds like just the ticket, but these things often don’t work as well as the idea sounds. Has anyone had some experience with these? WHat are the good & bad points? Greg I have used them for both wine and beer in 5 gall plastic fermenters, and glass carboys. The only problem is that temperature control is rather tricky and depends on the ambient temp, volume being fermented, desired temperature etc. You can position the belt higher or lower on the container but then you tend to get differential temperatures between the top and bottom. I have found that using a time switch with 15min on/off settings is much better. You can vary the on/off ratio to suit. Cheers Geoff
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I’ve worked at a winery where the winemaker ferments in a covered shed outside the main building and has a large box full of electric blankets to get fermentation going in cold weather. He swears by them and they are not too expensive. I’d make sure they are dry, gounded and working below a good, loud smoke alarm. –BRC
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I have made wine at a store with satisfactory results, and am planning to do my next batch at home. My problem is that the logical fermentation area (an unheated but attached workshop) is too cool for some purposes, probably averaging about 50 F. The Br ewbelt sounds like just the ticket, but these things often don’t work as well as the idea sounds. Has anyone had some experience with these? WHat are the good & bad points?
I am currently using a waterbed heater with good results. My basement runs a consistent 65F all year round. I just wrap the heater around the primary or the carboy (held with bungee cords), coil the sensor underneath, set it to 20C and way it goes. I usually wrap an old towel around to keep the heat a little better. Cheers…Stu
Response:
I have made wine at a store with satisfactory results, and am planning to do my next batch at home. My problem is that the logical fermentation area (an unheated but attached workshop) is too cool for some purposes, probably averaging about 50 F. The Brewbelt sounds like just the ticket, but these things often don’t work as well as the idea sounds. Has anyone had some experience with these? WHat are the good & bad points? — Greg Fiorentino Vancouver, BC Canada — Greg Fiorentino Vancouver, BC Canada
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