Fermenter insulator

[JohnDoe Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JohnDoe]

With the winter in full force in gauteng, I am trying to devise a plan to keep my fermenter at a constant temp.

So I found an old polystyrene box I wanted to use as a disposable cooler box. Now I have other plans for it.

Sheets of polystyrene were very expensive, the prices I got anyway.

My coppertun fits perfecyty in the box. I've recorded the temperature in the box over a day or two.

I will add a heat source with a small fan. I will do a recording of the temperature again and see if I can get it a constant 20 DegC or so. I also plan to measure the water temperature to see the difference. Here is a pic of the setup.

[StevenD (Slainthe) Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StevenD (Slainthe)]

Wow....looks great. I wish I had a box like that cos I'm sitting with the same problem right now (I posted an entry on my blog about it).

Keep us posted...

[MongooseMan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MongooseMan]

Wow....looks great. I wish I had a box like that cos I'm sitting with the same problem right now (I posted an entry on my blog about it).

Keep us posted...

BG were selling some, iirc

[Simple Member Find all posts View Profile Close Simple]

What were you planning on using as a heat source? I was considering something similar. I figured out that between 100W and 200W would work nicely - raise the temp of 20l in a reasonable time and also not be too hot (don't want to melt the plastic or insulation) . I have tried to find some of the wire used for underfloor heating as I thought this would give a reasonable heat distribution throughout the insulated box but I haven't found a source for this stuff yet. From what I can gather it's rated at about 13W/m so around 10m should do the trick. My plan is to regulate the temperature by controlling the power (On/Off) to the heater by using an Arduino microprocessor. That way I could trend the temp too to see how well it works.

[CapeTownBrew Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CapeTownBrew]

I have seen online, some guys use a light bulb in a paint can with holes in it.

[Simple Member Find all posts View Profile Close Simple]

Ja in the "olden days" when light bulbs were incandescent a 100W bulb could be used but in the modern era you can't even buy an incandescent blub anymore - I think Eishkom has made them illegal.....

[SimonB Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close SimonB]

Fermenter insulator

A 100w bulb is FAR too hot for a fermentation chamber, especially a temperature controlled one. I use a 15w bulb in a can in a much bigger chamber than this one and it's perfect even when the ambient temperature has been 6 degrees at night.

There's a thread where someone had constant problems with temperature being very unstable and they were using a 100w bulb

[JohnDoe Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JohnDoe]

I got a light holder which is tapered. Time got me before I could connect it up to a 7w cfl. I've felt the holder becomes hot to the touch and thought it would do the trick. I think a 100w would melt my polystyrene box. What effect would unnatural light have on the fermenting process?

[SimonB Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close SimonB]

What effect would unnatural light have on the fermenting process?

Paint it Black. No apologies to Mick Jagger

[kingcur Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close kingcur]

I've been wanting to try adapting the paint can idea for use with a fish tank heater.

The basic idea is to fill a container with water or a glycol solution, pop a fish tank heater in and close it up. It's a low-tech, self-regulating heat source.

[Simple Member Find all posts View Profile Close Simple]

Thanks for the heads up regarding the required amount of power - guess I would have severely over-done it with 100W! A 13W CFL is much easier and cheaper to source.

What temp do you aim for in your fermentation chamber? I'm new to this and have only done a couple of brews - the first one I was a bit worried about it getting too warm but the second I was worried about it being too cold at night - stick on thermometer indicated a low of around 15 to 16 deg C. My limited understanding is that 22 - 23 deg C is the desirable temp - is this correct?

Thanks

[kingcur Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close kingcur]

It really depends on the yeast strain. For a rule of thumb, I suggest between 18 and 20C for ale yeast. Check the packet of yeast though. It should indicate the optimal temp range. If not, a quick web search should be able to tell you.

[getack Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close getack]

Ja in the "olden days" when light bulbs were incandescent a 100W bulb could be used but in the modern era you can't even buy an incandescent blub anymore - I think Eishkom has made them illegal.....

Who said they are illegal? http://www.makro.co.za/home-and-cate...lobes-266356EA

[SimonB Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close SimonB]

Who said they are illegal? http://www.makro.co.za/home-and-cate...lobes-266356EA

I think his statement was a bit TIC

[JohnDoe Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JohnDoe]

Now that I think of it, I am not sure if a cfl will last with the on & off switching.