Winter Fermenters

[Capt-Cudellez]

I normally stop fermenting from November to March-April time mainly due to the cold. This year has been really mild, but I stopped a bit sooner due to some other life stuff.

I had previously used soil warming cables in a wash to heat it, so stealing an idea I saw a while back on a beer forum, I used the cable to wind round the outside ot the lower section of the fermenter, then covered in 2 wraps of foiled bubble wrap stuff, then black PVC tape.

This is result.

click for a bigger pic

The thermostat is a STC-1000 available cheaply from ebay, put in a an enclosure with a standard 13amp socket for the heater (This means I can detach the electronics for washing the fermenter down.

This little controller would be great if you had an old fridge unit to house the fermenters(I've been looking for ages) as its also got a cooling relay, so you could switch on the cooling as well as the heat, and keep the temp within 0.3oC theoretically.

edit: there is also a double layer of insulation on the lid, this is removable for the summer months if needed.

[YHB]

Capt'n

I have been having trouble with my winter warmer in the last few weeks, my light bulbs keep popping and I have had a few stalled washes that took some getting going again. Your soil warming cables seem a lot more resiliant.

I have no experience with these cables, so a couple of basic questions if you please.

How many coils did you use on each fermenter?

Is it simply a matter of cutting the cable to length and connecting the power or are the lengths that you buy a unit and cannot be modified?

Toodlepip

Brian

[Capt-Cudellez]

You can't cut it is a single unit. I used a 4.6m cable, its only 25w but I think with the insulation and an accurate controller it will be enough.
If it isn't, I'll redo it with longer one with more watts that I have used actually in the wash.

I got this one.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005N96OSA/ref=pe_217191_31005151_dp_1

They are waterproof and meant for burying in propagation trays for starting plants in the greenhouse

[chill]

I have recently started using a fully submersible aquarium heater of 50W (I think) in my fermentors. They are fairly cheap and work brilliantly.

Chuck

[Capt-Cudellez]

Update: the 4.6m 25w cable can't maintain the temp. Its was down to 15.6oC with the ambient temp in the garage at 4oC.

The 6m 75W one is great, maintaining the temp within 1oC. I've put 2x 50L of wash in, to see how they do when filled at 30+oC.
I still think they will both finish in this weather, even if the 25w one takes a bit longer. I'll maybe just use a lager yeast in the cooler one if I can find one that works well with my wash.

[Almanac]

Winter fermenting can throw up difficulties but my 'Hot-Box' made from 2" insulation board is the most efficient way I've found to protect my fermenters from temp swings and the little convection heater in the box, on it's minimum setting and controlled by a room thermostat, also in the box, uses very little power in a 24 hr cycle.

I'll be re-assembling all my equipment soon as my new brewery/distillery/workshop will be assembled on site next week. I'm like a kid waiting for Santa to arrive. The wait has been quite frustrating but I'll have production set up and running by the end of the month

AM

[YHB]

My new fermenter is up and running.

Following the good Captains advice, I bought a 6m 75watt cable.



Installed a mini controller in a box, this controller only has one channel and is set up so that it can only work either a heating or cooling device and has a limit of 2Amps. The controller was supplied without a probe (K type), as it happened I had a spare that came with a multimeter that I bought a few weeks ago. I put a 1/2" copper tube into the bottom of the box and threaded the non waterproof probe into it. The output from the controller goes to a socket outlet on the top of the box.

The theory being that the controller can be easily changed between, warm box or any fermenter I may get in the future, simply cut a hole in the lid and push the probe into the wash below.





Lots of insulation (old duvet) and more Duck tape and that's it.



It works quite nicely and holds the temperature steady even in my cold shed with no problems. It will heat up a wash from cold at the rate of about 1degC every 20 minutes.

[Admiral Toad]

Hey Brian

Last time I saw something that looked like that it was wrapped around an out of work Taliban suicide bomber. >:D

Well done it looks spot on mate. just as we've come to expect from you

[Capt-Cudellez]

Nice one YHB.

I now have 3x 60L drums done. 2x75w with controllers, and the lower 25w one with no controller\always on that is fine for doing rum which ferments warm anyway.

Due to this I already have 58L of 50%ish neutral strip waiting to be run, 50l of rum wash settling, and 96L of AG whisky wash bubbling away, and its just the middle of Feb. I'm a happy chappy.

[YHB]

It's boring.

It just sits there and says 25 DegC.

Three days and the only thing it has done is sit there and say 25 Bloody DegC.

I used to enjoy going out to the shed and checking that things were OK. Now there's no bloody point I know it will be saying 25 DegC.

I thought I would have a bit of excitment and left the shed door open when it was snowing, Nothing moved - 25 degC.

[Almanac]

Automation and technology are a bitch - we'll soon all be out of a job at this rate

AM

[chill]

Now you need to make a computer controlled still!

http://www.artisan-distiller.net/phpBB3 ... cao#p74265

[cooperville]

Hey fellas looking at this thread i came up with a winter solution
I found these electric mats which go on the floor mine cost me about $40 it has an adjustable guage but i just set it to medium and connect my stc-1000 controller to it

i either wrap it around all the fermentors required or for my beer i sit it inside my deep freezer and have the temp controller set to hot and cold

i think an electric blanket would work well also and when your not using it you can let your wife use it as a foot warmer

i found that for the price of a purpose made fermentor heater wrap thing or heater pad
you get something that works better

[YHB]

I have had my controller working for a few months now, all the ferments have been so clean and complete and there is a noticeable improvement in my product.

A TPW takes 11 days - not 10 - not 12 but 11 days and with the bakers yeast I use will ferment dry 5 kilo's of sugar to 0.990.

I screwed up and by mistake put 6 kilos of sugar in a couple of All-Bran and Weetabix washes, these were still dramaless and again with the final SG being 0.990. Once more there were no off tastes.

I put these successes down to the constant temperature that the yeast is provided with by the controllers.

[LunaBrille]

Good Thread!

The weather in my part of the world has been anything but stable. Last week we had 3 days of nice weather, just shy of 25c. the next 3 days brought an ice storm and 4 inches of snow.

Similar to aidanmacs use of foam board, this is my solution until I get around to finishing a proper fermenting room.

I used a table saw to rip 4 - 4' x 3' and 1 4' x 4' section for the lid. Everything is duct taped together for easy tear down and storage. There is enough room for 4 - 20 gallon Rubbermaid brutes. Heat is provided by a ceramic heating bulb (aka: lizard lamp) and it has no problem keeping all 4 fermenters at temp.

Its nothing ground breaking but hopefully someone can get some ideas that might help out.