Chest Freezer

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liamf89

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Hi I have a small chest Freezer which I am using as a fermentation chamber. It is just big enough for on fv I am currently using a brew belt as the heat source.. Just wondering is this a good method or would tube heater E better the freezer is very limited on space
 
belts can be a bit fierce but as long as you use a temp controller and measure the brew temp close to the heat source (belt position) it should avoid overheating issues allowing the brew to normalise its bulk temp with any input changes. And within the freezers insulation i would imagine very little heat input is required..
 
belts can be a bit fierce but as long as you use a temp controller and measure the brew temp close to the heat source (belt position) it should avoid overheating issues allowing the brew to normalise its bulk temp with any input changes. And within the freezers insulation i would imagine very little heat input is required..

I use a brew belt in my brew fridge, simply because it was the heat source I had available. I don't put it around the fv though, just leave it in the bottom of the fridge. Seems to work really well.
 
Would a reptile heat mat be suitable? Keeps my beer to within 0.3c on the garage I have fridge but I don't ferment in it and don't have enough height for a tube heater.

you dont have to sit the heater below the brew IF you employ fans to keep the air inside moving as thats the medium of exchange. so as long as air is moving it will move the temperature differences off the hot and cold radiators and transfer it to the brew..

And any gentle heat source will work, it needent be a tube radiator, the ceramic bulb reptile heaters can be a bit strong and melt the inner shell if positioned too close but folk use em happily enough ;)

My brewfridge base fridge was ebayed -no photos.. didnt arrive exactly as expected.. simply it was too small width wise for my brewbuckets :(

never mind i switched to FV's that will fit inside 25l no-chill jerrycans and with about 1/2 a centimeter clearance i can only just squeeze a 4" neck fermentor in..

The heater i needed to sit at the top otherwise it would have been radiating heat a centimeter or so away from the brew vessels wall ..

the result works a treat however even if not quite as i intended when clicking the buy it buttons.,.

8440787792_0ef361f03f.jpg


it was advertised as a Fosters bottle fridge, Fosters being a brand of top end commercial SS fridge and freezers, this thing arrived with a powder coated mild steel case plastered with fosters brand lager promo stickers! DOH!!

tho with the features sorted its worked out quite nice, the 2 x 2foot light tubes and glass door allow an easy spy on the brew without opening the door and upsetting the internal temp..
 

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