advice using an aquarium heater

[lancslad]

i have a brewbin like this one http://www.beerinthemaking.co.uk/Images ... 3L_bin.jpg
but i want to put an aquarium heater in it to keep the tempreture constant but not sure the best way to do it .
obviously the heater is going to be inside the bin but the cable is going to be hanging over the edge but i need a tight seal for the airlock to work so how do you guys set this up to be airtight .?
thanks

 

[Mark1964]

you could drill a hole and pass the wire through a rubber grommit. I think the best way is to stand your bucket in a water bath and heat the water though

 

[Windy]

Drill a hole just big enough for the cable, take the plug off and pass the cable through, then seal the hole with a little silicone sealant (exterior grade or as used for fish tanks). The air lock creates very little pressure so it's not difficult to get a seal but do use some sandpaper on everything first so that the sealant can get some grip.

Make sure the heater does heat the bottom of the container, the warm liquid will then rise and mix, if you just heat the top then it wont mix and the bottom will stay cold. In cold conditions it is worth wrapping a blanket around the container to get an even temperature.

 

[Cononthebarber]

Drill a hole just big enough for the cable, take the plug off and pass the cable through, then seal the hole with a little silicone sealant (exterior grade or as used for fish tanks). The air lock creates very little pressure so it's not difficult to get a seal but do use some sandpaper on everything first so that the sealant can get some grip.

Yep thats what I did too :thumb:

 

[PD]

I prefer the other method of standing the fv in a water bath that's heated. I use one of those plastic bins you slide under the bed.
Also got a disused but serviceable water feature pump ( very small ) that helps to keep the water circulating in the bath. Only problem is if you have a tap fitted to fv it means that it will be below water level and you have to move the fv in the end when bottling.

 

[Ken L]

Personally, I wouldn't bother unless you're forced to do your brewing in the shed over winter.
The yeast will be quite happy at the temperature of most houses even in winter and there is a school of though that says that you don't get full flavour development if you brew at to high a temperature.
Personally, I try to minimise the number of possible infection routs to the brew as much as possible and something like an immersible heater just screams infection to me.

 

[Mark1964]

wont get infected if its sterilised. We brew with temp control which immerses an stainless coil and a probe in the fermenting beer and we have never had any infection yet

 

[lancslad]

cheers guys went for the waterbath method ,
25 liters blackcurrent wine and 20 liters of vimto cider on the go allthough the vimto will finish quite high @ 9.3% if i let it ferment all the way out .i think if i stop it at 10.10 its about 5% so will see how it goes
thanks again

 

[PD]

The water bath method is ideal for demi jons and several can sit side by side into one of those guzunda bed bins. Of course I'm talking of personal experience and use I'm lucky enough to have a 6 foot sturdy home built bench in the garage where they can all sit together. It might be impracticable for others in different situations.
It does help to keep the wines or beers at a steady temperature as my garage temps do fluctuate during the winter time due to central heating boiler being in there.