aquarium heater

[theskipper1]

Hello there I use a delta therm 25 watt aquarium heater with no issues to date after 6 brews so I am a relative newbie too , however during the late 70/ early eighties we used these back then and I never had a problem I sterilise using Milton tabs for 30 minutes and scrub the unit lightly after use to get rid of any crud I suspend mine through the rubber bung housing the air lock tube this works well and holds the temperature steady at 20 degrees I did trial mine in a bucket of water before use and then put a slight nick on the temp control so I know where to set it .....
I do though agree it is a source of possible contamination and have considered a heat mat myself the only thing that concerns me there is my set up is in an unheated garage and would the heat mat struggle to hold temperature??? Then there is the water bath method which is possibly the one I would explore first

 

[Hoppyland]

Well, well! Perhaps I spoke too soon! My first brew with the Fluval 100w heater was fine, but I've just got a stuck fermentation with the second one. Mind, you circumstances weren't ideal so I'm not at all sure that the heater is implicated.

I'm now convinced that the 100w heater was in no way to blame. I've put another 5 brews each of 28l through the same system & they've all been fine.
I still think that the sterilisation of the heater could be a potential issue with this method - but all of the yeast & deposits come off mine easily provided I clean it thoroughly - and do so as soon as it's removed from the brew.

 

[theskipper1]

I'm now convinced that the 100w heater was in no way to blame. I've put another 5 brews each of 28l through the same system & they've all been fine.
I still think that the sterilisation of the heater could be a potential issue with this method - but all of the yeast & deposits come off mine easily provided I clean it thoroughly - and do so as soon as it's removed from the brew.

I would agree with all you say and I am a die hard delta therm straight in the bucket job
BUT I do know a little about bacteria and how clever and quickly the little critters can multiply and cause havock so for me who also never had any problems ... its just a case of the water bath is so easy and it does remove that risk ,also you can check the heater without disturbing the brew although I just use a cheap aquarium lcd temp unit with the probe in the bath to keep a check on mine .... I never thought I would change to this method but I am a convert now
Cheers Steve

 

[Inkbird]

I've used one in the past with no problems - even though it had only a crude thermostat (bi-metallic strip) which wasn't that good at maintaining a constant temperature. The only thing I didn't like was the cleaning and sterilising of the heater. I was never totally convinced that it was sterile, but then I never did have an infected brew when I used it.
Now I'm back into brewing, and the temperature has fallen, I've bought a Fluval E100, which was about ��£25. This is solid-state, and is claimed to hold the temperature to within 1 degree. It has a 100W heating element. I've only made one brew with it so far, and its turning out just as I would have expected (in cask awaiting bottling, but was fine when I sampled it). The 2nd brew is in the FV right now. I'm brewing at a constant 20C, so don't need to fiddle with the thing!
I've removed all of the superfluous plastic guards, but cleaning the top of it where the controls and electronics are still concerns me. I normally clean with bleach, but I'm worried that this might be a bit ferocious & damage seals etc. I'm thinking of trying an oxygen cleaner such as sodium percarbonate instead.
I must admit that the possibility of putting the FV in a water bath had never even occurred to me! My initial reaction is it seems a right faff and difficult to insulate to keep a stable temp overnight.

Hoppyland,it seems that you have trouble on temperature controller. If the temperature on your controller is not precise, is there calibration function, you can try to calibrate and try again. If you are sure that there's something wrong on the controller, stop using it.

I'm not sure if you have trouble in wiring i DIY thermostat or not. If not, I recommend ITC-1000, which almost 5 stars reviews. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IJ0F2OW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

If there's trouble in wiring, we recommend plug in thermostat. ITC-308(heating & cooling),ITC-306T(haating only),ITC-310T(heating & cooling with timer, you can set 6 peroid of time and temperature)

 

[theskipper1]

Ok so as we know I am no expert but I believe that the water bath F.v method is the way to do it provided you find a user friendly way to do it as I do again agree it can be a real faff and I was reluctant to go there but I also believe my system is so easy as it removes all the contamination risk re: the heater but in many ways I think its easier I have also used two heaters no a 50 W & a 25 W Iin the same bath holds the brew at a staeady 16 degrees in a freezing garage both are set at 20 degrees
I hope my pic file uploads ok so we can see my jam bucket method in action ..
Cheers again steve

 

[theskipper1]

What I like about this is its so easy clean and the main advantage is the Fv Vessel can't tip and take on unwated water yet it is suspended which allows the warm water to work its magic and of course with the lid on its insulated too .....

 

[theskipper1]

Please excuse my spelling mistakes its a pain on the Samsung mini also I'm on the brew which doesn't help !!!!

 

[DocTrucker]

Just running my first immersion heated brew after suffering a couple of stuck ferments.

Do you leave the heater running for the whole primary fermentation?

My kit brews have normally needed 14 days before bottling. This Saturday will be 7 days. I plan to open up, check if it's dropped and beer-thief a sample for gravity check. This was my first partial boil malt (mighty sticky wort with 3kg of extract in 3 litres of water!) extract brew. This did seem to start quick, but the activity has already dropped back quite a bit.

 

[theskipper1]

Hello yes I start as I mean to go on and run the heaters until the end I'm no expert but it works for me ....

 

[DocTrucker]

Cheers, that's what I've done on my current brew. Will shut the heater off half an hour before transferring prior to bottling.