Submersible aquarium heater 100W €12.99 in argos

rubadub

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/8706966/Trail/searchtext%3EHEAT.htm

not sure if I could have posted this in the new sticky, could end up with shilling going on for regular brew sites if it posting bargains was allowed.

No shilling here, unfortunately I do not own argos...:pac:

I prefer these over brewmats or brewbelts as it is thermostatic.

Bawnmore

I was looking into picking up a brewbelt later today, but this might be the job. Few questions:

1. Is it just a matter of sterilizing, plugging it in, setting temp and popping into the batch?
2. What's the best way of feeding it into bucket? Would a gap in the snap closed lid increase the risk of infection?

Apologies if both of these are very basic questions, I'm still a newbie to all this so don't want to just presume

leggit

I've heard that loads of cr@p gets stuck in the little nooks and crannies on these things so after first use you have to clean the thing really well before you use it again. I'd assume that the cost of electricity would be fairly negligible too (correct me if I'm wrong on this!)

I'd cover a crack in the lid with some cling film or something maybe??? If you were using a bung and airlock you could possible run the wire through the bung hole too along with the airlock?

Askim

leggit wrote: »

I've heard that loads of cr@p gets stuck in the little nooks and crannies on these things so after first use you have to clean the thing really well before you use it again.

could you cover it in clingfilm ??, it wouldn't be affected by a temp that low & would allow easy cleaning.

A

rubadub

Bawnmore wrote: »

2. What's the best way of feeding it into bucket? Would a gap in the snap closed lid increase the risk of infection?

I usually have it going in the side with the lid snapped on most of the way around. Remember many brewries have open top fermentation tops, some people get way too concerned about "sterilization", I put it in quotes since proper sterilization is a completely different ballgame compared to what homebrewers need.

you can lay a towel over the top of the lid if you want, this also insulates it a bit.

I have actually just discovered another broken one of these heaters, it was about 6 years old. Over time they nearly always end up leaking a tiny bit and the moisture gets in and wrecks the electonics/electrics.

You can see this one has little suction pads so you can have the top section up and out of the brew. This is usually the sealing point and the heating element is down at the bottom. It is like a giant test tube. The top bit with the temperature setting is where the nooks & crannies are. So by keeping it out you should stop leaks and have it last longer, and have a far easier time cleaning it.

In the photo on argos it is sticking out of the water so I am not sure if it can be used fully submersed anyway.

The electricity usage is very low, as you are heating the water directly it is more efficient than a heat pad or brew belt.

It is 100W but it will not be using that all the time, it turns on & off, so do not equate it to a 100W light bulb on all the time.

scrapsmac

Rubadub do you need to plug a temperature stabiliser in to this to maintain the temp? So it switches on and off by itself. Or is one built in?

Definitely think I'll be investing in one of these. Tis nippy out there

rubadub

It would be built in. Usually there will be indications moulded into the plastic with numbers for temps, and you usually have a pointer so the top bit can be twisted around to the temp you want, 20-34C in this case.

Homebrew heat mats usually are too hot, I have used heat mats on a timer, like 15mins on 1 hour off. You could also look out for heat pads in lidl or argos, they usually will be in stock coming up to christmas, and can be sold off really cheap when spring comes. But the aquarium heater is handy with its thermostat.

Many electric blankets/pads might have thermostats but they are usually too high as they are for human temps.

It might save some people money if they already have them though, or could get better usage from them. If you already have a timer you could use it with the electric blanket. You could test it out with water first to get the right settings, or just keep a close eye on it. Remember the fermenting brew will generate its own heat.

Bawnmore

Picked one of these up yesterday evening out in Nutgrove. I have an electric blanket (and a timer somewhere actually), but it's put to better use right now

Anywho - tidy little thing. The whole submerged part of the heater is one piece of glass, so shouldn't be too many surprises when it comes to cleaning and using it again on the next brew. Sterilized it up and popped it in. Was a bit worried as it hadn't changed temp before I went to bed, but low and behold it was up at spot on 22C this morning. Was going to buy a brew belt over the weekend but glad I didn't now. Cheers Rubadub!

rubadub

Bawnmore wrote: »

Was a bit worried as it hadn't changed temp before I went to bed,

It should take a while alright. With heat mats you are heating from the bottom up and it is an even heat across the bottom of the container. Heat rises, and will go from the bottom to the top easily enough.

With the aquarium heater the heat source is far more localised. The thermostat is inside the unit, so once it gets to 22 it will turn off which can be quite quickly. Only the surrounding water may be at 22C because of this. The brew will be pretty still (unlike a boiling pot of water) so the heated water/wort does not readily mix with the colder spots. It will eventually heat it though and be fairly even throughout, I would recommend some insulation on the fermenter.

You can give it a bit of a stir at the start to get it mixed better if it is very cold. I used to gently stir with the heater itself, which cools it down and so triggers it to turn on again.

Fully submersing it down the bottom will also help it heat faster. Did you read the instructions to see if it can be submersed fully? even if it can I would recommend against it, they always end up leaking.

I would leave it at 20C setting for beer. Many kits say to go higher but I think this is since they do not take to long and disappoint newbie brewers who can't wait.

Bawnmore

Read instructions - just glass part of heater which is to be submerged. I'd be looking to keep it around the 20 mark generally but aiming for 22 for this brew particularly to try get the banana flavours out of the yeast.

BaZmO*

The use of heaters is overstated when it comes to homebrewing. Keeping temperatures down (thereby reducing off flavours) tends to be a bigger problem. Especially when you consider the average temperature in a modern home is anywhere between 18 to 24 degrees, which is at the high end of ideal fermentation temperatures for ales.
Now, considering that the act of fermentation creates it's own heat, an additional heat source is never really a problem.

rubadub

BaZmO* wrote: »

Especially when you consider the average temperature in a modern home is anywhere between 18 to 24 degrees

Depends where you are doing it, many people do it in a garage, or some other unheated "non living room". My bedroom is currently about 15-16C, thats how I like it, I have had lads in the US giving out to me online when I say that!

Many people are out all day too so do not have the heating on. You can get lower temp yeasts, I remember brewing in a coal bunker outside in the summer a few times.

Dealextreme also have them going cheap
http://s.dealextreme.com/search/aquarium+heater.html?sort=Price

as low as US$8.20 incl. delivery. I can't vouch for the quality, argos is probably better but I see they have stainless ones.

stick on thermometer is only $1.80 incl. delivery http://www.dealextreme.com/p/digital-stick-on-aquarium-fish-tank-thermometer-72343

BaZmO*

But lower temperatures give you a cleaner tasting final product. Only problem is that it may take longer to reach your FG. Higher temps can ruin the beer.

Fair enough if you're leaving your beer in the garage, but I don't think a lot of people actually do that? And if you are leaving it in the garage this time of year, you'd need more than a 100w heater to get it up to temperature.