Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

anyone heating wash with a fish tank immersion heater like these cheap ones from ebay ?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HL-300-300W- ... 2312ce42cb

looking to heat 80L and these seem easy......

Pretty sure Spud had one of those, almost that exact one.

From memory he posted something about it here somewhere that it shat itself in short time, hopefully he'll be along soon to confirm/correct my memory :lol:

bassb is a fish keeper and would know the best source for decent ones, might be worth kicking him in the ribs ;)

I asked the question about pads and belts on a pommy forum and they all said use the immersion heater.
Any good aquarium shop will have a range to choose from but Sacem are a good brand that I have had in my tank for about 6 years with no problem.
http://www.aquaristikshop.de/e_Produkti ... heater.htm
Eheim are also a quality brand but I have never used them cos they are so bloody expensive compared to others.
The 50 watt will do the job for you, just set the temp and keep an eye on things.

yeah but i only want to pay $10... lol

will have a look at a few, might get a cheap one and see if it dies...

maheel wrote:yeah but i only want to pay $10... lol

False economy, buy 3 cheap ones a year or 1 good one every 5 years

Mine was $16.00 off ebay, lasted about 10 days - fucked. I now have a 75 w towel heater, works a treat with 4 fermenters stacked around it.

QLD.Andy wrote:

maheel wrote:yeah but i only want to pay $10... lol

False economy, buy 3 cheap ones a year or 1 good one every 5 years

Spud1700 wrote:Mine was $16.00 off ebay, lasted about 10 days - fucked. I now have a 75 w towel heater, works a treat with 4 fermenters stacked around it.

yeah i know spend the proper amount... get the real thing... only buy it once.

they just look so good for the price

what do you think cooked it Spud ? or was it just shit quality ?

I just got a couple old wool blankets wrapping mine up, no complaints and my ferments are going great using punkins yeast :mrgreen:

whats brewing in your shed ? molasses or ?

i was thinking it's a bit cool at night even wrapped up?

I've got a 120L UJSM, 60L UJSM, 120L Molasses, and a 30L birdwatchers....... all going great :)

I think my immersion heater was shit quality, I need extra heat here or they stall. I've got 2 heavy blankets, 2 flannelet sheets, a doona, a wooly blanket and a piece of canvas over the top to try and keep them warm. The heater runs when I am home and awake.

I think I'm just far enough north to have warmer nights than you in brisvegas, been getting 24 daily and house open without heaters on until 9pm or so..... thermometer out the veranda still says 18c :mrgreen:

Has anyone else tried these ones?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... K:MEWAX:IT

You can plug in a heat belt/heat pad and it will make sure the temp is constant (used more for beer where temp is critical)

They could also be used for the immersion heaters to control the temp.

Can also be used in conjunction with a fridge if too much heat is your problem.

I run these on all my fridges as well (just becuase I get sick of fucking with the thermostats)

yeah mate got one of those on my all grain beer fermenting fridge in operation right now @ 17' :)
i just use a light bulb in a terrcota pot for heat in the bottom

they are good hey !!

just looking for something to throw into a 80L barrel i have for some TPW

Well that raises another question that I have.... what is the optimum fermenting temperature for the good old lowans bakers yeast?

I have seen 25 - 30 degrees as a guide but does anyone know the exact temp?

sam_and_liv wrote:Well that raises another question that I have.... what is the optimum fermenting temperature for the good old lowans bakers yeast?

I have seen 25 - 30 degrees as a guide but does anyone know the exact temp?

27.5 :?

so i bought a 25W one for $5 bucks today :)
Aussie plug and 3yr warranty on the box (i got it 2nd hand)

box suggests it is for 25-50L but i am throwing it in around 60L

one thing i am not sure about is the "fully submersible" label ? then in the instructions it says must be immersed up to "the line" ?
i thought i could throw it in deep wires and all (fully under water) but now i am not sure ? :?

going to go looking for a fish tank forum... bet they are a bunch of weirdos.... :lol:

Hi Guys,
I am one of them Mexicans from Vic and sure have a hard time getting a wash to finish.
I had 2x20L TPW's down for 4 weeks and still could not get SG below 1010. Had a mate give me a primitive insulated box with 2 x 100w globes and and old thermostat, temp held at 26 to 28 degrees 8 days and 3 x 20L TPW's finished and stripped .... great way to go..... I also have a fish tank heater which worked ok but this way I can keep multiple washes at constant temp.

I'd be wrapping those babies up to keep the light off those yeasties if it was me.

sam_and_liv wrote:Well that raises another question that I have.... what is the optimum fermenting temperature for the good old lowans bakers yeast?

I have seen 25 - 30 degrees as a guide but does anyone know the exact temp?

Warmer end of the scale you'll get good rise, lower end you'll end up with a finer crumb.

5Star wrote:I'd be wrapping those babies up to keep the light off those yeasties if it was me.

sam_and_liv wrote:Well that raises another question that I have.... what is the optimum fermenting temperature for the good old lowans bakers yeast?

I have seen 25 - 30 degrees as a guide but does anyone know the exact temp?

Warmer end of the scale you'll get good rise, lower end you'll end up with a finer crumb.

i have my light bulb in a terracotta pot in the bottom of my fridge (as heat rises....) i then get a bit of residual warmth from the pot as well
and agree about covering them from the light, the yeast woudl need sunglasses ;)

lol @ 5Star

to start with i thought WTF?? finer crumb ??? then spat my coffee on the keyboard... :lol: