Brew belt ?

[rms]

I plan on using a brew belt to raise the temp of my wine for degassing. The instructions say not to use the belt on glass containers. Have others used a belt on a glass carboy?

Greg

 

[Flem]

Many of us use them on glass carboys. I've never heard of a failure.

 

[g8keeper]

i personally have never used one, but if i remember correctly, when i was with the brew club, some members had used them, but with mixed results...i personally wouldn't use one due to the simple fact that if one is not careful, it is possible to "cook" ur wine....that is one of the results we had had happen....that would be a wate of a batch of wine to say the least...

 

[Minnesotamaker]

I've used them on glass before. What I do is first slip a sweater over the carboy, then the brew belt, then a few layers of blanket. The sweater helps distribute the heat over a greater area instead of immediate contact with the glass. The blanket just helps keep the warmth in. You do need to watch your temps though. I wouldn't leave it unattended when it's wrapped, because as g8keeper said above, it can raise the temps to a point where it is too warm for the wine's own good. I check in on my batch frequently, I don't need spoiled wine of blanket fires.

 

[Flem]

I've had one on 6 gallons of Chardonnay for about three weeks and it's only in the mid 70's. I've yet to hear of someone on this forum cooking their wine. I guess it could happen, but I haven't heard of any problems.

 

[FTC Wines]

I use one for de-gassing on glass with no problems. My carboys are cool, 62-65*, so I put the belt on a little loose, then tighten it a little over 3 days. Theory is it won't heat a narrow band while the rest of carboy is cold. just my 2 cents! Roy

 

[Dugger]

This time of year in NS you won't overheat your wine - I've recently used the belts to get the temp up for degassing and it takes it to about 75 F and doesn't go any higher. Sometimes I'll put two belts on to get the temp up faster.

 

[rms]

Thanks for your replies guys
Dugger approx. how long does it take to raise the wine temp from 70 to 75 with one belt?

 

[Dugger]

Wow, mine usually have to be bumped from the low 60's up to 75 and this usually takes a day or more depending on outside temps. With yours at 70 I would guess at maybe 8 hours or so, so leaving it overnight would do the trick, or overday if you're gone to work - leaving it longer won't hurt anything.
Edit - I'm assuming this is a 23 liter carboy.

 

[rms]

The carboys are in a room in my heated basement but the rest of the family wouldn't be happy if I turned the heat up to 75 in the whole downstairs living area just to warm the wine.
I find that any wine that I have degassed during the cold months never really let go of all the CO2 but ones degassed in the warmer months when basement temps reach 75 - 80 do. I hope this heat belt will help with this.

 

[Flem]

I'm sure it will help warm it up. Make sure your carboy is up, off the floor. Good Luck.

 

[Runningwolf]

RMS. I have six brew belts and have been using them for three years on carboys and primary buckets. I do not use any additional blankets or towells on them. My basement is about 64* in the winter. If I had 70* I would not even bother with one unless if I was really having a problem. Just a bit of info, the lower the belt the warmer the carboy and placing it near the center will keep it a bit cooler. I place mine near the bottom and forget about it for a week or two. I have never heard of any issues from using them.

 

[rms]

Put the belt on for 12 hours and brought the wine in the carboy up from 69 to 75. A big difference in the ease of degassing. This should make for a non fizzy end product.

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions.

 

[tonyportale]

Heat Mats ?

I've read here that some members have used heat 'mats' that are used for starting seedlings. Any thoughts? Any pros / cons?
I've actually used a heating pad you would use for a sore back. I have used it for raising my temp during my primary fermentation. I wrapped it around the bucket. Looks funny but worked.

Thx,
Tony

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I know it sounds weird, but I have used a aquarium tank heater - it can be set within a degree and it is actually is submersible as well.