cold room

[rrawhide]

my wine making/storage area is 42-45 degrees right now and seems to stay there. the outside temps run from 35 at night to 55 during the day. just wondering what the temp of fermenting wine runs in cold areas? i would like to get a couple more kits working but am wondering if fermentation will even start. I have a aquarium warming pad and could also buy some brew belts and use them too. i would hate to run a heater there as we are a all-electric home (and the rates are about the hightest in the country).also, would like to do something so I don't lose several months in the winter when some kits could be working. any advice would be appreciated.
thanx
rrawhide


ps: come to find out that the holidays are hard on the aging inventory. gotta do more.! ! ! ! !

 

[Wade E]

Rick, I dont think it would be wise to attempt to do any wine at those temps and a brew belt will not work at those temps and I bet a heating pad or aquarium warming pad will not be sufficient either. You will have to either make wine in the house or wait till warmer weather my friend. I use a brew belt and trust me, when I had these in my other room which ad no heat and the ambient temp in that room was at 55 my wine was at 63 and barely made it through.

 

[jobe05]

rrawhide: I had read a couple of years ago, on another forum, someone else who had a similar problem. He liked his room cold so that he could cold stabilize a lot of his whites but it hindered his wine making ability in the winter months. He built a wooden box, about 2 feet deep and a few feet high by 8 feet long. He had 3 fermenters (carboys) in there and a small electric heater that heated the area to 68 degrees. He said he figured the electric usage to heat that area was less than running a heating pad out in the open cold air.

He put a small hole (1" or so) in the opposite side of the box (top) from where he had the electric heater.

It looked like a great idea, you may want to think about it.

Edited by: jobe05

 

[PolishWineP]

Or even the box with the light bulb for heat...

 

[Oneo Teras]

That temp is just about perfect for making a Lager style beer... When you are given lemons - make lemonade!

 

[laneygirl]

I have started using an aquariam pad along with brew belt and towels around the carboy in my basement, which is about 50-55 during winter and actually had to take one of the towels off tonight since the wine had gone above 75.


So, I think you might be able to do it with both and perhaps use blankets to insulate vs. towels.