winery heating question

[olusteebus]

I have no heat in my Northeast Florida winery. It can get cold enough to mess up a ferment here.

I have an oil space heater like this:

I can easily build an insulated box to keep my buckets/carboys in and put the heater in that with a remote thermostat.

I will have three ferments going this winter so I could just place the heater close to the buckets and the remote thermostat to one of the buckets and not build the box.

Which would you do?

 

[Scooter68]

That heater is a good way to go. Keep in mind that you'll only need heat until the fermentation is finished and that only if the room temps drop below about 50-55 degrees. Once started most ferments generate enough heat that a wrap of a heavy towel alone can overcome even temps in low 60s.

 

[ibglowin]

I always use a brew belt and or heating pad underneath the bucket to apply heat in the cold Winter months. Wrap the bucket with a thick beach towel or small blanket for extra insulation if need be. Never had a problem fermenting to dry. My Winery/Cellar is 55F during the Winter months and that's right where I like it for long term storage and aging. No need to heat up the whole room, just the bucket.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I have no heat in my Northeast Florida winery. It can get cold enough to mess up a ferment . . build an insulated box. .Which would you do?

* the fermentation will slow but not stop with Fl temperatures, if you have a specific time deadline yes add heat. John in the Vinters club uses his garage which freezes for 3 months, it picks up again as it warms up, , and has the side benefit of chill prufing the northern grapes.
* I run an oil heater when I want to do a ferment above 65 to 68 basement. The controller should have a wire so the electronics is outside of the box. The big down side is my insulated box doesn’t go away when the fermentation is done.
* brew belt will do a good temp control. Brew belt goes back on the shelf when you are done.
So many choices which will do it, the right answer is what feels best.

 

[crushday]

This is how I heat my fermenting room during the colder months:

1. Inkbird Controller: $35 at Amazon
2. Milkhouse style heater cost about $20 at Lowes or Home Depot

 

[salcoco]

How do you cool the winery in the summer? I would think a heat pump would be the most economical source for cooling. if so just use the heat cycle for the winter.

 

[crushday]

I don't have a need to cool my fermentation room, or winery. But, I do need to cool my cellar in the summer and heat it in the winter. I want to keep the cellar at 58 degrees. For this I use the same controller type I use to heat the fermentation room:

1. Inkbird Controller: $35 at Amazon
2. Milkhouse style heater cost about $20 at Lowes or Home Depot (winter use only)
3. Window A/C unit, about $100 at Wal-Mart (summer use only)

 

[VictorV]

I installed an LG window AC and a Coolbot since it allows you to set the temp cooler
than the minimum temp the AC can be set to. Most AC unit won't allow you to set
the temp lower than 60 or 65 degrees F. The Coolbot will allow you to set the temp
as low as the high 30's depending on room size and AC capacity.

I also purchased an Inkbird for the the heater but most heaters already have a thermostat
built-in so I don't use the Inkbird.

Pic attached of my system. Room is 9x13x10 and AC unit is 18k BTU.

 

[stickman]

@VictorV 18K BTU's, that's a walk-in refrigerator, you could dial it down and hang meat in there!

 

[VictorV]

Get's pretty toasty here in the summer

 

[olusteebus]

thanks for the input all.

 

[olusteebus]

It turns out that once the inkbird cuts power off for heating, when the temp drops, the heater will not start back up. Now I am just relying on the heater thermostat. Any workarounds for that?

 

[mainshipfred]

I may be stating this wrong but you it could be possible you have an electronic rather than a mechanical thermostat on the heater. I bought a very sophisticated humidifier for my inkbird with humidity control and it did the same thing. When I got a cheapo it worked just fine.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Does the thermostat have a click sound at about 70 or 80 degrees? Then it is mechanical.

the heater will not start back up. Now I am just relying on the heater thermostat. Any workarounds for that?

You are in essence building a control circuit like a clothes dryer. The heater should be high/maximum with your new digital at the real set temperature.
@mainshipfred may have hit it, am not young enough to have a digital space heater, my electric heat uses the old mechanical click style.

 

[montanarick]

It turns out that once the inkbird cuts power off for heating, when the temp drops, the heater will not start back up. Now I am just relying on the heater thermostat. Any workarounds for that?

Hmm.. that's strange. I've been using an Inkbird last two seasons and it works just fine to keep temps in my wine incubator within a degree of the set point

 

[olusteebus]

I may be stating this wrong but you it could be possible you have an electronic rather than a mechanical thermostat on the heater. I bought a very sophisticated humidifier for my inkbird with humidity control and it did the same thing. When I got a cheapo it worked just fine.

Great. I have a couple of cheapo's

Does the thermostat have a click sound at about 70 or 80 degrees? Then it is mechanical.
You are in essence building a control circuit like a clothes dryer. The heater should be high/maximum with your new digital at the real set temperature.
thanks, I will try that/
@mainshipfred may have hit it, am not young enough to have a digital space heater, my electric heat uses the old mechanical click style.

Hmm.. that's strange. I've been using an Inkbird last two seasons and it works just fine to keep temps in my wine incubator within a degree of the set point

I think the problem is the the heater, not inkbird.