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I built my beloved keezer a few years ago with the help of a dented, marked down chest freezer and an Inkbird ITC-1000 that I installed in the collar I built. She holds 5, slim, quarter barrels of Yuengling Lager or Yuengling Oktoberfest when in season.
While remodeling the house this past spring, I decided that she needed to move to the back porch. It has a roof but is open on three sides. Part of my remodel included enclosing the back porch and while it wouldn't be heated, it would at least keep the worst of the cold out. Pittsburgh winters can be brutal but an enclosed porch with a sizeable space heater on the really cold days should work.
Well, no one told me it was already November and that the temp tonight would be 28F. Needless to say, I haven't gotten around to enclosing the porch and my keezer is stuck in the cold. The Inkbird is reading 36.4F at the moment but when I have to lift the lid to change barrels the "heat" inside will escape.
So, my question is this... what should I use as a heat source inside the keezer? I wired the Inkbird with two outlets, one to power up when the temp is too warm,(the compressor), and another to power up if the temp got to cold. It's a regular 110v. I just have to plug something into it and it will turn on when needed.
I was wondering if those heat strips that you put on your roof to melt the snow would work. They are meant to be in the weather and are flexible. Seems like a safer solution than putting a small, forced air or radiant space heater in there with the moisture.
I know some of you guys brew your own and have to heat to ferment. If you have any suggestions I would really appreciate them.
Thanks!
While remodeling the house this past spring, I decided that she needed to move to the back porch. It has a roof but is open on three sides. Part of my remodel included enclosing the back porch and while it wouldn't be heated, it would at least keep the worst of the cold out. Pittsburgh winters can be brutal but an enclosed porch with a sizeable space heater on the really cold days should work.
Well, no one told me it was already November and that the temp tonight would be 28F. Needless to say, I haven't gotten around to enclosing the porch and my keezer is stuck in the cold. The Inkbird is reading 36.4F at the moment but when I have to lift the lid to change barrels the "heat" inside will escape.
So, my question is this... what should I use as a heat source inside the keezer? I wired the Inkbird with two outlets, one to power up when the temp is too warm,(the compressor), and another to power up if the temp got to cold. It's a regular 110v. I just have to plug something into it and it will turn on when needed.
I was wondering if those heat strips that you put on your roof to melt the snow would work. They are meant to be in the weather and are flexible. Seems like a safer solution than putting a small, forced air or radiant space heater in there with the moisture.
I know some of you guys brew your own and have to heat to ferment. If you have any suggestions I would really appreciate them.
Thanks!