AquariumHeater - am I expecting too much or is it faulty

[dmdrabble]

I made up a Peroni clone last week using BIAB. It's sat in the bucket in my garage. The temp has dropped to below zero, so I ordered a fish tank 50w aquarium heater. I didn't have a larger bucket, so gave the heater a good clean and sanitize and dropped it straight in the beer. The temp guage was set to 16c at first, but when I didn't see much of a temp rise, i notched it up to 20c. I placed a temp probe inside the beer also. I thought that if the temp did go up that far, then I would knock it back down to 16.

When I got up this morning the outside temp was -2, but the beer temp was just 7c. The light on the device was still on, but it didn't feel hot. Am I expecting too much from the heater or does the forum think it's faulty? The plan is to put the heater in a separate bath and not in the beer. Any ideas?

In the meantime, the beer isn't fermenting. I have a house warming planned for March and was hoping to drink it then.

[Steve B]

Way too much from the heater I would think. 50w vs below freezing is unlikely to cut it. You could try insulating the fv as much as possible to prevent heat loss. It would be better to bring it indoors.

[dmdrabble]

The wife banned my fermenting bucket in the house after a stout bubbled over and stained our wooden floor.
Would a 150w cope better or am I just expecting too much from these small heaters? To go from near freezing to 10+ degrees?

[Dave S]

The best solution if funds permit would be to put together a brew fridge.

[woblylegs]

i dont think your expecting too much but id suggest you try wrapping an old duvet of similar around you bucket. it will stop allot of heat loss and aid in keeping cold out thus you 50 w heater should keep to temp.

[jimpy0]

Aquarium heaters by nature are not all or nothing heat machines, they are designed to gradually raise from cold or keep the given temp once there to stop them getting hot and burning fish or themselves out. Insulating will work wonders for their "on" time and heat loss to the exterior. Inserting in a barrel will take longer as the liquid is static whereas in a tank its moved by pumps air stones etc. 50w may be a little on the small side but ive had them for years on 19gall/85litre tanks @ a steady 26 degrees.

30 yrs a fishkeeper = HTH

[stu1001]

I have a 50 watt heater currently keeping my 23litres of beer fermenting in the shed at 20C. This in my new shiny stainless pot covered with radiator foam/foil and a stack of tea towels on top! I used with a stc1000 setup so I can keep the temp fairly accurate. I also used it to warm 40litres of water overnight so I could get brewing quicker on wednesday night. Got it to 26C in 24 hours and that with an outside time of -2! So it should be up to the job!

[Ditch]

A 50 Watt heater is industry standard for five gallons.

I can only state that I've used them, for Years now, in a completely unheated, back room of a stone cottage ~ I wouldn't want to spend a winters night in there, uncovered! ~ and my fermentations tend toward the spectacular.

Granted. I am dealing with Coopers kits. Their yeast seems to be somewhat 'Virile'.

But, we don't appear to be talking kits, or yeasts, here. Just heaters making temperatures.

Did the heater say " Made In Germany " and cost ye close to a score? Or, did it come with badly translated, tiny print instructions ~ costing a tenner or less, on ebay, and come with fried rice?