Using an regular heating pad to keep fermenter warm?

[brewwill]

Hello i have a ? i am using a regular heating pad to keep my fermenter warm. I have the heating pad tape around my carboy an the heating pad plug into my ranco 2 stage temp controller. Now here the ? the heating pad has 3 setting a low, meuium, an a high setting now which setting is best ??

[scott_miller]

I use one, and have never used anything but the lowest setting,
Now that the temperature has dropped here, I have an unheated closet that stays ~60*,
I chill to pitching temps, which is usually 60* anyways, depending on what yeast strain I’m using,
And put it in the closet with a thermowell in it. After it ferments for a couple of days, if it’s not up into the mid 60’s yet I’ll zip the carboy up in a heavy winter coat and check the temp again the next day. If I feel like I need to add some heat to keep the yeast going to the finish line and clean up the beer, I toss the heating pad loosely inside the coat and zip it up. It’s very ghetto fabulous and deadly accurate at the same time. If I skip the thermowell I just dangle the temp sensor between the carboy and the heat pad while I zip it up. Usually do that when I need to rob the thermowell for something else, and that way will accurately hold a temperature too. Anyways, thats how I do it.

[ibeentired]

Scott, great post!
This is the kind of solution I need for winter brewing on the cheap.

[abrown001]

I wrap my carboy in a thin blanket, then the electric blanket, out of a desire to keep the hot element off of the glass (I’ve heard anecdotal evidence that this can crack the carboy).

[baratone_brewer]

@Baratone Brewer

I use an old waterbed heater that I found at a yard sale. I will go down to 60F and has its own thermostat. Most of the new ones only go down to 70F.

[ringneck_ridge]

@Baratone Brewer

[quote=“Baratone Brewer”]I use an old waterbed heater that I found at a yard sale. I will go down to 60F and has its own thermostat. Most of the new ones only go down to 70F.[/quote]

Never thought of that, I think i have oine of those in the basement. Do you need to have a layer between the heater and the glass? I use a brewbelt now and it works, but not like i want it to.

[baratone_brewer]

@Ringneck Ridge

[quote=“Baratone Brewer”]I use an old waterbed heater that I found at a yard sale. I will go down to 60F and has its own thermostat. Most of the new ones only go down to 70F.

Never thought of that, I think i have oine of those in the basement. Do you need to have a layer between the heater and the glass? I use a brewbelt now and it works, but not like i want it to.[/quote]
I use a thick towel between. Finding a waterbed heater that goes that low will be the hard part. I had to look around for a long time before I found mine.