Yeast starter ambient air temperature help needed

After reading a post on this forum, it seems that a good ambient air temp for a yeast starter is in the low 70 degree range. My problem is during the winter our house does not have anyplace above 64 degrees. My work shop where I brew is about 58 degrees. I need to fabricate something simple with a small heater to heat a tiny area while the yeast is on the stir plate. Anybody have this same problem? Any ideas?
Brad

You could use a box or other container with a light bulb - remember (as Denny rightly says) that you are growing yeast and not making beer, so if it gets a little warmer, say in the 80’s it won’t be fatal. Try a 40 watt bulb and put a 5 gallon bucket over it with an an edge propped up to vent it slightly.

:cheers:

All of my yeast starter go at 63F (temp of the basement). The stir plate/fermentation of the starter will generate some heat as well. Never had an issue with this as far as I can tell.

Thank you! By the time I need to make a starter, and if the weather doesn’t warm getting my work shop temperature up into the 60’s,I just might try the 40watt light bulb and box method. May come up with a way to shade the light from the starter. I always cover my carboys while the fermentation is active, don’t know what the light would do to the starter.

You shouldn’t have any adverse effects from light on your starter. No hops and a short exposure.

My stir plate sits on a shelf in my basement. :cheers:

The heat generated by the stir plate my be enough to keep things warm. If you build a box to go over the top it everything.

Or try putting it inside of a cool?

I also agree that your stir plate may be enough if you can contain the heat.
If not, some of the lower end seed mats only increase by 10 degrees. Might be worth a shot to set the stirplate on one of those.

[quote=“Baratone Brewer”]I also agree that your stir plate may be enough if you can contain the heat.
If not, some of the lower end seed mats only increase by 10 degrees. Might be worth a shot to set the stirplate on one of those.[/quote]

Seed Mat? Never heard of those. Can you get them at the tractor supply stores? Are they like a heating pad?

Basically. The are also called germenation mats. If you find one of the lower end small mats, they will only raise the temp 10 degrees above ambient. Here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydrofarm-Heat-Mat-10-x-20-17W-for-1-Flat-Clone-Seed-Germination-9-x-19-5-/130629372041?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6a1e0889
is what they look like.

[quote=“Baratone Brewer”]Basically. The are also called germenation mats. If you find one of the lower end small mats, they will only raise the temp 10 degrees above ambient. Here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydrofarm-Heat-Mat-10-x-20-17W-for-1-Flat-Clone-Seed-Germination-9-x-19-5-/130629372041?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6a1e0889
is what they look like.[/quote]

Thank you! Now that got the wheels turning. :smiley: