30 replies to this topic

[chuck_d]

Well, I just used mine for 3/4 gallon starter for my duopple bock this weekend and had it spinning for a few days. figure this, if it sucks, then you're out 30 bucks plus shipping not hundreds like those other ones, ya feel?

3/4 of a gallon is less than 3 L, so that's within what he was saying. I wouldn't be out anything if I buy one that is professionally built for 6 L, I'd have a working stir plate. The corning on ebay is only $77, but the description of heating up concerns me because of how hot my apartment already is.

[DubbelEntendre]

3/4 of a gallon is less than 3 L, so that's within what he was saying. I wouldn't be out anything if I buy one that is professionally built for 6 L, I'd have a working stir plate. The corning on ebay is only $77, but the description of heating up concerns me because of how hot my apartment already is.

I'm wondering if a cool whip container with an ice bath and the flask sitting in that would work. If the magnet is strong enough to spin that much liquid, then it should be able to handle 1/8" plastic barrier.

[chuck_d]

I dont think a little stir plate will throw anymore heat than say an lcd tv would,I could be wrong though....or is it a concern for the yeast that will be sitting on top of the plate itself that concerns you?

My LCD TV gets hot. I can feel it without even touching it. The concern is the yeast getting heated up too much when they are already in an environment bordering on too warm and in the middle of exothermic reactions.

[NWPines]

Right on. I can actually find some of these used, but my apartment ambient is already pretty warm. You said this gets hot?

Mine does generate a bit of heat after its been on for a while. I've taken a few temp readings and the starters have gotten 5-8F above ambient after about 12 hours on the plate (which I imagine is mostly due to the heat from the plate, and partially due to heat from fermentation).

[DubbelEntendre]

I'm wondering if a cool whip container with an ice bath and the flask sitting in that would work. If the magnet is strong enough to spin that much liquid, then it should be able to handle 1/8" plastic barrier.

I just tested my homemade plate with the barrier of a shallow plastic container with water in it and the bar turned 2L no problem. I think this would be a viable option to keep the heat down.Edit: I know you are looking to spin more liquid, but that's the biggest flask that I have with a flat bottom, I just wanted to test the "ice bath barrier" theory

Edited by DubbelEntendre, 08 June 2009 - 08:10 PM.

[chuck_d]

I see your point, as long as the starter doesn't get above like 75 degrees i would not worry,maybe sit the stir plate near an AC vent? Not sure what to tell you bro. I will say this that the one I bought on ebay had a pic of a 5 gallon carboy on the top with it whirlpooling (not full of course), but impressive non the less. The guy said it was good for concave bottoms.

Hehehe, yeah, AC vent? No central AC. I got one in my bedroom window and one the living room window. It's about 80*F in my apartment, at the highest points in they day this time of year. It can get hotter in the Winter when I have to close the windows (I've got good ghetto heat, the kind that is like always on). Right now, at 11pm it's 76.7*F in my brewery (I don't remember the last time I reset the min/max but it shows that it maxed out at 87*F). My apartment has all kinds of weird thermal pockets due to it being very long & skinny and me using a window AC on either end to keep it cool. When I brew, I have to run two gas burners on my stove at full blast whenever I'm heating. There's this pocket of hot air that collects right above my couch in the living room like 20 feet away. If you sit on the couch, you're fine, but if you stand up, your head jumps into this pocket of air that's MUCH warmer, but that pocket is only over the couch, you can walk 2 feet away and it's back to normal again. It's kind of funny.

[chuck_d]

I just tested my homemade plate with the barrier of a shallow plastic container with water in it and the bar turned 2L no problem. I think this would be a viable option to keep the heat down.Edit: I know you are looking to spin more liquid, but that's the biggest flask that I have with a flat bottom, I just wanted to test the "ice bath barrier" theory

Nice. Yeah, it's the ice cube cooler method basically (without the lid) of fermentation applied to starters.

[chuck_d]

Hell, I just electrical taped mine together and it handles 2L without skipping a beat. You can buy those end cap jammies and "plug" them on to the leads of the switch and the rheostat. Its 12V its not going to kill you.

Well, I looked to see if I had the parts lying around. I don't, building a stir plate is a project for another time for me. This time it's going to be a pre-built purchase. If I had the parts lying around I'd use them, but I don't mind waiting until the next time I do a gut renovation on one of my computers to snag a spare fan and make one then. There are certain purchases in my brewery that I look at as salable. Kegs just keep going up in prices so those are almost "investments". I can always drop a commercial stir plate on ebay or to a friend when I upgrade (like I gave my boy my old scale when I got a more precise one). It's not that I'm scared of electricity, it's just if/when I build a stir plate I'd take my time to do it all proper and not even worry about it being a cost saver. Kind of like building a kegerator, I didn't save money, the final cost was more, but I put all premium parts on it and it's exactly what I like. I don't mind getting into the DIY, I just don't have time right now. I just ran out of canned starter wort on this hefe starter, just took apart my kegerator to upgrade the faucets and add more taps, I'm taking the old faucets and building a jockey box for my boy's wedding for which I also need to brew a ton of beer, and I'm building a whole gas distribution system in my brewery. The amount of time I have to dedicate to brewing related projects is spoken for at the moment.

[DubbelEntendre]

Well, I looked to see if I had the parts lying around. I don't, building a stir plate is a project for another time for me. This time it's going to be a pre-built purchase. If I had the parts lying around I'd use them, but I don't mind waiting until the next time I do a gut renovation on one of my computers to snag a spare fan and make one then. There are certain purchases in my brewery that I look at as salable. Kegs just keep going up in prices so those are almost "investments". I can always drop a commercial stir plate on ebay or to a friend when I upgrade (like I gave my boy my old scale when I got a more precise one). It's not that I'm scared of electricity, it's just if/when I build a stir plate I'd take my time to do it all proper and not even worry about it being a cost saver. Kind of like building a kegerator, I didn't save money, the final cost was more, but I put all premium parts on it and it's exactly what I like. I don't mind getting into the DIY, I just don't have time right now. I just ran out of canned starter wort on this hefe starter, just took apart my kegerator to upgrade the faucets and add more taps, I'm taking the old faucets and building a jockey box for my boy's wedding for which I also need to brew a ton of beer, and I'm building a whole gas distribution system in my brewery. The amount of time I have to dedicate to brewing related projects is spoken for at the moment.

I hear ya, I'm on the brewing once a month schedule myself because there is so much "other stuff" going on. And I keep getting sucked into helping other people on their beer project. I just upgraded a kegerater for my father and I think I just got volunteered to build another one for someone who lives in my complex. I'm all for helping a brother get his own draft system, but dammit, I want to brew.