How strong is the Heater Pad and what if I'm concerned it's mounted too low?

 

Hello,

Thanks for the heads-up about the new product offer - I am still undecided
about whether I am going with the new offering with the heating wrap
included or not. I have a concern about the new product - at what height
on the cone would the heat wrap sit/how
many inches above the 90degree elbow is the bottom of the heat wrap, and
how "strong" is the new wrap? I can see the backside of the wrap on the
picture on the website, but does
the wrap fit around the racking port or can it fit above the racking
port/around the sampling valve?


My worry is related to direct heating on the yeast in the cone leading to
excessive autolysis.

 

 

Ss Brewtech Reply:

 

Ben,

 

Thanks for reaching out to us regarding the new FTSs heater pad.  Examining our testing stock, the lowest point that the heater can be mounted to the cone is roughly a few inches above the bottom dump/elbow ferule.  This orients the heater pad surface area roughly 60% above and 40% below the racking ferule.

 

The beauty of the heater pad's design is that it can be mounted higher on the cone since it is primarily held in place by the neoprene jacket, the only result is that the pad would not completely wrap around the circumference of the cone. However, this would not adversely affect your results, and you can mount the pad safely above wherever you expect your yeast cake to ultimately settle out.

 

Furthermore, the heater is very gentle at just approximately 60 watts (7-14 gal model).  So it would be very unlikely that say, the yeast cake would be 80-90 degrees while the rest of the liquid volume is 60-65 degrees.

 

Lastly, there are many factors that provoke yeast autolysis, and two important factors are time and temperature.  If you are using healthy brewers yeast it widely accepted that beer can be aged for months without the risk of autolysis.  Furthermore, it is also widely accepted that yeast cells have to reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period to purposefully induce autolysis.  For most home brewers, they are more likely to cause autolysis by not providing a healthy wort for the yeast to thrive in with other factors such as poor harvest storage, low oxygenation, alkalinity, high wort gravity (alcohol toxicity), or mineral deprivation.  These factors cause the cell walls to degrade and finally break-up.

 

With that said, overall I think you would experience excellent results from the heater pad!

 

Cheers,

Michael