A 40 watt light is enough to heat my chest freezer in the winter. I could have rewired my temp controller to heat mode but I just let the freezer to cool it down if it gets too hot.
Thanks. Now we're talking. As it is in southern Oregon, the winters are too cold for even lager fermentation. It will get down into the 20s, and occasionally into the teens, usually hovering in the 40s.
So, with an ambient room temp of say 40F, a 40-watt bulb should keep my refrigerator at
ale fermentation temp?
I understand that direct light on the carboy is to be avoided, but what about indirect, light that is reflected off the insides of the refrigerator, onto the carboy?
I use a Johnson Temp Controller with a single dial. Should I disconnect it during the winter months, and just run the refrigerator/freezer in normal mode, i.e., use the refrigerator's own internal thermostat? Just wondering which would be easier on the fridge. It seems that using the Johnson might still be the way to go as I could more easily dial in the exact temp.