December 17, 2014 - 6:03am
Heat source for a DIY proving cabinet.
Hi,
I want to make a proving cabinet. It's almost done but doens't has a heat source. For the moment I use a small bowl with hot water.
I'd like to have a more permanent heatsource. What are the options?
Thanks,
Dries
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I have used a light bulb in an ice chest. If you have a temperature regulator to use with the light bulb, that is a good touch. Otherwise, you have to adjust the bulb wattages to be sure you do not over heat, andr open the lid to let in cool air. Sourdough should not get above 85°F.
Ford
I have used a light bulb in an ice chest. If you have a temperature regulator to use with the light bulb, that is a good touch. Otherwise, you have to adjust the bulb wattages to be sure you do not over heat, andr open the lid to let in cool air. Sourdough should not get above 85°F.
Ford
terrarium heating mats for cute little turtles. They usually come with a built in thermostat.
This is something I've been looking at for a while - what I'd love is a retarder/proofer - something I can chill down until middle of the night AM, then switch into proving mode - a DIY solution to systems that costs thousands ...
However a 15-40w bulb (obviously incandescent, not LED :-) , small fan and a temperature probe or even oven thermostat might enough to get you going.
Humidity is another thing I'm looking at too - crudely - towel in bath of water with a fan might work - not tested it yet.
The electronics/computer control is the easy bit for me. The mechanicals involve fitting out a suitable small cupboard with insulation (celotex/kingspan, etc.) and suitable shelving... Slightly more challenging.
But the thermal mats suggested by dabrownman might also be handy - also look for similar (probably the same but in a different market) for wine/beer fermenting too - heat mats to sit demijohns, etc. on.
-Gordon
Light bulbs and TBH any "rigged up" electrical system will represent a risk for health and safety, either electrical risk or fire risk.
If you choose standard rope light, the kind which external Christmas Light decorations are made of, you can simply coil it up in the bottom or around the edges as needed and plug it in without any risk. Rope light is totally sealed so even if your steaming water spilled it would do no harm at all. It provides a nice constant level of warmth and will probably look cool too depending what colour you choose.
ATB
make sure they're old fashioned and not LEDs - else they'll run a bit cool :-)
However, a 15w 12v bulb wastes the same energy in heat as a 15w 230v bulb, so some car indicator lamps and a 12V power source would be very safe. (just keep the power supply outside the box!)
-Gordon
I have had a non working commercial fridge two light bulbs mounted on a wooden board and controlled by a dimmer switch for over twenty years without any issues.
... for a very low tech solution!
-Gordon
Thnak you all.
gordon about the retarder/proofer system it must be possible with a heating element, cooling system for mini freezers and a arduino.
Dries
... rather than Arduino for me - only because I want it networked so can more easily monitor it - it's also going to do other stuff with a display - oven timers and so on. (A lot of my 'day job' involves microcontrollers, Raspberry Pi's etc.)
I've only go a tiny peltier to play with right now - but in essence with a heatsink and fan on each side, put current through it and one side will get hot and the other cold, Reverse the current and it'll heat/cool the other way round...
However the higher power ones I'm seeing for sale seem optimised to cool (CPU coolers, etc.) so it might well be that I end up with a separate heater - e.g. a light bulb. If the cabinet is well sealed (including the door!) then it shouldn't need more than 15-40w to get it up to whatever temperature I need.
My original idea for the retarder came from seeing the newer picnic/cool boxes that plug into a cars 12V supply.
Cheers,
-Gordon
Dries, I use a heating pad hooked up to a small PID controller. It also doubles as a cooler, because I bought a small wine fridge and put the heating pad in it. When I want to cool, I plug in the wine cooler. When I want it warmer, I unplug the wine cooler and plug in the heating pad. I thought about connecting both plugs to the PID so that it would automatically switch from heating to cooling, but I have not had the need to do that yet.
...three years ago. It cost about $60.00 to make. I've been using it weekly, or more often, for three years and have yet to have an "I wish I'd done this..." moment. It serves my needs perfectly.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/21476/proofing-box
David G
a very nice indeed with the 75 watt lamp and the fan. Looks great.
Dries