Temperature drop in my cellar

[karrlot]

I have my carboys in my cellar (not a wine cellar, just an old dirt cellar) For the last three months the temp in my cellar has been pretty constant at about 65-68 degrees. The outside temp has dropped to the low 30s and the air temp in my cellar is down to about 50. The temp of my carboys is at about 54.

Is that too cold for primary, secondary, bulk storage or storage of bottles?

I think I've also noticed the wine is not as clear as it was, but I' not positive.

 

[olusteebus]

I would say it is cool for primary for sure. If you have wine in primary, get a plastic tub and an adjustable aquarium heater. Add water to the tub with the primary in it, up about 4 to 5 inches and let the heater heat the water. Turn the heater to about 75 degrees or higher.

 

[ibglowin]

Perfect for storage but too cold for primary and secondary. You need a brew belt for those temps.

 

[JohnT]

I agree with the all of the above. For fermentation, get a space heater and bring the temp up to 70 degrees. turn the heat off and leave at lower temps for aging.

 

[wyntheef]

a friend of mine tipped me off to using reflectix or similar insulation to build individual carboy covers.
build them either circular or square using duct tape and tall enough for a carboy w/ airlock, then you can use
either a small wattage light bulb or a brew belt and temps will stay up much better in a cold environment.
always use caution with heaters though.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1296203&cagpspn=pla

 

[olusteebus]

I bought some thermal blankets for that but have not used them yet. I just use the aquarium heater. Maybe I should use both.