You’ve heard me talk about water kefir back in September when I posted my photo tutorial, How to Make Water Kefir. I have been making water kefir for months now and always had great success and no problems with my grains at all. They were very active, eating the sugars quickly (two days), and multiplying like mad.

Until autumn arrived.

Since the cooler weather, my water kefir was taking much longer to eat the sugar water, often 5 days or longer, and they weren’t doubling in volume like they had been. I have my water kefir in my corner cab, which is on an outside wall. Since we decided to heat our home with wood this year, this corner stays much cooler than other areas of our home, and is generally around 64 degrees.

I went through a few weeks of struggling with the water kefir - fighting to get them to work. I let them “rest”, added eggshell and molasses - every trick you read about - in case it wasn’t temperature-related. My grains were not doubling, the water was still too sweet, and the grains resembled applesauce.

Nothing was working.

Call me thrilled when my Year-Round Heating Mat System from Kombucha Kamp arrived. I started a new batch with fresh grains and held my breath…would something as simple as more warmth really work?

Yes, it did!

Meet the Mat That Saved My Kefir

I love that the mat slides easily behind my jars and doesn’t take up much space.

The Heating Mat System comes with a dimmer so I can adjust it once warmer weather arrives. It wraps around the back of three of my 2-3L Fido jars, and the side of a fourth (a second-ferment on the right).

See? You can barely tell it’s there. But you can tell by my bouncy kefir grains that they are much happier with warmer temps. I made up my first batch on Friday morning, and was surprised that it was ready on Saturday evening! And my grains didn’t double - they tripled!

The thermometer that comes with the system reads 74-ish - ten degrees warmer than the strip right on the ledge of my corner cab, and I don’t even have the mat turned up all the way

Over on the Kombucha Kamp website, you can watch a video of Hannah, the creator of this product, show you how to use this heating mat: Kombucha Mama shows you how to use her Year Round Heating System with Dimmer. Hannah also explains the efficiency of this system and lets us know this is Made in the USA!

This particular mat, the Year-Round Heating System, can raise temps up to 10-20 degrees. If you only need a little boost, you can probably get away with the Essential Heating Strip which boots the temp just 5-10 degrees. The Essential Heating Strip would be good for a home that hovers around 70. Remember, water kefir likes temps at a minimum of 72 degrees, and 74-76 is even better. Both are UL certified.

Bottom line: if you are struggling with your grains, heat could be the answer. We know how important gut health is, and that water kefir, a probiotic powerhouse, needs to be in every home.Don’t give up on your grains!Kombucha Mama’s heating systems both come with a “1 Year Hassle Free Guarantee” - so what are you waiting for??

Buy: Year-Round Heating System or Essential Heating Strip and mention Nourishing Treasures in the notes section at checkout and Hannah will add a free gift!

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Lea Harris founded Nourishing Treasures in 2006. A mom passionate about her family's health and well-being, Lea believes education is power. Encouraging others to take baby steps in the right direction of health for their families, Lea's goal is to raise awareness of what goes into our mouths and on our bodies, providing natural alternative information that promotes health and prevents disease by using traditional foods and nature's medicine. Lea is a Certified Health Coach graduate from Beyond Organic University, and a Certified Aromatherapist graduate from Aromahead Institute. "Like" Nourishing Treasures on Facebook, join the Nourishing Treasures Group on Facebook, follow @NourishTreasure on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also find me on Learning About Essential Oils forum, and Fido Fermentation Facebook group. Disclaimer: I use affiliate links wherever possible. So if you click on a link, and make a purchase, I might make a small commission, but it doesn't cost you any more.