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where do you stick your temp probe?


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#1 positiveContact

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 07:18 AM

:lol:

 

okay but seriously - where do you put it?  I've been taping it to the outside of the fermentor and then putting a peice of neoprene on top of that to hopefully get the temp of the fermentor instead of the air.  this seems pretty good but I almost wonder if it would be better to just put it in a 1L of of water or something and try to hold that at a constant temp in the freezer.  is it bad to try to control the temp of the wort/beer directly?



#2 HVB

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 07:22 AM

for carboys I do the same as you, taped to the outside covered in bubble wrap.  For big fermenters I havethermowells that go right into the wort and I drop the sensor down those thermowells.  These control heating pads attached to each fermenter and the chamber ambient temperature is controlled by another controller that has its probe in a white lab vial with glycol



#3 positiveContact

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 07:27 AM

for carboys I do the same as you, taped to the outside covered in bubble wrap.  For big fermenters I havethermowells that go right into the wort and I drop the sensor down those thermowells.  These control heating pads attached to each fermenter and the chamber ambient temperature is controlled by another controller that has its probe in a white lab vial with glycol

 

so both of your methods I would classify as "trying to directly control the temp of the fermenting wort/beer".  I kind of wonder if just keeping the air at a constant temp might be more gentle on the yeast.  as it is I have a 1.3C threshold on when the freezer will kick on.  so this means I'm actually moving the temp of the liquid down every so often and then letting it slowly rise back up.  is this a bad thing?  or would it be better to control it indirectly and much more slowly?

 

fortunately with your heating pad method you have better continuous control b/c you don't have to worry about cycling the freezer.  as a negative it seems a little wasteful in terms of energy use ;)  oh the things we do for home brew!  :lol:


Edited by Evil_Morty, 29 September 2014 - 07:28 AM.


#4 ChicagoWaterGuy

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 07:29 AM

If you put the probe in a bottle of water, your fermentation temp can be 5 to 10 degrees higher than ambient. This might not be too bad with an ale but not good for a lager. Taped to a glass carboy with insulation over it is fine. I shoot a few degrees lower when doing it that way.



#5 positiveContact

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 07:31 AM

If you put the probe in a bottle of water, your fermentation temp can be 5 to 10 degrees higher than ambient. This might not be too bad with an ale but not good for a lager. Taped to a glass carboy with insulation over it is fine. I shoot a few degrees lower when doing it that way.

 

if the tape on thermometers are to be believed taping to the outside provides a pretty good read (at least with the way I do it).  At most the temp probe might read 1F lower than the stick on thermometer.  That's what I've been seeing on my current ferment.  I have the controller set to 63F and the highest I've seen on the stick on thermometer is 64F.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a 10F differential in my pre-ferm-control days.  +5F was pretty much the limit.  maybe some yeasts could go further - just not the ones I use I guess.

 

also - just some more data:

 

temp controller setting: 63F

typical stick on thermometer reading: 63-64F

typical air temp reading when freezer isn't running: 59-60F


Edited by Evil_Morty, 29 September 2014 - 07:33 AM.


#6 ChicagoWaterGuy

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 07:40 AM

Try measuring the center of the ferment. I recently had a batch were the ambient temp never got above 68F. A probe in the fermenter was reading 80F. I didn't measure the temp on the surface of the fermenter but I will next time.



#7 positiveContact

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 07:47 AM

Try measuring the center of the ferment. I recently had a batch were the ambient temp never got above 68F. A probe in the fermenter was reading 80F. I didn't measure the temp on the surface of the fermenter but I will next time.

 

that last peice of data is key.  i thought that during a really active ferment the liquid was kind of churning in there.  I've never fermented in a clear vessel so I've never seen it myself.



#8 Steve Urquell

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 06:35 PM

I use a digital bbq thermometer probe under foam on the fermenter. Ive dipped a thermometer in the center of the fermenting beer and read within 1 degree F of it. The fermenting beer is constantly moving so the center is never static. I used to adjust ambient on my wine fridge during ferment and found up to 10F difference was often needed to maintain the temp I wanted.I now use an stc1000 with the probe under foam on the side. Temp differential set to .3C with a 7 min compressor delay. This is much easier to keep temps where I want them than using my old ambient method.

#9 positiveContact

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Posted 30 September 2014 - 05:15 AM

I use a digital bbq thermometer probe under foam on the fermenter. Ive dipped a thermometer in the center of the fermenting beer and read within 1 degree F of it. The fermenting beer is constantly moving so the center is never static.I used to adjust ambient on my wine fridge during ferment and found up to 10F difference was often needed to maintain the temp I wanted.I now use an stc1000 with the probe under foam on the side. Temp differential set to .3C with a 7 min compressor delay. This is much easier to keep temps where I want them than using my old ambient method.

 

do you get worried that the small differential is going to wreck your fridge/freezer?



#10 denny

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Posted 30 September 2014 - 08:27 AM

I put the probe from my Ranco on the outside of the bucket, under a dry sponge.  Then duct tape over that to hold it on.  The temp on the Ranco exactly matches the Fermometer strip on the bucket, which I've already verified to be accurate. 



#11 Steve Urquell

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Posted 30 September 2014 - 03:20 PM

do you get worried that the small differential is going to wreck your fridge/freezer?

With it insulated against ambient the rise takes much longer than if it were in the air. Also, the 7min compressor delay keeps it from short cycling.

#12 djinkc

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Posted 02 October 2014 - 05:45 AM

I have a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer for each fermenter just to monitor temperature.  The probe is in a thermowell.  The AC is switched by a STC-1000.  That probe is in a themowell sitting in an old White Labs container.  I think the delay is set at 10 minutes and the swing is around 3 df.  It took a little fiddling but it keeps fermentation temperatures where I want.



#13 Beerbecue

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Posted 02 October 2014 - 02:07 PM

I just stick my Ranco probe under the fermenter. Like this--

Posted Image



#14 ChefLamont

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Posted 06 October 2014 - 11:37 AM

Attached to the side under a piece of foam insulation.




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