Any best practices? I’ve read about wrapping in a thin towel, bubble wrap, etc. I’m using a Speidel fermenter and would like to place the sensor on the side of the fermenter.
I taped it to the side of the bucket with paper towel insulation a coupel times then just got tired of removing, adjusting, and having it fall off I went back to having it hanging near the fermenters. I keep my set point a couple degrees below my target to account for yeast activity and it seems to work pretty well.
I like the bubble wrap technique when I don’t use a thermowell.
So are you wrapping the probe in the bubble wrap? I would think the probe would be best utilized touching the fermenter.
the probe touched the fermenter, tape or strap bubble wrap over it to hold it against the side and insulate it from the air temp somewhat.
Got it, thanks.
+1. What I do.
I put an old sponge over the probe and duct tape it to the fermenter. Primitve and effective.
I use a square of the rigid insulation, cut groove in it facing the primary, bungee it and slide the probe into the groove, very accurate readings
I use some styrofoam. I just saved a chunk from the last big item we bought for my kids and cut chunks off when I need it? I used a drill bit to carve a small groove out by hand that will almost but not quite fully fit the temp probe so the probe will touch the fermenter. Works well and allows me to reuse something before recycling it. I use the same technique for my kegs and fermenters.
Mine are taped to styrofoam and the other side faces the wall. A computer case-fan wired up to an old phone charger runs constantly circulating the air. I have not found the need to place the probe against the fermenter even at the peak of fermentation. I have tried it both ways, measuring the temp of the beer and surrounding air and it has been the same with my analog and digital controllers.
I’ve been testing w. a piece of bubble tape today and I seem to be chasing the temp. all over the place.
I use a chunk of blue yoga mat held on with blue painters tape. Its a blue thing.
how cold is it there right now? or ever really? I’m not sure you need the heat and it sounds like it’s making in more complicated than it needs to be. what if you just use the cooling side?
I’m not really using the heat side. Nothing plugged in and now I have it set much lower so effectively that will never kick on.
Although I have the probe taped to the fermenter and covered w. bubble tape, I am getting the following…
Kicks on at 66.2 degrees, runs for 2 minutes or so and kicks off once it drops below 65. It will go down to 63 or so and slowly start to raise again. It takes about 25 minutes for it to kick back on.
Obviously this isn’t the water temp inside my fermenter that is floating around this much. I’m ok with that as long as the water temp remains somewhat constant. Is this normal for a chest freezer setup like this to have to run this often?
Temperature-wise you have something that is static (water) while the beer will be dynamic during the attenuation phase. It will behave a bit differently I think.
Depending on he season and what’s happening inside the freezer could kick on fairly often which is still ok. Your controller should have some short cycle avoidance feature.
Test runs are cool but the real test will be a fermentation run.
I’m wondering if just measuring air temp would be easier and assume (or test) for the difference between the beer and the air. IMO, after 72 hours or so the beer is very stable in temp. I could plan on a lower setting during the first few days.
It’s what I do.
A guy over at Reddit responded that you should use sand…interesting stuff, transcript below.
“I worked in a research lab and in a commercial lab in my previous job and the standard was to put the temp sensor in a jar surrounded by sand. Taping to the wall will give you artificial high and low readings. Submerging in water will give you possibly an idea of what the brew temp is but many times chest freezers over shoot and end up over cooling due to the fact that it takes a while to cool water down.
For best results use a probe in a plastic wrap surrounded by sand”