Controlling crown urn with STC1000/PID

[Chris7]

Hi all,

I am currently in the process of upgrading my BIAB system to have recirc etc. I am looking to have either an STC or PID to control mash temps with the urn. Will this be ok to do? I have done a bit of research, and it seems that it should be ok to do but some people seem to be suggesting using a relay with the STC as to not overwork it. Would an STC be fine? Or would a PID with the ramp/soak and relay just simply be the better option from the get go? My FIL is a licensed sparky so the wiring side of it is not an issue. Also, the idea would be to have the urns thermostat set to full all the time and be purely controlled by one of the above.

Thanks in advance.

 

[going down a hill]

I have an stc controlling / reading the temp of my mash in a crown 40l urn. My old man is a sparky and when he wired it up for me he put a relay in it just in case it couldn't handle the load, even though it's rated to do so.

I love being able to have a readout of the temp in the middle of a mash when you walk past it. Makes my inner geek very happy.

 

[tateg]

St100 will need a relay other wise it will overheat. Obviously only need a relay on the hot side

 

[Camo6]

I ran two stc1000's for my hlt and herms. Never had an issue, both still work fine. One ran a 2400W element the other 2200w. Mind you the 2400w would be drawing 10a so you're running them at there maximum recommended current draw.
Have now switched to pids and while I've gained a slight increase in accuracy, the ramp/soak function is the real winner.
I only used the stc's while I built my controller but knew they'd have plenty of use around the brewery controlling fermentors/kegerators/starters etc.

 

[seamad]

If you are like most brewers then no doubt down the track you will be looking for improvements or upgrades so I'd go straight for the ramp/soak PID, it's probably where you'll end up anyway.

 

[squirt in the turns]

I ran two stc1000's for my hlt and herms. Never had an issue, both still work fine. One ran a 2400W element the other 2200w. Mind you the 2400w would be drawing 10a so you're running them at there maximum recommended current draw.
Have now switched to pids and while I've gained a slight increase in accuracy, the ramp/soak function is the real winner.
I only used the stc's while I built my controller but knew they'd have plenty of use around the brewery controlling fermentors/kegerators/starters etc.

+1
I run my HLT (2400 W Crown urn) on one and have never seen any indication of overheating.

 

[Chris7]

Thank you very much everyone for your responses!

I am thinking it would be wise to perhaps go with the PID+relay as down the track I am sure I will be looking to upgrade and if that is going to make it easier in the long run then why not.
If I do go with the STC however, I will put a relay in as I tend to err on the side of caution.

There are no detrimental affects on the urns from controlling them through PID/STC?

 

[tateg]

+1
I run my HLT (2400 W Crown urn) on one and have never seen any indication of overheating.

I used one with my crown urn and after about 4 or 5 brews it just stopped working, I opened it up and the hot output was melted quite badly. If u want something similar go with the keg king controller as it is rated at 16 amps.

I was also using it for a recirc biab setup

 

[Chris7]

I have a keg king temp controller that I use for fermenting. I tried it with the urn but I found it's reaction time to be very slow while the temp was ramping up, and it also started to get inaccurate at the higher temps. Not sure if others have had these issues at all?

 

[Chris7]

I have an stc controlling / reading the temp of my mash in a crown 40l urn. My old man is a sparky and when he wired it up for me he put a relay in it just in case it couldn't handle the load, even though it's rated to do so.

I love being able to have a readout of the temp in the middle of a mash when you walk past it. Makes my inner geek very happy.

Do you also recirculate in the urn? If so, how do you find it?

 

[going down a hill]

Do you also recirculate in the urn? If so, how do you find it?

Nope the next thing on my list is an aeration kit, then I might look into recirculation.

 

[Chris7]

Ah ok. And the temp seems to be pretty consistent for you? I think aeration will be my next splurge too.

 

[going down a hill]

Ah ok. And the temp seems to be pretty consistent for you? I think aeration will be my next splurge too.

I do infusion mashing so the mash only stays at any single temp on average for 20-30 so I don't have any issues in keeping the temp stable. But when I did single infusion mashing it was stable through insulation.

Sorry for the late reply, i haven't been near much internet lately.

 

[Chris7]

No worries at all, mate.

Cheers for the reply.

 

[takai]

I use a REX C-100 with a Pt100 sensor for my BIAB mash:

Uses a 40A SSR and a heatsink to keep it cool when pushing the max amps through the heater circuit. Popped the volt/ammeter on there for fun too.
Oh and that is supposedly connected to a 2400w 10A heating element... Headspace in your calculations is critical.

I do recirculation in my mash, and it rarely has to heat. That is more down to the insulation rather than the heating control.

 

[droid]

I have a keg king temp controller that I use for fermenting. I tried it with the urn but I found it's reaction time to be very slow while the temp was ramping up, and it also started to get inaccurate at the higher temps. Not sure if others have had these issues at all?

Hey mate did you have your KK's delay at "0" ?
Mine is set up as per the u-tube clip for this unit and the advice on there is for a 2 minute delay on heating and cooling for fridge ferments - so as to not constantly switch things on. but I have sometimes forgotten to switch it back to zero delay when controlling the HLT temp sometimes and as a result the temp creeps up during that 2 min delay

 

[Chris7]

I don't recall what I had it on to be honest when I first did it, but I did a test again on the weekend and had the sensor coming out of the recirc tube (which I did not have last time) and then measured with my other thermometer and they were pretty well the same so may have just been inconsistencies in the heat distribution in the mash. But the good news is I have placed my order at Auberins tonight and have an SYL-2352 on it's way. Cannot wait!

 

[Yob]

St100 will need a relay other wise it will overheat.

**** really? My system must be a freak of electronics.. Never overhead once. No additional relays. 1 running my hex and one running the hlt.

 

[tateg]

**** really? My system must be a freak of electronics.. Never overhead once. No additional relays. 1 running my hex and one running the hlt.

yep crown urn severely melted the hot side on the st100. Maybe I had a dodgy one

 

[Yob]

I run a birko off one as my HEX..