Kegking Temp Controller

[BlackRat]

I have recently purchased a kegking temp controller (link here) although mine is for heating AND cooling, however i cant work out how to set it to maintain the temp.

I have a low temp value (between -45 and 10), a high temp value (between 0 and 120) a temp hysteresis, a delay, a temp calibration and an operation switch delay time.

All i want to do is set the fridge to 18 degrees.

I had thought i would set the low to 17 and the high to 19 however the low only goes to 10 degrees.

Anyone able to give me some help?

Cheers,
BlackRat.

 

[Kleiny]

says it all in the instruction download under the pic in the link you posted

 

[poppa joe]

There is an Instruction Manual on that site ..If you dont have one..
Download it..It may help you.
PJ

 

[BlackRat]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice on the manual, i actually have it in front of me, hence why i knew the temp ranges and program options.

My question was more aimed at what settings i should set to ensure a constant temp of 18 degrees.

As i said, there are 11 different values to set (high, low, hysteresis, delay, calibration, etc)

If anyone else has the same or a similar unit, some explanation of the values would be of benefit.

The manual doesn't go into depth as to what these values do and how they affect the operation of the unit.

BlackRat

 

[matho]

you mentioned the unit is for heating AND cooling except you linked to a unit that is for heating or cooling, does your unit have separate relays for heating and cooling? if so I would imagine the settings would be different, if it doesn't have separate relays but one like the unit you linked too then one will be on when the other is off so as soon as the fridge has stopped cooling the heat will be turned on to heat, which would mean your fridge would be working harder than it should be.

cheers

 

[kario]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice on the manual, i actually have it in front of me, hence why i knew the temp ranges and program options.

My question was more aimed at what settings i should set to ensure a constant temp of 18 degrees.

As i said, there are 11 different values to set (high, low, hysteresis, delay, calibration, etc)

If anyone else has the same or a similar unit, some explanation of the values would be of benefit.

The manual doesn't go into depth as to what these values do and how they affect the operation of the unit.

BlackRat

Do you have Heating set up as well? Or are you just using a fridge?

The manual IS a little confusing....it mentions a "Set point" but then there is no mention of it in the Values table. You're just going to have to experiment.

The highest and lowest temp settings may be a fail-safe of some sort.

I would start by setting the "Set point" to your desired ferment temp (18degC) and leave everything else at factory settings. Perhaps just change the E3 Temp differential to something lower, say 1deg. See how it behaves. Should turn your fridge on at 19degC and off again at 18degC.

 

[BlackRat]

Ok after some playing around i think i have worked it out.

My unit can switch between heating and cooling (ie only powers one at a time) so i don think it will have any impact on fridge performance.

I will trial it with the Dr's Golden Ale in an hour or so once the wort has cooled to pitching temps.

Cheers,
BlackRat.

 

[roller997]

BlackRat,
Just asking what you were using for heating? Obviously with one of these controllers if the ambient temperature drops below your desired low point (10 degrees) a fridge by itself isn't going to heat to keep it at that temperature so you would need a heater.

I would suggest it wouldn't be all that good to turn on a heater at 17 degrees and the fridge at 18 degrees as that would continuously hit those values and your power bill would be quite considerable while also stressing the fridge and reducing its life. The simplest way would be to keep the fridge inside at temperatures above 18 degrees, or brew during the warmer months in which case your high point will keep the temperature at that temperature.

Calibration would be set once you know if the unit is accurate at measuring the temperature - Leave that set to 0 as the default unless you have done testing to establish if the sensor is reading too high or too low.
Delay is important for the fridge to not be turned on over and over again as temperatures varies slightly and it is there to protect your fridge - Leave it at the default.
Temperature differential - Not sure - I would leave it at the preset default value
Low temperature limit - Can't set it higher than 10, so it may not serve your purpose but even if you can set it higher, I wouldn't set it too close to your high temp limit. To remove this limitation you could brew when the weather is warm or if the fridge is inside in a room where the temperature doesn't drop below your high temperature limit
High temperature limit - Set this at the max temp you want the fridge to be at for your fermentation. It is likely that the fermentation might overshoot a bit more in the early stages but I am sure you will have your temperatures a lot closer to 18 degrees throughout the fermentation than anyone without a fridge.

 

[Maheel]

dont you leave the E values alone and just press "set" press up or down to get to 18 and away it goes ?

maybe change E3 to 1 so it temp sways 1 deg ?

and only change the calibration once you test the probe with a temp gauge you know is "accurate"


i would ignore the heating end of things for now if your using a fridge (depending if your ambient is above 18 mostly)