Placement Of Temp Probe For Tempmate

[Phoney]

However - if you tape the probe to the fermenter. The controller switches the fridge on and drives the temperature of the actual fermenter down to 19 & then let's it warm up to 20. So while you are still averaging 20 - you are actually forcing your beer temp to sine wave over a range of 2 degree to do it.

While this is true, and I usually set my hysteresis at .5C also... I would remain very sceptical that a 1C (or even 2C) fluctuation in fermentation temperatures would have any noticeable effects on either an ale or a lager in the finished product compared to an equal one which was brewed with no temperature variation at all.

What are your thoughts or opinions on this?

 

[drsmurto]

Just to add another opinion to this debate, i have my probe taped loosely to the fermenter. The probe isn't completely covered by the single piece of duct tape.

Whilst i understand what TB has said about cycling, i set the delay time to the maximum 9 minutes such that the tempmate does not switch on the heatpad or fridge immediately when it detects a drop or rise in temperature outside the range (+/- 0.5 C).

In theory, if you don't open the door every few hours you shouldn't get the cycling of the temperature.

EDIT - grammar

 

[niggles]

Hi guys, agree with most of the commentary above. There's a bit more detail from my experiments in this post [post="411990"]here[/post]

 

[jakub76]

I set the variance on my stc1000 to 0.3 degrees, I reckon that's a pretty small swing. If you threw your 25c fermenter into your fridge and just measured the air temp I don't reckon your wort temp would match the air temp for days, and it's those first days that are the most important to have your temp controlled. My 2cents

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I like the "loosely" attached to the fermenter idea... Sort of measuring the air temp in very close proximity to the fermenter... Indeed a bit from both camps and probably a great solution. You would only get the "full" swing I was talking about in a situation where teh probe was taped to the fermenter and insulated from the fridges ambient temp.

0.5 degree hysteresis?? Geeze, either I have misunderstood (very possible) the instructions on my fridge mate, or the unit which i kind of thought was the default temp controller for fermentation fridges, has a range that's 4 times that big. Minimum of one degree in either direction. So a set temp of 16 allows 17 and switches the fridge on at 18 - visa versa for low. So a full 2 degrees. Is it the controller? Or is it that I don't know how to use it?

I do think 2 degrees is way too much and I suspect you could tell... Not good enough for me. I'm good with a total range of 1 if that's what you can get... But that's where I'd draw the line.

Interesting these ones, the more often this particular topic comes up, the more I learn.

Thanks

 

[felten]

I could swear I've seen mine turn on before it drops a full degree, maybe the unit can measure the temp in decimals but doesn't display it?

or maybe I'm imagining things

btw TB, the tempmate does measure in decimals, I assumed thats what some people were using.

 

[drsmurto]

I have one of those cheap tempmate ebay knockoffs and am fairly sure i can set the differential to +/- 0.5C. I would assume the more expensive tempmate has a similar capability.

How accurate that is is an entirely different thread and I have a mercury thermometer sitting in a 500mL erlenmeyer flask to get a better idea of the temperature of the fridge. Combine that with a stick on thermometer on the fermenter and the temperature reading of the 'tempmate' and i am probably more confused as to what the temperature is that i am measuring..... I like to think it's relatively constant.

The standard fridgemate (which i use to run the keg fridge) only has a +/- 1C differential.

 

[warra48]

I don't know about the Fridgemate, but the TempMate definitely has a + or- .5C difference.

Mine is on the side of my fermenter, but it's there pretty loosely, and is not totally isolated from the air temperature in the fridge.
That seems to cover the best of both worlds.

 

[cdbrown]

STC-1000 from ebay measures in decimals. Fridgemate is whole degree. I prefer the STC-1000 now that I've got one.

I have mine taped to the side of the fermenter without trying to insulate it. Free air measurements rely solely on the correct placement of the probe otherwise the fermenter can easily be a few degrees higher than you want without triggering the controller. Also opening the fridge would probably cause the the controller to switch on even though the fermenter temp hadn't actually changed. A fridge with a good fan running all the time would be the way to go if measuring air temp.

 

[PhilA]

symthony1975
I have a long stainless steel probe from my fridgemate that goes thru a gromet in the lid of the fermenter, because it will read the temp of the wort not the air inside of your fermenting fridge , when your yeast is fermenting the temp can be up to 10 degrees warmer in the fermenter than the fridge air , it's the wort you want to keep at a constant temperture . That's what i do anyway it work's for me :icon_chickcheers:
Cheers Phil