Stc 1000 Questions

[Chiro]

I've got a mate who's a live linesman to wire up my STC 1000.

He's going to wire it into a box as a separate unit. He wasn't sure what you do with the original thermostat in the fridge. So do you turn it right down or disable it somehow?

Also he wasn't sure where to drill through the fridge to put the sensor. Is there a certain spot to dill this hole with out buggering something?

Thanks

 

[raven19]

Yes turn the fridge right down so the STC does the work for you.

Re - holes in fridges. Every fridge and freezer is different. On my old fridge I drilled a small pilot hole thru the inner skin only first. then used a screwdrive to poke the foam behind it to make sure no gas lines, etc were there, then proceeded to drill all the way thru to the outer wall.

However I did the above for my gas line in. The sensor's wire should be ok thru the door seal (not great visually though), or put them both thru the same hole.

 

[Maheel]

turn fridge right down = turn fridge to the coldest setting

 

[Chiro]

Thanks guys.

raven19: He mentioned I could put the sensor behind the seal but not professional enough for me. I'll do what you did.

Can't wait to start brewing again. It's been to hot up here.

Cheers

 

[komodo]

got a drain at the back for the defrost function? most of these are easily big enough to send the sensor wire through without affecting the drains function

 

[Chiro]

got a drain at the back for the defrost function? most of these are easily big enough to send the sensor wire through without affecting the drains function

Possibly mate. I'll have a look.

 

[Chiro]

One more quick Q. gents.

This fridge will be used solely for fermenting. My mate and I were thinking we only need the cooling part of the temp controller wired as I was only thinking about brewing in summer. I was just thinking if it's the middle of winter and temps are lower than that I brew at will I need the heating aspect wired up? Doing both heating and cooling is no problem just not sure if I need the heating part?

Thanks

 

[stux]

One more quick Q. gents.

This fridge will be used solely for fermenting. My mate and I were thinking we only need the cooling part of the temp controller wired as I was only thinking about brewing in summer. I was just thinking if it's the middle of winter and temps are lower than that I brew at will I need the heating aspect wired up? Doing both heating and cooling is no problem just not sure if I need the heating part?

Thanks

If you don't plan on using a heating elemnt, you don't need to wire up the heating side. In which case the easiest way to wireup an STC is to cut an extension cord in half and run that into a box with the STC and connect it up.

BUT the heating side is good!

I would recommend wiring it up, and one day, when you're brewing in winter, you can just wrap a heatbelt around your fermenter and connect it up

 

[seemax]

If you're bothering to wire it up you might as well cater for both.

Run 2 female plugs from the heat and cool lines... plug you fridge in and when you have a heater or lamp just plug it in.

 

[Edak]

I used a 40w globe under the platform where my fermenter sits. It adds the right amount of heat in a short period of time, plus it is cheap!
Just make sure you mask off the area with some cardboard or something so that you don't have too much light shining on your brew. Heat goes through cardboard easy and the air heats up more evenly rather than applying heat to the brew in one spot.

It also means you don't have to fiddle with a band.

 

[Rob S]

I run the temp probe cable just through the door then put it on the side of the fermenter, cover it surgeons high density foam then Farrah tape it there.

 

[Deebo]

One more quick Q. gents.

This fridge will be used solely for fermenting. My mate and I were thinking we only need the cooling part of the temp controller wired as I was only thinking about brewing in summer. I was just thinking if it's the middle of winter and temps are lower than that I brew at will I need the heating aspect wired up? Doing both heating and cooling is no problem just not sure if I need the heating part?

Thanks

Heating side is handy for preheating strike water in conjunction with an element/electrical timer if you think you might ever use it for that.

 

[Chiro]

Ok lads.I'll hood the heating up as well.

Thanks again :beer:

 

[banora brewer]

Just wondering what size wire connectors you use?

 

[Yob]

fairly bog standard electrical connectors

there is another thread on these, the photo above was from THIS topic

 

[alfadog]

Just wondering what size wire connectors you use?

You can always use BP connectors, I prefer them as there are less screws to come loose and cause a fire burning down my man cave

 

[NickB]

With 10A running through them, you'd want to be using 2.5mm cable. Anything smaller likely won't handle the current constantly and may melt under load.

Cheers

 

[banora brewer]

With 10A running through them, you'd want to be using 2.5mm cable. Anything smaller likely won't handle the current constantly and may melt under load.

Cheers

They guy from jaycar said to use the heat shrink connectors, are they ok?

 

[alfadog]

They guy from jaycar said to use the heat shrink connectors, are they ok?

Probably not though if you plan on soldering your joints then you can insulate them with heat shrink.

Can probably get some cheap 240V rated connectors at your local hardware warehouse.

 

[NickB]

Would agree with alfadog that BPs are the best option, otherwise I'd go a terminal block. Not a huge fan of soldering as I think it stresses the cable too much, and risks damaging the insulation. Just make sure if you're using anything with screws, that they are done up as tightly as possible. Also consider getting a qualified person to look over your work before you plug it in, as they should be able to test the earthing and insulation resistance of your install, as well as polarity (to see if you've hooked everything up correctly!)

Cheers