Temperature Controller Installation

[smilinggilroy]

Hi All,
Have picked up an old fridge to convert into a fermenting fridge (much needed right now).
Have intentions of purchasing a temperature controller from evilbay, an stc1000 or similar.
Most of the searches on this site wire them in a box and patch between the wall socket and the fridge power plug.
This turns the fridge on and off as if it was being switch on and off at the power point, I thought this is not good for a fridge.
Would it be better off wiring it in to replace the original thermostat?
Has any one done this or has any advice on this method??
Any ideas?
YES I do know the perils and dangers of 240V as I do have experience working with it.
TIA
Cheers

 

[Brown_hound]

Hi All,
Have picked up an old fridge to convert into a fermenting fridge (much needed right now).
Have intentions of purchasing a temperature controller from evilbay, an stc1000 or similar.
Most of the searches on this site wire them in a box and patch between the wall socket and the fridge power plug.
This turns the fridge on and off as if it was being switch on and off at the power point, I thought this is not good for a fridge.
Would it be better off wiring it in to replace the original thermostat?
Has any one done this or has any advice on this method??
Any ideas?
YES I do know the perils and dangers of 240V as I do have experience working with it.
TIA
Cheers

It is basically overriding the thermostat..

The STC-1000 is a great little beast as it has a built in compressor delay function- so as to not cause any harm to your fridge... Genius.

 

[Brown_hound]

So sorry,

To answer your question more directly, it isn't really like turning the power point on and off.

Hope this helps mate..

 

[browndog]

Hi All,
Have picked up an old fridge to convert into a fermenting fridge (much needed right now).
Have intentions of purchasing a temperature controller from evilbay, an stc1000 or similar.
Most of the searches on this site wire them in a box and patch between the wall socket and the fridge power plug.
This turns the fridge on and off as if it was being switch on and off at the power point, I thought this is not good for a fridge.
Would it be better off wiring it in to replace the original thermostat?
Has any one done this or has any advice on this method??
Any ideas?
YES I do know the perils and dangers of 240V as I do have experience working with it.
TIA
Cheers

There is nothing at all wrong with the way they operate the fridge turning it on and off, it happens quite infrequently and they have a compressor delay function you can use if you are a bit paraniod about it. Guys on here have had these controllers running their fermenting fridges and chest freezers for years with no problems. I'm unfamiliar with the specs of the stc1000, but I recommend you take a look at the mashmaster fridgemate or craftbrewer tempmate as these units can also be used for heating in winter.

cheers

Browndog

 

[woodwormm]

Brown Hound is on the money completely...

stc1000's are awesome bits of kit for the dollars i love em, i'll use one for my next kegerator setup, the current one is fridge thermostat in a chest freezer..... i digress

basically they protect the fridge from 'sudden' re-starts by using a compressor delay. if it switches the fridge off, then even if the temp changes again instantly it will wait the prescribed compressor delay before re starting the fridge... it's preset at 3 minutes and is variable between 1 and 10 minutes, i left mine at 3....

anyways they're great, as per molly meldrum, do yourself a favour...

 

[DU99]

i just given a fridge give to me,mininum setting is 12degree..all the controller will do for me is raise the temp a few degrees.no more bottles of frozen water and wet towels..also some fridges have the thermostat cabling concealed..

 

[browndog]

Brown Hound is on the money completely...

stc1000's are awesome bits of kit for the dollars i love em, i'll use one for my next kegerator setup, the current one is fridge thermostat in a chest freezer..... i digress

basically they protect the fridge from 'sudden' re-starts by using a compressor delay. if it switches the fridge off, then even if the temp changes again instantly it will wait the prescribed compressor delay before re starting the fridge... it's preset at 3 minutes and is variable between 1 and 10 minutes, i left mine at 3....

anyways they're great, as per molly meldrum, do yourself a favour...

Do they have a heating function?

 

[Brown_hound]

There is nothing at all wrong with the way they operate the fridge turning it on and off, it happens quite infrequently and they have a compressor delay function you can use if you are a bit paraniod about it. Guys on here have had these controllers running their fermenting fridges and chest freezers for years with no problems. I'm unfamiliar with the specs of the stc1000, but I recommend you take a look at the mashmaster fridgemate or craftbrewer tempmate as these units can also be used for heating in winter.

cheers

Browndog

Hey there fellow brown canine...

The STC-1000 is the dual model with both heating and cooling outputs.

Surely one of the sponsors has these badboys?

As for fridge life, I'd imagine an extended life due to the compressor being used less... On, off less often- less wear and tear...


Hound.

 

[browndog]

Hey there fellow brown canine...

The STC-1000 is the dual model with both heating and cooling outputs.

Surely one of the sponsors has these badboys?

As for fridge life, I'd imagine an extended life due to the compressor being used less... On, off less often- less wear and tear...


Hound.

A very usefull function for brewing mid winter. Can't say I've ever seen a sponsor stocking those models though.

woof.

 

[Brown_hound]

A very usefull function for brewing mid winter. Can't say I've ever seen a sponsor stocking those models though.

woof.

Woof.


Just looked it up, they're selling them through mashmaster.. Two birds and one stone...

 

[woodwormm]

i've never seen a sponsor with them either

i do try and be a bit ethical and spend as much of my beer money as i can at my local HBS but sometimes you have to shop by dollars alone and the STC1000 is a BARGAIN.

i would've thought by now a sponsor would've figured a bulk buy and got em cheaper?!

 

[DU99]

you wonder why no LHB Chain hasn't bought them in bulk..

 

[matr]

This is how I wired one in a freezer. Shouldn't be much different. I wired it like this because it is neat.

Linky

Cheers, Mat.

 

[Brown_hound]

you wonder why no LHB Chain hasn't bought them in bulk..

Have often wondered the same thing!

As they're obviously generic units (presumably) Chinese made, and then rebadged for sale here...

 

[Gopha]

Hi, The STC-1000 works perfectly, so long as your load does not exceed 10amps. Have been using one for two years now.
Spares temp probes are available @$5.00 each plus $2.00 postage. Cheers

 

[Peteoz77]

Mashematics has them as well... I bought two from them and I LOVE them!


http://www.mashematics.net/index.php?optio...3&Itemid=53

 

[Brown_hound]

This is how I wired one in a freezer. Shouldn't be much different. I wired it like this because it is neat.

Linky

Cheers, Mat.

Very very clever..

Mate are you a sparkie? If not I'll throw my apprentice out the window and you've got a job..

A freckle more on the more technical side though, and re-running cables back out of the fridge for the heating appliance will undo all that hard work in keeping it neat..

For the purpose of this thread, keeping it as a separate unit from the appliance(s) it's being used to control would be the simpler option..

Also, different fridges, different colour coding on their internal wiring..


Job brilliantly done though, fantastic!

 

[woodwormm]

Mashematics has them as well... I bought two from them and I LOVE them!


http://www.mashematics.net/index.php?optio...3&Itemid=53

don't wanna kill anyone's fun but they only 25 bucks on ebay, free postage!

 

[Brown_hound]

don't wanna kill anyone's fun but they only 25 bucks on ebay, free postage!

Whisper--- Sponsors? :lol:

Hmmm... I wonder where they source them from? :lol:

 

[Peteoz77]

don't wanna kill anyone's fun but they only 25 bucks on ebay, free postage!

When I saw them they were like $28 dollars and I got mine at a discount. The "Shop" is 10 minutes drive from my place, so I get them immediately, and spent a fair bit less than the cost on the web site...

Mashmaster is a bit pricey... but not when you look at what it does and how long it should last you. But yeah, Ebay has the lowest price I have seen.