Tempmate Going Spastic

[Phoney]

Ive had my tempmate for nearly 2 years now, and it's been running smoothly all this time. Except lately for the past month or two it often jumps around by about .7C.

I strap it to the side of my fermenter and insulate with a square cut out of foam. This particular batch I have on now has been sitting on for 10 days and it's now time for the diacetyl rest. This morning - it's doing it again, jumping around all over the place. Turning it off and turning it back on doesnt seem to fix it.

The only way I can get it to not turn the heat belt on & off again and again is to set the temperature difference from .5C up to 1C.

I took a video on my phone this morning to show:



Anyone else seen this before? Is it going to wear it out?

Suggestions? Ross?

 

[Bribie G]

I don't have a TM I have a Fridgemate and when it's "on the cusp" of a desired temp it will normally flash 20 -21 -20 -21 -20 (for example) until it settles down to the 20 - maybe it's just a cusp thing. Edit: normally you would completely miss that, unless you are a temperature fetishist and sit for hours looking at it. Perhaps you just caught it at that moment and haven't seen it do it before.

 

[potof4x]

Phoney I had same drama with the dancing temp mate while I was taping probe to side of Fermentor. Put it down to condenstion from the walls of the ferm getting into the probe.

Now I am running up to 4 fermentors in the one fridge and suspending the probe in free air. The tempmate did go back to holding a stable temp eventually.

 

[Eater]

Can you adjust the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteresis of the unit? It may just be set to finely to allow for correct rise and fall without constant interfered adjustment ( i know rise and fall sounds hideous in a temp controlled environment, but in a fridge it will happen)

 

[Phoney]

I don't have a TM I have a Fridgemate and when it's "on the cusp" of a desired temp it will normally flash 20 -21 -20 -21 -20 (for example) until it settles down to the 20 - maybe it's just a cusp thing. Edit: normally you would completely miss that, unless you are a temperature fetishist and sit for hours looking at it. Perhaps you just caught it at that moment and haven't seen it do it before.

I dont think so, it dances around like that sometimes for hours. As I said it's only started doing this recently..

although, i've come from work and it's now sitting steady.

Phoney I had same drama with the dancing temp mate while I was taping probe to side of Fermentor. Put it down to condenstion from the walls of the ferm getting into the probe.

Im thinking this is what it probably is.

Eater; No idea about hysteresis.. i'll look into it!

Cheers.

 

[KillerRx4]

Sounds familiar.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=614725