Tempmate Probe Location

[jmarkey]

G'day all

Been reading up where the best position to locate your TempMate probe in the fridge would be..Well, I have chucked my probe in a glass of sugared water next to my fermenter and I was wondering whether this will affect the probe over a period of time or would it be advisable to get a purpose built submersible probe??? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers

 

[raven19]

There are a number of threads on this very topic iirc.

Personally, I just tape mine to the fermentor wall.

You can use a keg tip tube and seal the end with silicon, then use it as a sheath inside your fermentor to house your probe.

 

[gava]

I tape mind directly to the vat with some insulation.. i.e. small bit of foam so it gets the vat temp and not the ambient temp of the fridge.

like this. it might look like its in the middle of the foam but its not.. its touching the vat.
NOTE: in this picture i DID have the tempmate in the top with a thermowell but I got the same readings off the side..

 

[opposition]

I use an elastic band around the fermenter and this holds the probe to it perfectly.

 

[jmarkey]

G'day Gava

Thanks for that. For the moment I will do as you suggested and tape the probe + insulation to the side of the fermenter (if the same reading as on top of the lid) as see how that goes. I might then do the direct injection method (probe into the wort) and do a comparison (got to get one of those USB logger thingymajigs). But if the constant water exposure to the probe was going to damage the unit or create erroneous readings of the temperature readings, then the external method is the right way to go.

Thanks again + to all the other responders to my question

Magnum

I tape mind directly to the vat with some insulation.. i.e. small bit of foam so it gets the vat temp and not the ambient temp of the fridge.

like this. it might look like its in the middle of the foam but its not.. its touching the vat.
NOTE: in this picture i DID have the tempmate in the top with a thermowell but I got the same readings off the side..

 

[gava]

I've done the comparison.. I got a beer diptube cut it in half, sealed one end (made a thermowell) and put that directly into the wort then slid my probe into it. this is what you can see in the picture above.. the gray cord is my tempmate probe going down into the thermowell which is directly in the wort and the white one on the side of the vat is a fridge themometer. the outside reading V's the inside was about 1/2 degree difference (MAX).. not enough to worry about..

G'day Gava

Thanks for that. For the moment I will do as you suggested and tape the probe + insulation to the side of the fermenter (if the same reading as on top of the lid) as see how that goes. I might then do the direct injection method (probe into the wort) and do a comparison (got to get one of those USB logger thingymajigs). But if the constant water exposure to the probe was going to damage the unit or create erroneous readings of the temperature readings, then the external method is the right way to go.

Thanks again + to all the other responders to my question

Magnum

 

[lonte]

I've done the comparison.. I got a beer diptube cut it in half, sealed one end (made a thermowell) and put that directly into the wort then slid my probe into it. this is what you can see in the picture above.. the gray cord is my tempmate probe going down into the thermowell which is directly in the wort and the white one on the side of the vat is a fridge themometer. the outside reading V's the inside was about 1/2 degree difference (MAX).. not enough to worry about..

I'm guessing this is some time into the ferment once it's all had a chance to equalise. If you place the wort in the fridge above your intended fermentation temp you'd have to expect the probe on the outside to initially read lower as the cold air chills the wort from the outside toward the centre.

Any feel for what rate the equilibrium proceeds at?

 

[gava]

I thought it would have been different between the middle and the side also.. but i was surprised that through out the ferment (when I checked) the temps were nearly spot on the same as I said they were around 1/2 degree out if that.. so in my mind less equipment in the wort can only be good.. hence why i now only use the probe on the side of the vat WITH insulation around it..

EDIT: when the wort went in the vat the side and middle temps didn't have a great difference still only 1/2c out.. feel free to do your own tests..

 

[lonte]

I thought it would have been different between the middle and the side also.. but i was surprised that through out the ferment (when I checked) the temps were nearly spot on the same as I said they were around 1/2 degree out if that.. so in my mind less equipment in the wort can only be good.. hence why i now only use the probe on the side of the vat WITH insulation around it..

EDIT: when the wort went in the vat the side and middle temps didn't have a great difference still only 1/2c out.. feel free to do your own tests..

Interesting ... maybe some thermal currents are created and move the wort around to equalise?

 

[gava]

thats what one of my mates said might be happening.. dont know the science behind it but it worked so i was happy