I have been looking into the best placement options for the probe on this unit I recently bought for temperature control. http://www.thermofix.co.uk/epages/e...ctPath=/Shops/es139357/Categories/Beer_Making As it comes with a plastic coated sensor, I assume it is waterproof and I can put it straight into the fermenting wort. However, it seems many people prefer to tape probes to the side of the fermenter instead. I am a bit unclear what the advantage of this would be-is it for safety issues? Or is keeping it in the wort likely to damage the probe over time? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/poll-fermentation-chamber-temperature-probe-placement-185724/
I would not assume the probe is waterproof. Putting it in your wort my damage it, plus you have some sanitation issues. The safest approach is to have a stainless steel "thermowell" immersed in the wort that your probe fits into. This solves the water-damage/sanitation issue. Search Google for "thermowell" and some options. The tricky part is to make sure the diameter of the probe fits the thermowell. Taping the probe to the side and insulating is not quite as accurate as the thermowell, but it's close. Most (me) people do this because it's so easy and the results work just fine. A caution: if you put your probe into the wort (via thermowell), you run the risk of "over controlling" your temps. It takes a long time (hours) to change the temp of five gallons of wort one degree. A common approach is to control the temp of the air in your ferm fridge, usually with a differential of 6 or 8 degrees. Regardless of which way you go, it makes sense to test your equipment with a primary full of water and get a feel for your system before you introduce any wort. Respect your beer.
Yep. What he said. Go the thremowell route if you are going to probe inside. I have my "Johnson probe" (sounds dirty) insulated to the outside. An advantage of thermowell is you are reading the actual temp of beer. With the probe outside, you are reading the temp of the beer closest to the wall of fermenter, which is a little lower than the beer in the center of the fermenter since yeast generate heat. I normally go a degree or 2 lower for the first few days to compensate. I have never did side by sides, but my beer is great and I have absolutely no problems replicating results, so I am confident in what I do.
Hi, thanks for the input. I was hoping to avoid the thermowell route as I am in the UK and I think i'd need to get one shipped from the states which might take a while. I think i might try taping the sensor to the side instead-and dropping the temp setting on the controller to a little below desired temps. Will do some experimenting this week-thanks guys.
You will need some type of insulation to isolate the probe from the outside air of the fridge. This is what I use. It's just PVC pipe insulation like you put on exterior water pipes in winter. http://s1275.photobucket.com/albums...8ECED306_zps79379854.jpg&evt=user_media_share
They're easy to make. Get some appropriately size copper tubing at the hardware store, a little bit of lead free solder to close off the end, drill a hole in your stopper, and you're pretty much there. But taping to the side will work fine, too. Good luck!
I would think twice before using copper equipment post-fermentation. Here's an example of why... http://www.byo.com/stories/item/1144-metallurgy-for-homebrewers ...in the 'interaction with liquids' section.
