Fermertater Probe Location

[Klassy66]

http://imgur.com/a/IdyDw
Where is the the best location for my temp controller probe inside my fermenter? Should I take temperature readings directly from the side of my glass carboy or just go with the ambient temperature inside?

 

[jeffpn]

I pinched off a copper tube and use it as a well. My LHBS sells a 2 port carboy cap. The well goes in one port, and the airlock in the other. I think the next best way is to tape it to your carboy with a towel or something over it for insulation. Otherwise, the temperature will rise considerably every time you open the lid.

 

[Klassy66]

Good point with the temperature fluctuations! Makes sense to me! Cheers!

 

[oliver]

i keep an extra 2 gallon bucket filled with water in my ferm chamber, no airlock, and put the temp probe through the grommet hole. that way the thermometer is actually measuring a liquid in the chamber. only problem is this doesn't account for the heat given off by fermentation. i usually assume fermentation temps raise the beer 5-8ºF

 

[artbreu]

I tuck the probe under the straps of the carboy carrier. But the idea of using an insulator material on top is something I think I'll try. Cheap solution --> me like.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I have 2 readings in my fermentation chamber, one is the air the other the liquid wort, ive done quite a few experiments with this set up and found for me anyway controlling the air is better. I hang the probe in the air away from the fan, then I read the wort from another probe in a thermocouple. this works because you can read the rise and fall of the wort temperature, after both temps are the same for 2 says fermentation is almost done and i don't have to open the carboy at all which is much more sanitary

 

[jeffpn]

I believe that it's worth considering monitoring the temp of the wort/beer directly, as that will automatically account for the rise in temperature caused by fermentation itself. But then again maybe the cooling power of the freezer is more than enough to compensate for that. I just like the idea of the temperature of the wort/beer controlling its own temperature.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I have a DIY apartment fridge cooling my wort, the thing ran constantly putting off so much heat it heats up the chamber, a freezer would be a better choice using the wort probe to control the compressor

 

[jeffpn]

Yeah, that does look like a large space he's trying to chill with a small refrigerator.

 

[jmcnamara]

i have absolutely nothing to add, but i wanted to point out i think the thread name is hilarious "Firmer Tater Probe Location"

i'll leave now :?

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I just looked at the picture, your set up is just like mine, one thing to note Ive been running mine for years, you have to have the coils exposed and put a fan on them, i use a cheap $15 house fan zip tied to the coils, this is the trick that solved my going below 50 degrees F, before the fan I couldn't get below 65F

and those apartment fringes aren't meant to run as long as you need to get that much space chilled down to 50 or 60ish , their only designed to kick on for 30 to 60 seconds max, mine sometimes runs for 30 minutes which is why the compressor heats up

 

[Nosybear]

The best location is in the beer itself - that's my setup. I use an old refrigerator with an Inkbird two-stage controller. There's a long stainless steel probe I can use directly, there's a smaller probe I can use with a thermowell, depending on what fermentor I'm using. Barring that, the suggestion of using a bucket of water as a thermal mass should work well, too. Just make sure the probe is in the water, not resting on the bottom or the sides, as close to the middle as possible. Barring that, taping the probe to the outside of the fermentor is the next best option, just set the temp a few degrees below what you really want for the first couple of days of active fermentation. For a long time, I just kept the probe in the refrigerator. It worked, but not as well as the other options.