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[Hawkbox]

First boil on my new setup, gravity is low but volume is high so my math is wonky and needs some work. But so far it's working.

 

[GFHomebrew]

First boil on my new setup, gravity is low but volume is high so my math is wonky and needs some work. But so far it's working.

View attachment 10808

How was your boil? You get a good rolling boil going. I found first up my boil off was reduced a fair bit going electric.

 

[Hawkbox]

It wasn't going to boil over at any rate, but it managed a decent roil. I boiled off less than I expected though. It did scorch on the elements a bit but some barkeepers friend and a hose cleaned it up afterward nicely. I used to get a bit of scorch on the bottom from the flame anyway so it's not unusual.

 

[FrostyBeach]

if one temperature controller is used for the glycol reservoir and another for the pump/fermenter control.

Thanks, I had thought of that and have several spares in the parts closet. With the glycol there's not even a thought of freezing running at 32F, 0C degrees. The pump's only rated for 32F so I didn't try to go colder.

 

[Bubba Wade]

Thanks, I had thought of that and have several spares in the parts closet. With the glycol there's not even a thought of freezing running at 32F, 0C degrees. The pump's only rated for 32F so I didn't try to go colder.

I have my freezer set at 36 F. Pump rating at 32, but the other side of the freezer is for keg storage.

 

[FrostyBeach]

First production run of the chiller. I put a thermowell in the glycol for the AC unit's controller. The inkbird temperature probes are not waterproof, more like splash proof. And then powered it from the cooling output of the controller attached to the pond pump and fermenter. When it calls for cooling the compressor delay on startup prevents it from trying to energize the AC unit if it just ran.

Just need to clean up the wiring and make a cover.

 

[Hawkbox]

I'm trying to think of how to waterproof the end of an inkbird for my E-biab setup and I get conflicting reports on how waterproof the ends are. I'm wondering if I could do a plasti-dip style solution or something and have it still be effective.

 

[Nosybear]

You can get a stainless steel thermowell that should be long enough to protect the probe from liquid. Or put some kind of shrink-wrapped tubing on it to protect the join.

 

[BOB357]

Probably best to get a thermowell tube and somehow attach it to the kettle. The temperature probes are not waterproof.

 

[Hawkbox]

Yeah probably. Maybe drill it into the lid or something, I don't want to put a permanent one in the kettle since I can't get the IC in then.

 

[Nosybear]

I drilled an extra hole in the top of my Speidel for one. Works fine. You can also get double-drilled stoppers with a hole for the thermowell and one for the airlock.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I put my thermo same level as pick up so when IC is in the 90elbo (pick up) takes the brunt of the weight of IC.

I got about ten batches on the stainless style STC probe before it fell apart imersing it in the wort...

There she be there for reference

 

[Mark Farrall]

I did the same as Ben for my DIY system. Just used a weldless thermowell thing.

 

[FrostyBeach]

One other option is to use a compression bulkhead with some o-rings that seal on the stainless bit of the temperature probe. I've done that before with some one wire probes like the ds18b20. For this I use a thermowell.

 

[Craigerrr]

Page #13, post #250 in this thread shows how I added a thermowell to my speidel, the two holes bung has a thermowell in one hole, I have a better plug now in the other hole. I just have a dial thermometers in my brewing vessels.

 

[Hawkbox]

I'm hesitant to put the probe that low because it will be right next to the heating elements, but that isn't a bad idea.

 

[Craigerrr]

Just pull the thermowell up a ways to get a reading at the desired level.

 

[Hawkbox]

I meant Ben's setup with the thermowell mounted at the bottom. I could just buy a damned long thermowell and stop waffling back and forth on this.

 

[Mark Farrall]

I meant Ben's setup with the thermowell mounted at the bottom. I could just buy a damned long thermowell and stop waffling back and forth on this.

I did a few batches with a meat thermometer at the top and the temp controller probe in the bottom thermowell. There was a 2C difference when the element was on and there was no recirculation. That was down to less than 1C with the pump running and the element off.

So I just put the temp controller at 1C less than the target mash temp if I could use the pump. The pump is a bit problematic for the big ABV batches, so I put it at 2C below the target mash temp for those

 

[Hawkbox]

Huh I would have thought it would be much further off than that.