tfrost12

Recipes 

I have been looking at the LOVE temperature controllers, and am debating buying one of those instead of a johnson digital. Which ones have people been having the most luck with. Also is it worth it instead of just buying a Johnson digital.

Hang Glider

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A lot of folks that buy the Love controllers want that custom look - they install it into a panel of some sort (door facing, etc). The Johnsons and Rancos are often hung off the side or back of the fridge/freezer, as they don't lend themselves to a Panel Mount configuration.

BrewNinja1

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Exactly. I bought a love for my keezer so that I could see/adjust the temp from behind the bar. For fermentation etc I still use a Johnson A419.

tfrost12

Recipes 

Okay I get the idea of it, and I think i want to use one in my fermentation chamber, but anyone know of a bad or worse model to avoid. or which models are best and have been around for a while?

SweetSounds

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Love controllers (Or ones like them) are cheaper, but you have to do all the wiring yourself. On the up side, they lend themselves much better to a flashy installation.

Johnson and RANCO are easier because you just have to plug them in. But you pay for it, and they are ugly (IMO)

They both do the exact same thing - Flip a relay when a temperature probe says it's too warm/cold

Speaking strictly of digital controls, accuracy is irrelevant. The probes may be poorly calibrated to some degree (heh), but the controller will always turn it on if it's told to, at the same temperature, every time. You might program it to turn on at 65, and it will turn on every time the probe says it's 65 in the chamber. But the probe may be off by a degree or two - so you would just have to calculate some offset when you program the controller.

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Put some duct tape over the gauge - Or better yet - Replace the high pressure gauge with a plug - High pressure gauges are useless!

springer

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I used the Love so i could just glance over a see the temps inside . I have since stained the wood and added two more taps . And I think it looks cool the other upright freezer in the backroom with three taps has a Johnson analog hanging on the side nobody sees that one.

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'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.'- Ronald Reagan

Homercidal

Recipes 

That would be cool if I only wanted it for the fermentation chamber, but I might want to use it in the winter for a heater, so I am going with the Johnson so I can move it around easily.