Temperature Probe Malfunction

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have no luck with digital temperature probes. I just saw my second one tell me it is 220 degrees...in my house.

I don't know if they don't do good in a submersed environment or what. Anyone else had the same problems?

I've used one sold to the food industy for around 3 years now. It cost $12 and has a probe on a wire, it's on the same 9v battery and is going strong. I've spilt wort on it. Left it outside at -5c, used it for Cooking, BBQing and beer making.

If the tip of the probe is touching the side of the pot, you'll get an off reading. The temperature of the metal can be (and likely is) MUCH greater than that of the liquid inside.

I've had trouble, but not in the boil. It was in the cooling. I couldn't get a batch of wort to cool below 110F. Turned out the battery in the unit was dying. 2 hours later, it gave out completely. The wort actually went to 65F. I thought I was losing my mind while looking at the thermometer, and should have pulled out the alcohol based manual thermometer much earlier!

Put it in the oven until it reached 350.

That either dries it out or resets the electronics. Works. Jury is still out on why?

I need to do the dry-out trick to one of my thermometers. I have two, one that lives in the kitchen, one that lives with the brew gear, and I noticed (don't even remember how) that there was a twenty degree difference between them. Had to guess which one was right when I was checking my mash temp (thankfully, I picked right, unless malt can be converted at 180 degrees).

KalvinEddie said:

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have no luck with digital temperature probes. I just saw my second one tell me it is 220 degrees...in my house.

I don't know if they don't do good in a submersed environment or what. Anyone else had the same problems?

Click to expand...

I just had the same problem with my Polder Digital Thermometer yesterday while brewing. Mine was reading about 200 deg in the house. Maybe I should have listened to the directions when they read not to be used for liquids and don't submerse. I will try the oven trick right now though.

Ok I just put my probe in the oven and I also pulled the battery for a few seconds and now its working fine. No more liquid temps for this probe. Thanks for the tip.

olllllo said:

Put it in the oven until it reached 350.

That either dries it out or resets the electronics. Works. Jury is still out on why?

Click to expand...

Yep I had a Pyrex probe thermometer and used it on my first couple PM brews...I thought I was so cool until I took the temp of room temp. water and it read 190! I read on some online forum about people baking it in a 350 oven. I baked it for about an hour and it works fine. Can't submerge those guys.

I'm going to give that a try!

wildbill said:

I'm going to give that a try!

Click to expand...

Trust me it works...

Of course I didn't find that out until I threw my old one out and went and bought a new one...

You can't get the braid wet, or it will malfunction. I bought a can of Plasti-Dip from the local home improvement box store and put a plastic coating on the braid. It works well, and holds up to mash and boiling temps. I dunno about oven temps though, I only use mine for brewing.

I jacked up my wife's pampered chef thermometer the same way. Didn't know the braided part couldn't get wet until I saw the same thermometer in Willam's Brewing with a note about submersion in the write-up. I still need to order her a new probe.

I ruined 2 of the cheaper digital themometers and bit the bullet and got one that is accurate and water proof.
http://www.professionalequipment.com/traceable-mini-thermometer-with-nist-certificate-4039/digital-thermometers/

McKBrew said:

I jacked up my wife's pampered chef thermometer the same way. Didn't know the braided part couldn't get wet until I saw the same thermometer in Willam's Brewing with a note about submersion in the write-up. I still need to order her a new probe.

Click to expand...

Don't waste the money. Stick the probe in the oven at 350. It will reset. (Leave the digital readout outside the oven.

I have a dial thermomerter built into the side of my mash cooler - that takes care of the mash, and I just stand there like a dope with a glass thermometer when heating up strike water.

I have a good system for my sparge water, it is tap water that gets boiled for 10 or 15 minutes, and then gets put into another "drinking water" round orange cooler. This is the first step I do on brew day, and by the time I am ready to use it, it is about 180 deg. F.

My Johnson controls Fridge controller just died though, so that is my 'temperature woes' of late.

Blender said:

I ruined 2 of the cheaper digital themometers and bit the bullet and got one that is accurate and water proof.
http://www.professionalequipment.com/traceable-mini-thermometer-with-nist-certificate-4039/digital-thermometers/

Click to expand...

I like the looks of that one!

Yeah, when they get submerged, they can fall out of whack. But fear not, I learned of an easy way to recalibrate them and I'm about to tell it to you!

Just stick them in the oven the next time you bake something. Let them sit in the oven ~ 300oF-350oF - the temperature isn't important - for about an hour. All the moisture will be driven out and they'll be back in calibration. I have two digimometers and I have to do this once every 3-4 batches. When I'm done, the two are within 1-2 degress of each other.

BUMP for an awesome thread. just saved my thermometer. thanks again HBT

You are essentially baking the water or moisture out of the probe and the wire lead (braided). I had one probe actually explode on me in the oven because there was to much moisture in it and when I placed it into a 350 degree oven, it heated up to quickly and blew apart. So if you are drying one out, make sure you place it into the oven when it is initially turned on so it heats up slowly.

Salute!