Decent corded thermometer??? (and a rant to start)

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max384

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Is there a decent corded thermometer made?

I bought an Acu-rite thermometer from Walmart about three years ago. I didn't brew much in those three years and only used it probably a half dozen times. When I got back into brewing a few weeks ago, I used it a couple of times and it started giving me bizarre readings. I figured that it was three years old, so I didn't have too much to complain about. I bought another Acu-rite corded thermometer from Walmart. It was basically the same model, except it had a braided metal cord instead of a rubber/plastic one. This one made it through two brew days before it started with bizarre readings (180ish degrees in room temperature water). I had already thrown out the packaging, so I decided to buy another one at Walmart and keep it, then return the old one (well only a couple of weeks old) with the new packaging.

When I went to Walmart they didn't have the Acu-rite model any longer. They did, however, have a Taylor corded thermometer with cordless remote. This was about twice the price of the other one I had. I can be quite impatient at times and wanted to brew tonight so I just bought this more expensive one.

Well, low and behold, after I was halfway through the mash, this one did the SAME FERKING SHIITE! It started with bizarre readings! It would read everything as 170ish degrees F. I was already in the middle of the mash, so I couldn't run out and get another one, so I got my old broken one (the two week old one) and turned it on. It was reading correct (well, what I subjectively thought was correct anyhow), so I continued with this one.

Fast forward to cooling my wort and it seemed like it was taking forever to cool down. I noticed that it stayed at about 100F for quite a long time. I pulled the thermometer out and placed it in a bucket of cold water and it read 120F. Ferking great! I dipped my hand in sanitizer and check my wort temperature with my finger and it felt WAY cold. Now I have a wort that is at probably at about 50F (the temp of the water I was running my immersion cooler with) and yeast that should be pitched at a minimum of 60F.

Am I doing something wrong with these thermometers or am I just really, really ferking unlucky? I am pretty damn pissed right now with three thermometers having the exact same problem. The one constant in all of this (besides me, of course) is Walmart. At this point, I'm assuming it's cheap Chinese-made crap to blame...


Sooooo... anyone have any suggestions for good corded thermometers?
 
Depending on what you want to spend, try Nova Restaurant Supply at East End. He has a few digitals at a decent price.
 
Sooooo... anyone have any suggestions for good corded thermometers?

My guess is that you are using the probe in a way that allows liquid to get into the junction of the cord and the metal probe; this will cause the probe to throw some weird readings, like what you are seeing.

They aren't constructed to allow the probe to be submerged into liquids; they are designed to be stuck into a roast and that junction being out in the open.

You can dry the probe by putting it into an oven for awhile; people have had luck doing this.

The other option is to waterproof the junction with some silicone tubing and zip ties. If you have the braided cord version is suspect that liquid may still be able to work its way through the braid and down into the junction.

Overall, I consider this type of thermometer not ideal for brewing. I find a simple probe thermometers to work much better for brewing.
 
I've burned out so many of those it's not even funny. I've bought them from Big Box stores, I've bought them from Restaurant supply stores, they pretty much are all not meant to be used how we use them...Someone even bought me a fancy wireless one for grilling, and that crapped out pretty fast or just wasn't all that accurate.

Though Bobby_m has a great thread from '07 that shows how you can at least slow down or maybe prevent the inevitable.

probeseal2.jpg


I've found though that even if you waterproof the probe, the steam will eventually affect the digital display if you happen to have your receiver over anywhere where it might come in contact, like above a kettle if you are brewing in the kitchen and have it on your range hood.

I actually keep a old school couple lab glass ones always handy just in case they crapped out.

I think inevitably any brewer is going to need to pluck down big bucks for either a thermapen (but they don't iirc make a corded one) or a thermo-coupler with a remote probe.
 
Depending on what you want to spend, try Nova Restaurant Supply at East End. He has a few digitals at a decent price.

Cool. I'll check them out. Are you from the W-B area?

My guess is that you are using the probe in a way that allows liquid to get into the junction of the cord and the metal probe; this will cause the probe to throw some weird readings, like what you are seeing.

They aren't constructed to allow the probe to be submerged into liquids; they are designed to be stuck into a roast and that junction being out in the open.

You can dry the probe by putting it into an oven for awhile; people have had luck doing this.

The other option is to waterproof the junction with some silicone tubing and zip ties. If you have the braided cord version is suspect that liquid may still be able to work its way through the braid and down into the junction.

Overall, I consider this type of thermometer not ideal for brewing. I find a simple probe thermometers to work much better for brewing.

I hadn't even considered this a possibility. I just ASSumed they were made for this type of use. Well, I guess I now know why I had all the problems. I actually bought this type of thermometer on recommendation from this forum... Though that could have just been one member's thoughts, not necessarily the group consensus here!

I've burned out so many of those it's not even funny. I've bought them from Big Box stores, I've bought them from Restaurant supply stores, they pretty much are all not meant to be used how we use them...Someone even bought me a fancy wireless one for grilling, and that crapped out pretty fast or just wasn't all that accurate.

Though Bobby_m has a great thread from '07 that shows how you can at least slow down or maybe prevent the inevitable.

probeseal2.jpg


I've found though that even if you waterproof the probe, the steam will eventually affect the digital display if you happen to have your receiver over anywhere where it might come in contact, like above a kettle if you are brewing in the kitchen and have it on your range hood.

I actually keep a old school couple lab glass ones always handy just in case they crapped out.

I think inevitably any brewer is going to need to pluck down big bucks for either a thermapen (but they don't iirc make a corded one) or a thermo-coupler with a remote probe.

It appears that what I want in a thermometer isn't available. Basically, I want a corded thermometer that I can submerge without breaking. Sigh. Maybe I'll just spring for a thermapen, so I don't end up continually buying new cheaper thermometers.
 
+1 on the Thermapen. I had a wireless BBQ one like Revvy mentioned that crapped out. Decided that if two degrees during a mash can make a difference in my beer I might as well spring for the Thermapen and take any worries out of the equation. I have a friend who is a competition level BBQ pitmaster who has used his thermapen for 5 years in some of the worst conditions you can imagine and it has held up very well. Good luck!
 
It appears that what I want in a thermometer isn't available. Basically, I want a corded thermometer that I can submerge without breaking. Sigh. Maybe I'll just spring for a thermapen, so I don't end up continually buying new cheaper thermometers.

You can certainly waterproof them as Revvy and other have done and greater prolong their life, so that is one option.

Are you using this to monitor mash temp? This is how I was using mine, until I realized that you are only monitoring the part of the mash that the probe located in at that moment. If you move that probe around then you will find that hot/cold spot usually exist. You can drive yourself crazy chasing temperatures with this method. Once I realized this I altogether gave up the idea constantly monitoring the mash temp, as it wasn't indicative of the whole mash anyway.

My process now is to monitor and adjust after mash in after grain/water equilibration using a $12 Taylor probe thermo, shut it up and don't touch again for 45 min-1 hour.
 
max384, you can get what you want, but it really depends on your budget. I've been using a Fluke main unit and sensors that CAN be submerged without issue (able to handle more than boiling temps). Biggest expense is the main unit. You could go with one of the single sensor connection Fluke units if you want, for a bit less. I see this as a one time purchase. I picked up about 4-5 sensors when I got the main unit, so I can use them wherever I want and even leave them installed if I wish. I use one (or two) in the mash tun (can get readings from two different spots in the mash, and at different depths), in the boil keggle and in the fitting after the plate chiller. With the dual sensor connections on mine, I can even have the one in the BK and after the plate chiller connected at the same time. It helps during the recirculation chilling process.

I'm sure plenty will consider this route overkill. But with this method, you don't need to worry about the sensors getting moisture inside them, or opening up the mash tun in order to get readings. Fluke main units also come with a 3 year warranty on them. Mine even shipped with the batteries installed already. :D
 
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+1 on the Thermapen. I had a wireless BBQ one like Revvy mentioned that crapped out. Decided that if two degrees during a mash can make a difference in my beer I might as well spring for the Thermapen and take any worries out of the equation. I have a friend who is a competition level BBQ pitmaster who has used his thermapen for 5 years in some of the worst conditions you can imagine and it has held up very well. Good luck!

The thermometer can certainly allow us to detect a 2 degree difference, the question then becomes does our system allow us to adjust up/down that 2 degrees accurately?

My system certainly doesn't...heck, I typically find 2 degree differences throughout my mash bed at any given temperature.

If I'm within 2 degrees of my target mash temp, I don't bother trying to adjust, as chances are I'd over- or under-shoot it anyway.

I have not been able to tell the difference in how my beer ferments or tastes, either.
 
+1 on the Thermapen. I had a wireless BBQ one like Revvy mentioned that crapped out. Decided that if two degrees during a mash can make a difference in my beer I might as well spring for the Thermapen and take any worries out of the equation. I have a friend who is a competition level BBQ pitmaster who has used his thermapen for 5 years in some of the worst conditions you can imagine and it has held up very well. Good luck!

I'll likely end up going this route. Though, for now I think I will just waterproof the one I have and see how that goes... and buy a backup dial-type thermometer.

You can certainly waterproof them as Revvy and other have done and greater prolong their life, so that is one option.

Are you using this to monitor mash temp? This is how I was using mine, until I realized that you are only monitoring the part of the mash that the probe located in at that moment. If you move that probe around then you will find that hot/cold spot usually exist. You can drive yourself crazy chasing temperatures with this method. Once I realized this I altogether gave up the idea constantly monitoring the mash temp, as it wasn't indicative of the whole mash anyway.

My process now is to monitor and adjust after mash in after grain/water equilibration using a $12 Taylor probe thermo, shut it up and don't touch again for 45 min-1 hour.

I've been using it to monitor my mash temp, my sparge water, my progress on getting to boiling, and my wort cooling temps... Basically, I've been using it for every step of the process.

When I mash, I open it up and give it a stir every 10 minutes or so. I find that after stirring, the temp will vary a bit, maybe a degree or two, but nothing that ever got me worried. I'm still a total noob at brewing, particularly AG, so should I be stirring the mash, or should I just leave it alone during the mash? The two times I've done AG thus far I've been right on the target mash temp throughout, even with opening the lid and stirring (though this last time was suspect, as I don't know when the thermometer crapped out and my OG was way off). This being said, the way in which I do it now, a pen style thermometer shouldn't be a big deal since I'm opening the mash tun lid every few minutes anyhow.

max384, you can get what you want, but it really depends on your budget. I've been using a Fluke main unit and sensors that CAN be submerged without issue (able to handle more than boiling temps). Biggest expense is the main unit. You could go with one of the single sensor connection Fluke units if you want, for a bit less. I see this as a one time purchase. I picked up about 4-5 sensors when I got the main unit, so I can use them wherever I want and even leave them installed if I wish. I use one (or two) in the mash tun (can get readings from two different spots in the mash, and at different depths), in the boil keggle and in the fitting after the plate chiller. With the dual sensor connections on mine, I can even have the one in the BK and after the plate chiller connected at the same time. It helps during the recirculation chilling process.

I'm sure plenty will consider this route overkill. But with this method, you don't need to worry about the sensors getting moisture inside them, or opening up the mash tun in order to get readings. Fluke main units also come with a 3 year warranty on them. Mine even shipped with the batteries installed already. :D

Wow, that thermometer looks really nice... Definitely over my quite modest student budget right now though. The thermapen is more than I really want to spend right now in fact.
 
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When I mash, I open it up and give it a stir every 10 minutes or so. I find that after stirring, the temp will vary a bit, maybe a degree or two, but nothing that ever got me worried. I'm still a total noob at brewing, particularly AG, so should I be stirring the mash, or should I just leave it alone during the mash?


I say leave it be. I don't think stirring accomplishes anything, provided you stirred it really well at the beginning. What I do is pre-heat, dump my pre-heat, add about 80% of my mash water at 3-4 degrees above my calculated strike temp, dump my grain, stir like hell and close it up. After 10 minutes, I open up and stir again, check the temp, then adjust with hot/cold water to my desired strike. Then I close it up and forget about it for 45m-1 hour. No stir after doughing-in really.

Wow, that thermometer looks really nice... Definitely over my quite modest student budget right now though. The thermapen is more than I really want to spend right now in fact.

You can def. get away cheaper thermometer, main difference is how long you have to wait for a solid reading. My taylor takes 20-30 seconds to stabilize, thermapen takes 2-3 seconds. I decided I don't really need a reading that quickly...since I only take about 5-10 readings during my process anyway (I have a temp gauge on my BK that I can read my strike and sparge temps on).
 
Honestly dude, stick with mercury. Nothing is more accurate. I tried to get all fancy with digital thermometers, or even the Brewmometers that screw into the valves. Those things equaled up to nothing but inaccurate readings, off temp mashes, etc... Went back to the old tried and true, and have been spot on since. Sometimes simplicity is the better option, just my opinion anyway.
 
Honestly dude, stick with mercury. Nothing is more accurate. I tried to get all fancy with digital thermometers, or even the Brewmometers that screw into the valves. Those things equaled up to nothing but inaccurate readings, off temp mashes, etc... Went back to the old tried and true, and have been spot on since. Sometimes simplicity is the better option, just my opinion anyway.

Mercury hasn't been used in thermometers in some time you know.

My biggest issue with liquid thermometers is reading the damned things. With the Fluke unit, it's not an issue and the thing is damned accurate. Far more accurate than WE need.
 
Dang! wish i had seen Bobby M's cooler fittings with the CND thermometer before I bought the Thermapen. Nice job!
 
Yup, Mountaintop. If you want a good electronic thermometer and don't mind shelling out a couple hundred bucks, take a look at Weitz Instruments. They'll do what you want and will last years. I think I bought mine in 1986. It has been mashed, boiled, drowned and bounced around. One time, when my neices were young. They were out by the pool, messing around with something by the diving board. I go out to see what they were doing. They had my thermometer. It was at the bottom of the pool. I asked what they were doing? They said they wanted to make sure the water was warm enough before they let the dog go swimming. They stuck the sensors in the ports, held on to the sensor end and threw the meter in the pool. It is still as accurate as the day I bought it. The one I have, has 2 plug in sensors. The sensor wire is hermetically sealed into the capsule and is liquidproof from -100to 500 F. Each sensor wire is 10 feet long. I put one sensor in the mash tun and one in the decoction kettle and keep the meter out of the way. The sensor is about an inch long. They aren't the meat spear type as the one in the picture. I bought mine from Meier Refrigeration Supply off Hazle behind Nardones. Like I said, they're pricey, but they're rugged.
 
I use one of the fittings like Bobby_M sells for the assembly that I have on my plate chiller output side.

plate_chiller_output_valves_2-57230.jpg


Since the probe for my sensor is about 4" long it goes deep enough into the setup to give me good temperature readings. :D
 
Thanks for all the advice so far guys. I think I'll try to waterproof one of the corded ones and be more careful about not submerging it for now. Hopefully this will make it last a bit longer. I'll eventually buy a more expensive one... Just not right now!

Yup, Mountaintop. If you want a good electronic thermometer and don't mind shelling out a couple hundred bucks, take a look at Weitz Instruments. They'll do what you want and will last years. I think I bought mine in 1986. It has been mashed, boiled, drowned and bounced around. One time, when my neices were young. They were out by the pool, messing around with something by the diving board. I go out to see what they were doing. They had my thermometer. It was at the bottom of the pool. I asked what they were doing? They said they wanted to make sure the water was warm enough before they let the dog go swimming. They stuck the sensors in the ports, held on to the sensor end and threw the meter in the pool. It is still as accurate as the day I bought it. The one I have, has 2 plug in sensors. The sensor wire is hermetically sealed into the capsule and is liquidproof from -100to 500 F. Each sensor wire is 10 feet long. I put one sensor in the mash tun and one in the decoction kettle and keep the meter out of the way. The sensor is about an inch long. They aren't the meat spear type as the one in the picture. I bought mine from Meier Refrigeration Supply off Hazle behind Nardones. Like I said, they're pricey, but they're rugged.

Wow. That's quite a personal testament to the quality of that thermometer. It's too rich for my blood at this point. Maybe once I finish school I might look into something that spendy. I definitely believe that quality costs money (in most cases)... But you've gotta have the money first to get the quality!
 
I'm in the market myself... Brewed an Alt last night that may end up going down the drain due to a wonky thermometer (and my not realizing it soon enough). Ugh. Sparge was too cold, resulting in a whopping 1.023 OG :/ I added some boiled light DME, but I may just cut my losses and dump it when I get home from work.

I may just get the CDN that BobbyM recommended. This is tempting, though, for an extra couple bucks:
(looks like the same unit from the VWR link above, just without the remote probe which I would worry about suffering the same fate as the other leaking probes... AND I get free shipping with Amazon)

LINKY

Anybody got one?
 
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I'm in the market myself... Brewed an Alt last night that may end up going down the drain due to a wonky thermometer (and my not realizing it soon enough). Ugh. Sparge was too cold, resulting in a whopping 1.023 OG :/ I added some boiled light DME, but I may just cut my losses and dump it when I get home from work.

I may just get the CDN that BobbyM recommended. This is tempting, though, for an extra couple bucks:
(looks like the same unit from the VWR link above, just without the remote probe which I would worry about suffering the same fate as the other leaking probes... AND I get free shipping with Amazon)

LINKY

Anybody got one?

I have one of those (one of the corded versions too). Used it for a while in my assembly on the outlet side of my plate chiller, before going to the Fluke system I use now. Just get the fitting from Bobby_M with the right o-rings and you should be fine. I went to the Fluke system so that I could more easily see the temperature reading. Plus, the lollipop thermometer is a bit vulnerable in the fitting on that. Probably not an issue for a mash tun though. Just be sure you don't have it positioned so that heat is hitting it (if you direct fire the mash tun).
 
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Cool, thanks for the reply. Think I'll order one. Is it relatively quick reading?
PS- We're neighbors... I live just over the border in the mean streets of Chelmsford.
 
I'm in the market myself... Brewed an Alt last night that may end up going down the drain due to a wonky thermometer (and my not realizing it soon enough). Ugh. Sparge was too cold, resulting in a whopping 1.023 OG :/ I added some boiled light DME, but I may just cut my losses and dump it when I get home from work.

I may just get the CDN that BobbyM recommended. This is tempting, though, for an extra couple bucks:
(looks like the same unit from the VWR link above, just without the remote probe which I would worry about suffering the same fate as the other leaking probes... AND I get free shipping with Amazon)

LINKY

Anybody got one?

Your sparge water temp in and of itself would not cause low OG.
 
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Cool, thanks for the reply. Think I'll order one. Is it relatively quick reading?
PS- We're neighbors... I live just over the border in the mean streets of Chelmsford.

Pretty fast... If you want to check one out first, let me know.

I left the police state of MA not that long ago. Enjoying the new freedom. :D
 
Your sparge water temp in and of itself would not cause low OG.

Good point, based on how far off the thermometer readings were my mash was probably way off too... and then I forgot the whirlfloc, chilled too far and dropped my stir bar into the fermenter. Last night was not my night...

Pretty fast... If you want to check one out first, let me know.

I left the police state of MA not that long ago. Enjoying the new freedom. :D

Thanks. For $30 I'll just roll the dice. I feel better doing so knowing that someone else here has one. I hear you on the run North. MA is a weird place... and getting weirder.
 
Good point, based on how far off the thermometer readings were my mash was probably way off too... and then I forgot the whirlfloc, chilled too far and dropped my stir bar into the fermenter. Last night was not my night...



Thanks. For $30 I'll just roll the dice. I feel better doing so knowing that someone else here has one. I hear you on the run North. MA is a weird place... and getting weirder.

Well, I'm also not using mine, so I could let it go for less, and you would save on shipping. :D
 
Aaaaaah, I already clicked "submit order."
Maybe next time.
Off topic, but I have seen a bunch of your posts while digging around for Sanke info/sources. When I have a little extra $$ I'll be looking to pick your brain there, if that's cool. I'd love to convert over to Sanke at some point. Maybe convert a little at a time. I'll still be doing 5-gal batches and Sanke 1/6ths (at least legal ones) seem kind of like unicorns.
 
You can usually cancel orders if you catch them in time. :D Just saying...

Provided I've not moved to Maine by then, I'll be able to help you out. If you want to see what I've done for the keggles, let me know. Plus we can pull a pint, or two, from what's on tap. :rockin:

I have one 1/6 bbl sanke that's not been touched yet. I find they make really good fermenting vessels. I'll be working on my fermenting cap design soon. About to order up a small lathe that will go a long way towards getting this done. I typically ferment my 6.75-7 gallon batches (so that I get a full 6 gallons out) in tall 1/4 barrel kegs. You can use the short ones too, if you want. I have more than a dozen keg fermenting vessels right now. But I'm almost always looking to score more. :eek: Got 5 of the tall 1/4 barrel kegs (two unmodified so far)... :D
 
I'll be working on my fermenting cap design soon. About to order up a small lathe that will go a long way towards getting this done.

Cool, thanks... I have a small machine shop next to my house... Bridgeport, small lathe (13.5x40), TIG, etc. It's amazing how much use the lathe gets. Had I known how much use I'd have bought a bigger machine. That's maybe the best lathe buying advice... buy the biggest machine you can, but I doubt I'd need to sell a homebrewer on "bigger is better." :D Let me know if you ever need a hand there.
 
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