Temps inside the fermentor..

Curious if anyone knows how accurate the stick on thermometer strips are?

Is the temp inside the bucket warmer than what it is on the outside?

I have an IPA that I did yesterday and wonder if 70 on the therm. strip is to high?

This is my third batch ever I would appreciate anyone's thoughts!!

Thanks

Edit: Just realized this same question has already been asked but I would still like any input you may have...

If there is a big temperature differential between the contents of the carboy and the ambient air, the thermometer can get confused. But, generally, liquid temperature will stay quite homogenous. The strip thermometers are generally pretty good within a couple of degrees, though occasionally I have seen bad ones.

bmock79 said:

I have an IPA that I did yesterday and wonder if 70 on the therm. strip is to high?

Click to expand...

I prefer to ferment most of my ales, including IPAs, at temps lower than that. More often than not, I will aim for the low 60s, occasionally (depending on the yeast I'm using) going up as high as 68.

Thanks for the feedback, the first two of my batches were fermented right at 70 to 72 on the strip therm. I haven't had any of them yet (other than a few sips here and there). THe brown ale is getting close to tasting time. I am going to try and keep my temp on this batch in the mid 60's and see what that does.

All the reading I have done as well as checks I have done myself show the stick on liquid crystal thermometers are very accurate.

One thing I just pondered. I ferment in glass carboys which conduct heat readily, so I am confident of the temps.

Since plastic is such a poor heat conductor, I wonder if the temps indicated on a plastic fermenting pail are perhaps less accurate - or more easily influence by ambient temps- than the ones on glass carboys????

Don't want to even think about starting a glass vs. plastic thing, was just wondering about the effects of the LCD temp probe and the surface it's applied to.

Edit - FYI ...by the way, I read these devices are water resistant, not water proof, so make sure they are above waterline if you use a swamp cooler.
Pez.