Where to find RTD or PTC temp probe that will fit in morebeer thermowell???

I have a two morebeer thermowell stoppers and I was using them with a ranco temp probe. I recently purchased a Control products two stage controller on amazon for the amazing price of $62 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057APR3I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20)

The probe that comes with it is PTC with a metal end that is too thick to fit in the morebeer thermowell. I can use either a PTC or RTD sensor but I need to find one that will fit in the morebeer thermowell.

Has anyone used this combo before? If so, what did you use and where did you get it?

Thanks

No one is using a morebeer thermowell????

With a non Ranco temp probe???

You didn't say the ID of the MoreBeer thermowell so I did some digging.
It is 1/4" ID.

So with that said: Auber Instruments carries a RTD probe that will work for you.
It is 5/32" in diameter. Platinum RTD. PT100 (6 ft. cable)
They also have a Type K probe: K Type Thermocouple

Either one will fit inside the thermal well as the probes are designed for this type of application. You might need to apply some thermal grease in the bottom of the thermal well to insure good heat conductivity from the thermal well to the probe.

Hope this helps you.

Edit: Here is a link for Auber Instruments Thermal Grease

Scrap the thermowell and put the sensor in its place

OneHoppyGuy said:

Scrap the thermowell and put the sensor in its place

Click to expand...

Hmmmm. How do you do that in a glass carboy?

That has me really puzzled...

you are using a stopper... yes? or a cap? put the sensor in the same hole where the thermowell was

Are you suggesting I put the sensor through the hole in the stopper and let it drop in the beer? Or just wedge it in the hole and let it sit above the beer?

I don't want the sensor in the beer directly - it has schmutz on the end where the wires come out that will come off in the beer and eventually ruin the sensor. As for putting it in the stopper, that doesn't get me the same temp as the beer - it is more a measure of outside air temp - kind of like taping it to the side of the carboy.

Sorry, I was picturing a probe more in line with what we use: a stainless probe 6" - 8" long

OneHoppyGuy - Any chance of you making a slightly larger thermowell? One that has an ID of 5/16 or 3/8 and a flare on the open end so it will not slide through the stopper? For length - at least 12" prefer around 16". If they are reasonably priced, I'll take three for starters. I imagine that many others would like one bigger than the morebeer option (which seems like a lot of others out there) so they can fit the Ranco sensor (without having to sand it down) and these new ones from Control products.

Not at this time. Sorry

I had a similar problem with my MoreBeer thermowell and Johnson controller, and I ended up just sanding down the flanged edges of the probe (which were the only parts that wouldn't clear the entrance to the tube) and now it slides in and out just fine. Took 5 minutes with a dremel.

CyberMonk said:

I had a similar problem with my MoreBeer thermowell and Johnson controller, and I ended up just sanding down the flanged edges of the probe (which were the only parts that wouldn't clear the entrance to the tube) and now it slides in and out just fine. Took 5 minutes with a dremel.

Click to expand...

I did the same thing with my Ranco. The probe on the Control Products unit is metal so sanding it isn't going to do the trick.

I just tried wiring my ranco probe the the Control Products unit and it does not work.

The Johnson is metal too, but the bulk of it fit inside the MoreBeer thermowell without modification. Just the top portion, which had small crimps where it interfaces with the wire, would not fit through the thermowell entrance. I sanded down these crimp points and it now fits.

Reviving an old thread.

Has anyone found a PTC or RTD that will work with this controller and fit the 1/4" Thermowell?

Carlscan26 said:

Reviving an old thread.

Has anyone found a PTC or RTD that will work with this controller and fit the 1/4" Thermowell?

Click to expand...

The MoreBeer thermowell is 1/4" ID.
Auber Instruments carries a RTD probe that will work with that thermowell.

It is 4.0 mm in diameter. Platinum RTD. PT100 (6 ft. cable)

Probe: 4.0 mm = 0.1575"
Thermowell: 0.25"

It appears that the Auber instruments probe linked there is a 100 ohm sensor and after speaking to control products, they indicated that the sensor needs to be 1,000 ohms. I've emailed Auber to see if they have one but I did not find one on their site.

It seems that 100 ohm sensors are common but the 1k ones are not.

Additionally, the sensors used by the Phillips and Ronco controllers are not PTC sensors -they are K types and so will not work with the CP device either.

Carlscan26,

Sorry about that.

I did try to help.

P-J

P-J said:

Carlscan26,

Sorry about that.

I did try to help.

P-J

Click to expand...

And it was appreciated

So I spoke with control products (nice guys) and the RTD they sell is thin enough to fit in the MoreBeer Thermowell. The best price I've found it for is here http://www.instrumart.com/products/35630/control-products-ts-10rtd-10-6-rtd-sensor. Almost what the entire device costs at amazon. With the RTD it's still cheaper than the dual stage Ranco from MoreBeer though once you factor the outlet and box etc that you have to add it's maybe only $10 cheaper. But for me, having the ASD feature that the Ranco doesn't offer makes this worth it. And I guess I couldjust tape the thermocouple it comes with to the side of the fermenter and not need to buy the rds at all.

Im lost. Whats wrong with the 25$ ebay aquarium build controller in this situation. I use one with a welded shut dip tube. Works great for half the price.

Seanwallner said:

Im lost. Whats wrong with the 25$ ebay aquarium build controller in this situation. I use one with a welded shut dip tube. Works great for half the price.

Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with it; just a different way to go. The CP is a little less work to put together than the eBay one as it already comes in a case, it reads in F or C vs the eBay one is C only, and the CP's probe is already water proof. None of these are big deals per se but could be a decision factor for someone.

The thermowell *issue* may not be a problem for other users. Frankly it's not a big enough deal for me anyway or I'd return it and go with something else.

I've tried to document the options as they exist for the CP controller today. Hopefully it will be of value to someone considering it in the future and they can use this information to decide between the different options (Ranco, eBay, CP, others).

Cheers!

Gotcha. Didn't quite understand what the CP was. Cheers ! SW

So a new bit of info. Check out these guys for larger diameter thermowells. They will also make shorter sizes on request. http://www.stainlessbrewing.com/Long-Thermowell_p_131.html. The 1/3" size should fit the sensor for the control products sensor.