STC-1000 PID Controller

I just received mine yesterday and was wondering if anybody out there is using one. I wanted to know if the temp probe that comes with it needs to go inside a thermowell or is it capable of going in the boiling wort?

I know the STC1000 probe is waterproof, I use it in a water bottle in my keggerator.
I have not tested it at mash temps. I would consider protesting the probe with some silicon aquarium pump hose or a thermowell. You will need some type of thermal grease if you use the thermalwell.

I use one but i don't think it's safe for boiling wort.. I'm only using mine for my kegerator but I have another one showing up at the house today that will be for heating my strike/sparge water to 170F.

Are there some alternative probes to use? I have an RTD PT-100 but it has 3 connections. I also have a small "k" style.

STC-1000 is a thermostat, not a PID controller.

Thanks for the update, Alien. Got an answer about other thermocouples as that was what the question was posed??

Not really. What the other guy said. Maybe boil the probe in water and see if the water tastes bad? Any chance of contacting the manufacturer to ask what the plastic casing is made of?

alien said:

STC-1000 is a thermostat, not a PID controller.

Click to expand...

It is a temperature controller for both heat and cool with two outputs.

orion7144 said:

It is a temperature controller for both heat and cool with two outputs.

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Yes! A bit like the thing that controls the AC and heating in my house.

Highly doubt the probe could withstand boiling, and if it could I doubt it'd be foodsafe. That sheathing is super soft, in an acidic environment at high temps there's no way it'd be safe.

Also, remember it's just on and off, to have it come on rapidly in place of a PID/SSR would mean likely frying out the controller pretty fast, or the relay at least.

I think this is sort of out of the ideal purpose of this device.

I built my own thermowell based on some research from another site. I used this part called an Anders-Line compression fitting. It is a compression type fitting to copper pipe & has threads to go through the bulkhead. Used a brass nut & O ring to seal it. See attached pics. I may have put it too high on my pan though.

So is there any advice to connect the controller to a relay to protect it better?

Assuming you are using this to heat strike/sparge water you shouldn't be cycling that frequently. That unit has a minimum 0.5C hysteresis on it. Assuming you have at least 4 gallons in the pot it will take a few minutes for the water to cool that much. If you were concerned about it you could up the hysteresis term to 1-2C, but I would just leave it and see how often it cycles. With regards to wether the probe can handle boiling temp, just pull the probe out, you're going to want the element on full bore anyway, your boiling wort is going to be at 100C, probe no longer necessary. Having said all that, have you checked the current rating of the unit vs. your element. If memory serves it is rated at 10A, but I never payed that much attention as I'm only switching a 1.5A device. Any more than that and you'll want an external relay. Sparkfun.com has (had at least) an extension cord rated at 15A with a built in relay that triggers off of 5V that I think is cheaper than all the components separately. That and a wall wort switched by your STC and you'd be all set.

Thanks for your help!

Your home made thermowell looks great. Here is a link to some probes that should work to replace the one that came with it. Not all on this page will work. The ones labeled 10K ohm would be the ones your looking for as far as I can tell.

Do you know if the relays in this controller can be replaced or upgraded?

I have heard of some setups that use the output of the STC1000 to control the coil of an external relay, so you can provide more power to the load (element in your case).


You'd need a 120v coil relay or contactor.

So I would put the external relay between the outputs & my receptacle for my element plug? Still i think i have to replace the outputs because i think i fried them. They are not sending power to the receptacle lime it was.

If you aren't getting anything from the STC1000 relay now, it's probably scrap. There's no repairing cheap units like that, just pitch it and get another.

You fried it.
Also, it's not a PID... those are completely different.
If you're using this to heat, and you want a steady temp, use a PID, SSR, and the pt100 sensor: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Digital...526?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c5a9171e

TimL said:

I have heard of some setups that use the output of the STC1000 to control the coil of an external relay, so you can provide more power to the load (element in your case).


You'd need a 120v coil relay or contactor.

Click to expand...

I use a stc to control a couple contactors for a commercial fridge and heater (higher current), while another operates a small fan and heater on it's own.