strip thermometer

Tried a seach first, but couldn't find anything. Does anyone know how accurate those cheap strip thermometers are at predicting the temperature inside the fermenter? I've heard active fermentation gives off heat as well. Is that true. Thanks

There have been several people on here post test that indicate the strip thermometers are pretty accurate in general. And yes it's true that heat is generated during fermentation.

I use one and tested it against a standard alcohol filled thermometer. dead nuts.

read this; https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5494

took me a while to find it again.

Kai

FYI - active fermentation will raise the wort about 2-3 degrees over the ambient temp.

I usually crank up the little portable heater where I do the fermentation to keep the room around 74 until I see the kraeusen start to thicken and then drop it down to 66. Seems to hold the bulk of the active fermentation right around 68.

Thanks heaps problem solved

Call me lazy, or more money than time, but I have strip therms on all my fermenters and carboys.

It sure beats trying to remember to take the temp and sanitizing it.

The company i work for got 6 strip thermometers for one of our clients(a freebie),to use on his fish tanks...so i told the supplier that the package only contained 4....i now have both fermenting vessels adourned with temp gauges:rockin: .
If i had to buy them they cost us £1.20 each...bargain

my thermometer says my primary is at 77. I don't have another thermometer to test it and I don't want to open it either. My house is set to 68 and my air register is wide open in my bathroom. Should I worry? I'm making a robust porter.

tuckferrorists said:

my thermometer says my primary is at 77. I don't have another thermometer to test it and I don't want to open it either. My house is set to 68 and my air register is wide open in my bathroom. Should I worry? I'm making a robust porter.

Click to expand...

kind of a threadjack, but...

77F is starting to push it. Fruity esters should be moderate to none for a robust porter to meet style, and low to no diacetyl.

I would try to cool it down 5 degrees. put it in a closet, not next to a heat register.

it kinda sounds like this wasn't cooled to 70F before pitching. it takes a LONG TIME for 5 gallons chilled to 80F to drop another 10 degrees without any help.

thanks for the reply. I wasn't trying to jack, I guess it was though. I'm really trying to be conscious about doing thread faux pas. I've never joined a message board before.

Anyway, I have it in a bath tub and I filled it with cold water and then wet a big bath towel and put that over it last night. This morning it was down to 71.

tuckferrorists said:

thanks for the reply. I wasn't trying to jack, I guess it was though. I'm really trying to be conscious about doing thread faux pas. I've never joined a message board before.

Anyway, I have it in a bath tub and I filled it with cold water and then wet a big bath towel and put that over it last night. This morning it was down to 71.

Click to expand...

I contribute to your thread faux pas

Toss a couple frozen 2 ltr soda bottles in the tub to cool it off even more. I would shoot for the middle 60's......

I'm in the middle sixties but still no bubbles...I just don't know if i pitched too high. it was about 81 when i pitched then it sat at 75 for about 24 hours and now its at 65 but it's been almost 72 hours and I don't know...

Whenever I take my hydro sample, I check the temperature of it to adjust my reading. That temp is always the same as whatever the yellow mark on my strip thermometer shows. The other day the yellow mark was on 63F and my sample was indeed at 63.3F

Just an FYI, I had my primary bucket in my bath tub with water and a wet towel over it. Well my strip stickon thermometer has since gotten water logged and isn't readable anymore. Oh well...

I've learned my lesson and now stick them in the upper 1/4 of the carboy because a water bath doesn't need to go up that high to be effective. The other benefit is still being able to read the strip as it won't be underwater anymore.