Can you control Honeywell gas solenoid valves with a STC 1000 PID

I am new to brewing and I am building a single tier 3 burner brew stand. I was wondering if a STC 1000 PID can be used to control a Honeywell gas solenoid valve with standing pilot? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
TCK123

You sure can but..... STC1000 is not a PID, an actual PID will do a better job of ensuring temps are not overshot, especially with gas.

So something a bit more accurate would work better. Any suggestions?

TCK123

TCK123 said:

So something a bit more accurate would work better. Any suggestions?

TCK123

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http://www.auberins.com/?main_page=index&cPath=1

Bellybuster said:

You sure can but..... STC1000 is not a PID, an actual PID will do a better job of ensuring temps are not overshot, especially with gas.

Click to expand...

I am curious about this response as I am trying to figure this out myself. In reading the Auber user manual it says not to control solenoid valves in PID mode, instead use on/off. How is the Auber PID then better at controlling temp than the STC?

you're right, you would need a controllable gas regulator.
I jumped the gun when I saw STC1000 referred to as a PID. It is not. My apologies.

I still think the PID a better choice though for a few reasons. Programmability, hardware options and future upgrade. the PIDs alarm out put still has some nice programming functions. The thermocouples available for the PID are endless. No need for separate thermowells etc. if there is possiblity of move to electric in the future, you're all set up.

Bellybuster said:

you're right, you would need a controllable gas regulator.
I jumped the gun when I saw STC1000 referred to as a PID. It is not. My apologies.

I still think the PID a better choice though for a few reasons. Programmability, hardware options and future upgrade. the PIDs alarm out put still has some nice programming functions. The thermocouples available for the PID are endless. No need for separate thermowells etc. if there is possiblity of move to electric in the future, you're all set up.

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I do like the temperature probe options from Auber and can see the PID should have better resolution (1/10 of a degree with RTD probe I guess) and faster response than the STC probe in a thermowell option.

I am trying to figure out if the Blichmann gas TOP is actually taking advantage of the PID function or is just running in relay mode. Any idea?

I decided to use the STC1000 for my keezer project and purchased two mypin pids for controlling my gas solenoids. The mypin pids came with a better thermocouple.

eric19312 said:

I am trying to figure out if the Blichmann gas TOP is actually taking advantage of the PID function or is just running in relay mode. Any idea?

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Hmmm good question. from the description in the manual it sounds like it uses a time function and not PID at all. I don't think it uses anything more than just the P function

You can't use PID mode on an Auber with a Honeywell valve. It has to be in relay mode.
When I first built my system I found this out the hard way.
However, in relay mode I still stay within half a degree of my set temp.
When mashing I generally turn the burner down to minimal flame while recirculating and that helps with how far it'll overshoot.

So, back to the OPs original question. An STC would work just the same, but I do question how accurate the probes are. Plus you can't adjust the probe value on them if it's off.

I would look into either an Auber or a Love controller instead.