Keezer temp controller sensor location

I've read some other posts, but I think my situation is slightly different.

Recently built my keezer. Older 20 cuft Admiral chest freezer. Added a 2x6 collar and a Ranco digital temp controller.

Originally I had the sensor going through a hole in the back of the 2x6 placing the sensor end in the center of the 2x6 board in the center of the freezer.

I have the temp controller set for 36* and to allow for 5* of variation as I also planned to use the keezer for storage of extra soda and water. To verify that the temp controller was working properly I also had a small analog thermometer sitting in one of the hanging baskets in the freezer which was reading low/mid 30's.

Fast forward to last night.....I come home late after brewing at a buddies house to find the Temp Controller sitting at 34*, but the inside thermometer sitting at 20*......and two 12 packs of Coke had exploded and covered all sides of my new keezer.

I temporarily adjusted the temperature controller sensor and allowed it to hang down about 2/3 down along the side of the freezer and it promptly dropped to 23*. I wiped down the door and the wood, but I have frozen Coke slushy everywhere inside the lower parts of the freezer.

I've read about people putting the sensor into some distilled water or the gel from freezer packs, but I'm hesitant as my sensor isn't encased in copper like the analog ones, but just has some plastic tubing over it.

Where and how should I put the sensor?

Regardless of where you locate the temperature sensor, you should first think about how to solve the temperature stratification issue you're seeing.

I installed a 12v computer fan in my keezer to solve that very same problem, which makes the location of my Ranco's probe nearly a non-issue, as the temperature is now very even from bottom to top of the cabinet...

Cheers!

I have my temperature sensor zip tied to a full can of beer. The extra mass of the can helps stabilize the probe temperature.

A 5 degree offset seems a bit high. If that's 5 degrees up and down, you'd get down to 31 combine that with the stratification and the probe hanging in the air and you've got issues.

I have mine set at 2 degrees. I think the Johnson Analog controllers are hard coded at 3 degrees.

My Ranco had a default of 5 degrees offset (so it would allow for a 10* swing). I left that in place and just adjusted the target temp down to 36*.

I'll adjust that when I get home.

I had a case of bottled beer and a case of water hanging in the baskets across the top of the original freezer lip and they were fine....nothing frozen. The coke was sitting on the hump, very close to the outter edge (with the rails running through the sides) which is why it most likely froze prior to anything else. I do have a good layer of frost along the outter walls of the freezer even though the Ranco was reading 34*, but the 2x6 is almost at room temperature. Should I insulate my collar?


I may just do like you did and zip tie it to a can of beer....pretty sure I have one left in the back of my other fridge.

yes, insulate the collar. I have the same setup and when it's pretty humid out i am still getting a good amount of condensation inside. insulating the best you can will help with that. add the fan as stated above and you should be good to go.