greenhaze
Well-Known Member
Anybody have difficulty reading the stick on thermometer ?
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Stick on Thermometer
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greenhaze
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I read that when's it blue it's that temp and when it's grey green it's in between ?
At first it was easy to read now it is really hard to discern the color or temp. The lower part of mine is in the swamp cooler water. Might that be affecting it ?
Slainte
At first it was easy to read now it is really hard to discern the color or temp. The lower part of mine is in the swamp cooler water. Might that be affecting it ?
Slainte
Sometimes mine has been hard to read. Like the color change is really faint. I just rub my finger across it (like you are just sticking it on). That usually gets it to brighten up enough to read it.
Ideally, you put the thermometer near the top of the beer line in the fermenter and above the water line in the swamp cooler. Also, they are designed to read looking straight at them and a bit shiny. If you are trying to see them at an angle, the reflected light might make it harder to read.
I've even read on here where folks that have it below the water line long enough have them turn whitish. Def not submersible.
greenhaze said:
I wasted a stick on thermometer by placing it in a spot on my fermenter where it was fully submerged in my water bath. I don't think some of the stick ons do well with prolonged contact with water.
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greenhaze
Well-Known Member
Yea having it even partly in water sounds like a bad idea. Reading at an angle does make it harder to read. Will need to get on the knees to read it. 
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ncbrewer
Well-Known Member
From the fermometer website: http://tkachenterprises.com/Products.html
Reading the temperature is straight forward. If one crystal is highlighted in green, it is that temperature. If two adjoining crystals are highlighted in blue and tan, it is the temperature in between.
And:
The Fermometer, like all LCD thermometers, is water resistant, not water proof.
Hope this helps.
Reading the temperature is straight forward. If one crystal is highlighted in green, it is that temperature. If two adjoining crystals are highlighted in blue and tan, it is the temperature in between.
And:
The Fermometer, like all LCD thermometers, is water resistant, not water proof.
Hope this helps.
amandabab
Well-Known Member
they can be hard to read in a swamp cooler. A flashlight helps with the contrast.
They don't last forever, especially submerged. Drying them out for a while does seem to make them better for a while.
I just replace them occasionally.
They don't last forever, especially submerged. Drying them out for a while does seem to make them better for a while.
I just replace them occasionally.
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greenhaze
Well-Known Member
Just got home, read it think it said 64. Decided to rub it as suggested the damn thing came off ahhhhhhhh. don't have a backup
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Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
Yeah, water will ruin those things. I stopped using them since I submerse my fermenters in a swamp cooler. Now I just stick a dial thermometer in the swamp cooler water and tape it to the side to keep it upright. I like to keep the water in my swamp cooler about 3-5 degrees colder than what I want my wort to be fermenting at. It works well for me...
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greenhaze
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a good idea. Think I'll do that right now.
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Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
After the first few days of fermentation are over you can let the temp rise a few degrees. On my American ales I keep my swamp cooler water at 59-60F then after about 5 days I let it ramp up to about 68-69F slowly (about 1 degree per day) then I hold it at that temp until I bottle..
ncbrewer
Well-Known Member
How do you control it that closely (gaining 1 degree per day)? Mine usually drops about 2 degrees when I put a 1 liter bottle of ice in it, so it's up and down constantly.
RiffMagnum
Well-Known Member
I think what he's saying is that once active fermentation is over, simply stop using the ice bottles and let the temp climb up slowly on it's own. Keeping a fan on it seems to help with temp swings for me. I can generally keep the water in the mid to upper 60's with just a fan and i keep my house temp around 78 degrees in the summer.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I used to have that problem when I used a Rubbermaid container, but then I switched to an ice chest as my swamp cooler. It retains temps a lot longer than the rubbermaid did. I do still add ice bottles after the first few days, but I do it less often (and use less frozen water bottles each day). Each day that goes by I wait that much longer to allow the temp to get higher slowly. I also have all different sized bottles, and I've gotten used to how much the temp will change depending on the size of bottle.
ncbrewer
Well-Known Member
Thanks - I might try an ice chest. The fermentation room is a closet, and already pretty full. So I don't think a fan will work out for me. That's one of the cool things about brewing - you do what works for you.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I've never used the fan trick. I'm in construction, and I've seen houses burn down from fan motors. So I never leave a fan on when I'm not home. You can put a t-shirt over the bucket/carboy and let the bottom sit down inside of the water. The shirt will wick up the water, and as it evaporates it creates a cooling affect.
ncbrewer
Well-Known Member
I'm just a little uneasy about leaving a fan running, too. I do use the wet towel method and get a few degrees of cooling, but it still needs ice bottles to get the temperature down where I want it. The temperature control I get this way has improved my beer greatly compared to no temperature control, but I would like to have a more constant temperature. I usually see a total swing of about four degrees F at some point during active fermentation. I'm currently experimenting with putting a small amount of insulation around the ice bottle to slow the heat transfer. The ice chest idea might help, since smaller ice bottles could be used.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
When I made the switch to an ice chest it made a huge difference.
True that. I learned by rote to read them. But a small maglite-style flashlight does help at times. It's like a mood ring for your fermenter, being liquid crystal. I like the ones from NB or Midwest that have a greater range of temps on them. The long ones that go on horizontally I use on my better bottle.
william_shakes_beer
Well-Known Member
Yea having it even partly in water sounds like a bad idea. Reading at an angle does make it harder to read. Will need to get on the knees to read it.
Slainte
try an inspection mirror like the ones sold in automotive stores.
They get damaged by submerging them in water. Someone on here mentioned covering them with clear packaging tape to protect them.
