Advantage of Hardwiring a Temperature Controller?

[tupton]

Hey Everyone,
I just bought a keezer and have been researching temperature controllers and see that some people prefer to hardwire them instead of using the "plug and play" configuration.

Is there any mechanical advantage to hardwiring the controller? Both methods kick the compressor on and off in the same manner correct?

I know if you hardwire the controller the power and interior lights will still function, but is there really any other advantage to doing it this way?

Sorry if this has been answered before, I searched and searched but could not find a specific answer.

Thanks!
-Tim

 

[BrewCrewKevin]

Nope, not at all. Pros and Cons to hardwiring in my opinion:

+ cosmetics. Some people don't want an external box with wires hanging off. It looks nicer to put it right in a keezer collar.
+ lights, etc. Like you said, keeping other parts of the freezer functional 24/7 and not just when compressor is running by wiring just to compressor.

- effort. a bit more work to pull everything apart and do it this way
- portability. Now if you get a new freezer, you need to take it all out and re-wire it, not plug and play.
- hot side control. Again with effort. You'd need to hard-wire a heater if you want control on both sides, where an outlet already accounts for that.

Control wise, no difference. The bottom line is the controller gets the power it needs to operate either way, and when the probe senses a high temp, the compressor kicks on when needed in either configuration.

 

[Rockn_M]

Pretty much what BrewCrewKevin stated.

 

[geoffm33]

+ If you are handy enough, then cost comes into play.

Johnson A419: ~ $75
STC-100: ~ $22

 

[big_len]

If you are using a fridge (not freezer) as a base, hardwiring can allow you to go below the minimum value allowed by the original thermostat ...

 

[tupton]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I'm gonna go with the stc-100 plug and play setup. I definitely like the portability aspect of plug and play, plus I'll get it wired up while I'm waiting for my keezer to be delivered.

Thanks!
-Tim