Brewzilla Gen4 Discussion/Tips Talk

[mng8r]

Well, I must be cursed, as far as BrewZillas go.
I left the water in the unit overnight and decided I would do the two point calibration today. I turned the unit on and switched it to Metric readings, per the advice in the earlier post. The difference between the ADC and the Smoke was about 4C. I left the BrewZilla on for awhile to make sure everything had settled. I was going to bring some ice down and noticed that the temperature reading was at 52.2C and climbing. I checked and the burner was not on and the Thermapen read 65F. I turned the burner on for a short period thinking that if perhaps the water temperature changed, then perhaps the reading would settle down and return to the actual water temp. Wishful thinking. The water temp got to around 70F when I shut the burner off, and the ADC reading eventually reached a max of 104C.

I'm thinking this unit may need to be returned also.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Ha. I noticed that too. First time I pulled up the rapt it told me the water was 17.8F !!

But I’ll fight you on the alerts. Brew room is in basement, don’t feel like hanging out down there. I want the phone alerts so I know when strike temp hits, boil starts, etc.

Why not a compromise? A beep alert on the Brewzilla AS WELL AS an alert on your phone? I personally have little use for smart phones and prefer to be in the presence of the the beer machine

 

[SanPancho]

Why not a compromise? A beep alert on the Brewzilla AS WELL AS an alert on your phone? I personally have little use for smart phones and prefer to be in the presence of the the beer machine

yeah, that's what i thought the rapt stuff would be able to do. or at least thats how they made it sound (without being very specific). but if i have to constantly check my email then whats the damn point....

 

[SanPancho]

one more gripe i forgot to throw in earlier. the assembly monkey at the factory wrapped the false bottom of the kettle with bubble wrap and even a few pieces of tape for some reason. then he must have sat on it during his banana break. the damn thing was wedged into the bottom of the unit so tight that i had the wife and even my 6yo kid try and pull it out because i was convinced i was having a fit of temporary imbecility and i just wasnt "doing it right"- neither one of them could get it out either.

looked at the lackluster pdf of the "manual" and saw that i was in fact doing it right. but it was wedged in there so tight that i ended up having to yank on it so hard that the stupid thing is now warped to the side! wondering how well its gonna work when i actually try to brew.....

 

[SkyPie4321]

I ran my first brew in my 35L yesterday, and while the app proved to be worse than useless, overall it went ok.

Everyone that has big temp differentials, have you actually seen these while mashing or just with water? I noticed a couple degrees off while heating the strike water and again after cooling the wort, but checking the middle of my mash several times throughout it was spot on. I wonder if there is an internal temp offset to try and model the temperature gradients while mashing. My smoker has the same thing, where the probe temp is offset to try to get a middle of the smoker temp.

Granted, this all should be detailed in the documentation, which is pretty poor. It's enough to get someone going, but not enough to figure out how it actually works. Even a bullet point description of the settings would be more useful than what is there.

one more gripe i forgot to throw in earlier. the assembly monkey at the factory wrapped the false bottom of the kettle with bubble wrap and even a few pieces of tape for some reason. then he must have sat on it during his banana break. the damn thing was wedged into the bottom of the unit so tight that i had the wife and even my 6yo kid try and pull it out because i was convinced i was having a fit of temporary imbecility and i just wasnt "doing it right"- neither one of them could get it out either.

looked at the lackluster pdf of the "manual" and saw that i was in fact doing it right. but it was wedged in there so tight that i ended up having to yank on it so hard that the stupid thing is now warped to the side! wondering how well its gonna work when i actually try to brew.....

Mine is the same way. Bends every time it gets taken out. Just smash it back in there and push down around the outside. Mine filtered just about all the trub out. I've never had so little in the fermenter before.

I would also make sure the feet of the false bottom aren't near the probe when you put it back in.

 

[rtstrider]

I will say there were a few issues with the first batch. However it was a bit of a learning curve. Also I would recommend checking for OTA updates. There was one that was released that has helped with mash temps a bit. The other thing I do is cut the burners to around 750 watts during mashing and that seems to help

 

[Bottoms_Up]

one more gripe i forgot to throw in earlier. the assembly monkey at the factory wrapped the false bottom of the kettle with bubble wrap and even a few pieces of tape for some reason. then he must have sat on it during his banana break. the damn thing was wedged into the bottom of the unit so tight that i had the wife and even my 6yo kid try and pull it out because i was convinced i was having a fit of temporary imbecility and i just wasnt "doing it right"- neither one of them could get it out either.

looked at the lackluster pdf of the "manual" and saw that i was in fact doing it right. but it was wedged in there so tight that i ended up having to yank on it so hard that the stupid thing is now warped to the side! wondering how well its gonna work when i actually try to brew.....

I had the exact same thing happen. Even after I finally got it out and took off the tape, etc., it fit into the bootom very tight and I constantly have trouble getting it out to clean each time. I have to bend it to get it out, otherwise it scrapes the inside of the Brewzilla. It's already so bent and twisted, it looks like it's been in there for a year rather than a month or so!

 

[theredviper]

I did my 2nd batch with the Gen4 on the weekend and it went smoother than the first. I moved my grain crush size up a little, used a hop spider, and a few rice hulls. No issue with the pump clogging this time around.

I aim to make 5 gallon batches so I think I need to jury rig something to have my hop spider sit a little lower in the wort.

I used the pump to get my chilled wort into the fermenter. Overall everything went well. The test will be the final product of course. Cleaning is a breeze with this thing too which is nice.

I'm thinking about getting the whirlpool arm for mash recirc. Right now I stir every once in a while and try to point the recirc hose almost horizontally to try and mix it up a bit.

 

[mng8r]

I'm thinking about getting the whirlpool arm for mash recirc. Right now I stir every once in a while and try to point the recirc hose almost horizontally to try and mix it up a bit.

I bought the whirlpool arm when I purchased mine. I was planning on using it to circulate the wort while using the immersion chiller instead of constantly stirring.
I'm not sure how you would use it while mashing, though

 

[theredviper]

Yeah I guess during the mash you want the recirculated water to pour in from the top not the bottom. Good call on the chilling though, The more I can "set and forget", the better.

 

[mng8r]

If using the whirlpool arm during cooling and the mash recirc to transfer, the thing you'll have to work out, as far as process goes, is how you keep both sanitized. Both can be sanitized with hot wort during the boil, but one will have to be removed and kept in a sanitary manner until it is needed.

 

[theredviper]

I usually have some Starsan solution that I leave various things in, and a spray bottle for other stuff. I'm worried the starsan might damage the insulation on the recirc arm though.

 

[mng8r]

I usually have some Starsan solution that I leave various things in, and a spray bottle for other stuff. I'm worried the starsan might damage the insulation on the recirc arm though.

How about 10 minutes of boiling wort and then take it out and put it in a sanitized brew kettle or bucket (ensuring not to melt the plastic)?

 

[Teufelhunde]

If using the whirlpool arm during cooling and the mash recirc to transfer, the thing you'll have to work out, as far as process goes, is how you keep both sanitized. Both can be sanitized with hot wort during the boil, but one will have to be removed and kept in a sanitary manner until it is needed.

On my 3.1.1, I use both, and the one not in use at the time is placed on a clean counter until needed again. It's just fine. Don't overthink it....

 

[tgbruiser]

Has anyone successfully swapped out the plug that comes on the unit? If not, does anyone know if it would work to splice off the plug that comes with it and replacing with a NEMA L6-30P male? Something like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/AC-WORK...ug-with-UL-C-UL-Approval-ASL630P-BK/312562511

If you don't want to damage the plug that comes with the Brewzilla, you can use this adaptor:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079JWG8PT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have successfully connected my Brewzilla Gen 4 65L using this adaptor.

 

[DuncB]

@Bottoms_Up

I think 500 foot elevation wouldn't make this reading change.

"My elevation was about 500 feet above sea level, which meant 111.3 degrees F."

I've contacted kegland about various issues, blown transformer for maltzilla, maltzilla sealed bearings filling with grain dust. Always" you are the first to tell us this problem".
The brewzilla 4 seems a bit of a bear trap, too many innovations not thoroughly tested.
Bleeding edge innovation often makes you bleed.
7F is far too big a variance.

 

[rtstrider]

@Bottoms_Up

I think 500 foot elevation wouldn't make this reading change.

"My elevation was about 500 feet above sea level, which meant 111.3 degrees F."

I've contacted kegland about various issues, blown transformer for maltzilla, maltzilla sealed bearings filling with grain dust. Always" you are the first to tell us this problem".
The brewzilla 4 seems a bit of a bear trap, too many innovations not thoroughly tested.
Bleeding edge innovation often makes you bleed.
7F is far too big a variance.

Have you tried installing the OTA update?

 

[Bottoms_Up]

@Bottoms_Up

I think 500 foot elevation wouldn't make this reading change.

"My elevation was about 500 feet above sea level, which meant 111.3 degrees F."

I've contacted kegland about various issues, blown transformer for maltzilla, maltzilla sealed bearings filling with grain dust. Always" you are the first to tell us this problem".
The brewzilla 4 seems a bit of a bear trap, too many innovations not thoroughly tested.
Bleeding edge innovation often makes you bleed.
7F is far too big a variance.

The boiling point at that altitude actually does change that much, that's why I mentioned it. Check this out:

Boiling Point at Altitude Calculator

Every time I've reported an issue with Kegland they dismiss me and say that "if that was true, why haven't they heard from others reporting the same problem?" The problem is that most likely most users have never bothered checking the accuracy of their equipment, or just don't bother to report it and work around it. I also work around it but feel its the responsible thing to do to always let the manufactuer know if there are issues so that they can correct it. I don't think Kegland really cares, as they now don't respond to me at all.

I've pointed out two programming errors and they refuse to admit it. I was a programmer for over 20 years and know that no programmer is perfect. I also do all my own brewing calculations (I don't use a Brewing Program) so know a little about programming. If one does a two-step calibration and enters both the freezing and boiling points accurately, the calibration program should be able to easily divide this by 100 (for Metric) or 180 (for Imperial) for the intermediate points. There is no way that an intermediate temperature should then be off by 3 degrees Fahrenheit as myself has found as well as one other person! At most one might expect a half degree or so. That other person's Brewziall was also 7 F out with the Factory calibrations as was mine and at least one other had the same issue.

Also, their RAPT app contains a programming error. If one sets the Brewzilla to Imperial, and checks the RAPT app, it will show the temperature in Metric - with an "F" for Imperial!! Sometimes it briefly shows the Imperial temperature but then quickly reverts to Metric. This should be a simple programming error to correct, yet the Kegland representative thanks me for bringing this to their attention by completely ignoring my email and refusing to respond.

It would be so easy to do the dilgent thing and check the program and see if there was indeed an error. There's absolutely no question that the RAPT app does contain an error. Anyone can easily check that but Kegland refuses to even so that. And logically, the calibration program HAS to contain an error. Dividing the two ranges and dividing by either 100 or 180 is a straight-forward mathematical exercise, so it should come out fairly accurate, not 3 degrees out! That simple check would elevate the credibility of the Brewzilla a lot. But they ignore single reports of issues, even if that person tells them that several others have had the same issue.

In fact, when I did the calibration for the boiling point, the Brewzilla read 219.2 F!!!! The freezing point was 26.8 F. There's no way those can be right!

 

[SanPancho]

I did my 2nd batch with the Gen4 on the weekend and it went smoother than the first. I moved my grain crush size up a little, used a hop spider, and a few rice hulls. No issue with the pump clogging this time around.

I aim to make 5 gallon batches so I think I need to jury rig something to have my hop spider sit a little lower in the wort.

I used the pump to get my chilled wort into the fermenter. Overall everything went well. The test will be the final product of course. Cleaning is a breeze with this thing too which is nice.

I'm thinking about getting the whirlpool arm for mash recirc. Right now I stir every once in a while and try to point the recirc hose almost horizontally to try and mix it up a bit.

skip the whirlpool rig. get two feet of 3/8 silicone and a barbed 3/8 elbow. cut the tubing so the elbow is an inch or two below the surface of the wort. twist the hose until the elbow is pointing towards the side wall. recirc away.

way cheaper. and way more efficient cooling too

 

[SanPancho]

I will say there were a few issues with the first batch. However it was a bit of a learning curve. Also I would recommend checking for OTA updates. There was one that was released that has helped with mash temps a bit. The other thing I do is cut the burners to around 750 watts during mashing and that seems to help

where is the wattage control? i havent played with it enough to find all the good stuff. still need to recalibrate for temp first.

 

[mng8r]

I wasn't able to find the original post that mentioned the 111.3F (should that be 211.3F?)
But. note that the boiling point is for pure water. Few, if any of us brew with pure water and the boiling temp that we most often see is for wort, which is probably not going to be the same as water.

For wattage control, get the display out of the graph mode 9in settings) and them you can see the current wattage and adjust.

 

[govner1]

I had been giving the Brewzilla Gen 4 65L consideration for “upgrading “ my 3 vessel system (15g) BUT given all the issues with no apparent concern or action on the part of Kegland has now made me reconsider. I’ll either wait and let the “dust” settle or wait for a reliable system that meets my needs.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

I wasn't able to find the original post that mentioned the 111.3F (should that be 211.3F?)
But. note that the boiling point is for pure water. Few, if any of us brew with pure water and the boiling temp that we most often see is for wort, which is probably not going to be the same as water.

For wattage control, get the display out of the graph mode 9in settings) and them you can see the current wattage and adjust.

Good catch - I meant 211.3 F. The boiling point for wort and for water is not that different, from what I have read.

Yes, I use the wattage control. I was surprised to see that it goes well beyond 1500 watts for the 120 V machine. I think it went up to about 1700 watts (on a dedicated circuit).

 

[Bottoms_Up]

I had been giving the Brewzilla Gen 4 65L consideration for “upgrading “ my 3 vessel system (15g) BUT given all the issues with no apparent concern or action on the part of Kegland has now made me reconsider. I’ll either wait and let the “dust” settle or wait for a reliable system that meets my needs.

I think it's an ego thing. Kegland thinks their machines are perfect and doesn't like constructive criticism from users.

 

[D-Max]

I think it's an ego thing. Kegland thinks their machines are perfect and doesn't like constructive criticism from users.

how can I contact you

 

[D-Max]

how can I contact you

Im of the opinion that kegland have contracted out the controls of the BZ Gen 4 hence the lack of response to the many control issues with Temp control.
I have just purchased my BZ and am very impressed with the improvements from my early GF. The sloping conical heating self draining bottom is great.
I have adapted my GF to an external PID controller which works great re accuracy and proportional control using an SSR to pulse the heating power to control mash temp. Im aiming at Ardunio pulse width modulation control via the PID programme. I also use a Pt100 probe that makes a huge difference to accuracy. Linear output to temp change unlike the BZ which is very suspect.
Is it possible to contact you as you appear to be having the same issues with any contact direct to kengland. Cheers Dave

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Im of the opinion that kegland have contracted out the controls of the BZ Gen 4 hence the lack of response to the many control issues with Temp control.
I have just purchased my BZ and am very impressed with the improvements from my early GF. The sloping conical heating self draining bottom is great.
I have adapted my GF to an external PID controller which works great re accuracy and proportional control using an SSR to pulse the heating power to control mash temp. Im aiming at Ardunio pulse width modulation control via the PID programme. I also use a Pt100 probe that makes a huge difference to accuracy. Linear output to temp change unlike the BZ which is very suspect.
Is it possible to contact you as you appear to be having the same issues with any contact direct to kengland. Cheers Dave

I heard back from them today after I sent a photo showing the programming bug in their RAPT App. They are going to look into it, although they said the App was being dealt with by someone else.

Regarding the calibration issue, they said they are not going to pursue that since I was the only person they've heard from. They don't beleive me and will only do so when others contact them with the same issue. I know 3 or 4 others with the same experience but for some reason they are not contacting Kegland about it. Thus I have to live with a constant 2.5 degree difference. When I calibrate my probe thermometers, they are deadly accurate within the two ranges, so I can't see why the Brewzilla isn't. Kegland also doesn't seem to think that a 2.5 degree difference is all that significant. I totally disagree, especially after a most careful calibration. What's the pont of a calibration if it doesn't work? A lot of trouble and time for nothing.

To contact me, just hover over the "B" to the left. You will see "Start Concversation". Click on that and the message will go directly to my Conversation box.

 

[govner1]

And so… I’m out!

 

[DuncB]

@Bottoms_Up

I think 500 foot elevation wouldn't make this reading change.

"My elevation was about 500 feet above sea level, which meant 111.3 degrees F."

@Bottoms_Up
Your tool confirms my statement 500 foot elevation wouldn't make this reading change.

But you've since noted the typo I pointed out.

Interestingly you'd need to be at about 47000 feet for a boiling point of 111.3 F

Glad you are getting a little feedback from kegland now, kegland are a million times better to communicate with than KegKing.
I received no replies for weeks then the CEO called and said they were very busy and I should have contacted my local supplier not them at all. But local supplier can't get a response from them either.

Temperature errors and discrepancy across the brewing unit are a real nuisance.

 

[DuncB]

And so… I’m out!

I'd look out for a 65litre brewzilla 3 and fit it with a SMARTPID, whirlpool and add in some other sensors, my modded Guten 70 works great.

 

[SanPancho]

Regarding the calibration issue, they said they are not going to pursue that since I was the only person they've heard from. They don't beleive me and will only do so when others contact them with the same issue. I know 3 or 4 others with the same experince but for soem reason they are not contacting Kegland about it. Thus I have to live with a constant 2.5 degree difference. When I calibrate my probe thermometers, they are deadly accurate within the two ranges, so I can't see why the Brewzilla isn't. Kegland also doesn't seem to think that a 2.5 degree difference is all that significant. I totally disagree, especially after a most careful calibration. What's the pont of a calibration if it doesn't work? A lot of troulbe and time for nothing.

so when you did your calibration did it actually retain your new settings? or is the 2.5 +/- the error that remains AFTER you did the calibration?

i need to do mine but after seeing a few folks say that their calibration didn't "stick" in the machine, im wondering if its worth the trouble

 

[Bottoms_Up]

@Bottoms_Up
Your tool confirms my statement 500 foot elevation wouldn't make this reading change.

View attachment 807824

But you've since noted the typo I pointed out.

Interestingly you'd need to be at about 47000 feet for a boiling point of 111.3 F

Glad you are getting a little feedback from kegland now, kegland are a million times better to communicate with than KegKing.
I received no replies for weeks then the CEO called and said they were very busy and I should have contacted my local supplier not them at all. But local supplier can't get a response from them either.

Temperature errors and discrepancy across the brewing unit are a real nuisance.

Yes, your calculation confirms the value I got. It's only 1 degree difference, but why not put in the correct amount, sionce other errors accumulate.

Interesting, our local supplier tells us to contact Kegland not them!

 

[Bottoms_Up]

so when you did your calibration did it actually retain your new settings? or is the 2.5 +/- the error that remains AFTER you did the calibration?

i need to do mine but after seeing a few folks say that their calibration didn't "stick" in the machine, im wondering if its worth the trouble

Initially, the temperature was 7 degrees Fahrenheit out, but after the very careful (and time-consuming) 2-point calibration, it was 2.5 degrees out. Thus it is the error that remains after the calibration. The differences at each end were quite significant, and obviously incorrect. I think the boiling temperature was about 117 F! And the freezing temperature was quite below 32! So it did improve, but is still too far out, since I mostly make lagers and need extra special temperature control. Ales are not as demading when it comes to temperature cotnrol.

Tomeorrow I'm going to check the freezing point once again (this wil be the third time), since I'm wondering whether, if you're quite a bit out to start out with, doing the calibrations may just narrow the range in an iterative way. I have no idea how the calibration algorithm works (wish I did) so mayabe this is what I need to do. It's worth a check.

If that doesn't work, I'm going to do a 2-point calibration in the range in which I feel is most important (mashing temperatures). As long as that range is relatively accurate, I don't really care about the rest of the range. So, in case I do more than one mashing step, I might calibrate the range from about 120 F to 175 F. That will also include the mash out temperature.

I'll let you know if either these two approaches work.

 

[D-Max]

The boiling point at that altitude actually does change that much, that's why I mentioned it. Check this out:

Boiling Point at Altitude Calculator

Every time I've reported an issue with Kegland they dismiss me and say that "if that was true, why haven't they heard from others reporting the same problem?" The problem is that most likely most users have never bothered checking the accuracy of their equipment, or just don't bother to report it and work around it. I also work around it but feel its the responsible thing to do to always let the manufactuer know if there are issues so that they can correct it. I don't think Kegland really cares, as they now don't respond to me at all.

I've pointed out two programming errors and they refuse to admit it. I was a programmer for over 20 years and know that no programmer is perfect. I also do all my own brewing calculations (I don't use a Brewing Program) so know a little about programming. If one does a two-step calibration and enters both the freezing and boiling points accurately, the calibration program should be able to easily divide this by 100 (for Metric) or 180 (for Imperial) for the intermediate points. There is no way that an intermediate temperature should then be off by 3 degrees Fahrenheit as myself has found as well as one other person! At most one might expect a half degree or so. That other person's Brewziall was also 7 F out with the Factory calibrations as was mine and at least one other had the same issue.

Also, their RAPT app contains a programming error. If one sets the Brewzilla to Imperial, and checks the RAPT app, it will show the temperature in Metric - with an "F" for Imperial!! Sometimes it briefly shows the Imperial temperature but then quickly reverts to Metric. This should be a simple programming error to correct, yet the Kegland representative thanks me for bringing this to their attention by completely ignoring my email and refusing to respond.

It would be so easy to do the dilgent thing and check the program and see if there was indeed an error. There's absolutely no question that the RAPT app does contain an error. Anyone can easily check that but Kegland refuses to even so that. And logically, the calibration program HAS to contain an error. Dividing the two ranges and dividing by either 100 or 180 is a straight-forward mathematical exercise, so it should come out fairly accurate, not 3 degrees out! That simple check would elevate the credibility of the Brewzilla a lot. But they ignore single reports of issues, even if that person tells them that several others have had the same issue.

In fact, when I did the calibration for the boiling point, the Brewzilla read 219.2 F!!!! The freezing point was 26.8 F. There's no way those can be right!

@Bottoms_Up
Your tool confirms my statement 500 foot elevation wouldn't make this reading change.

View attachment 807824

But you've since noted the typo I pointed out.

Interestingly you'd need to be at about 47000 feet for a boiling point of 111.3 F

Glad you are getting a little feedback from kegland now, kegland are a million times better to communicate with than KegKing.
I received no replies for weeks then the CEO called and said they were very busy and I should have contacted my local supplier not them at all. But local supplier can't get a response from them either.

Temperature errors and discrepancy across the brewing unit are a real nuisance.

@Bottoms_Up
Your tool confirms my statement 500 foot elevation wouldn't make this reading change.

View attachment 807824

But you've since noted the typo I pointed out.

Interestingly you'd need to be at about 47000 feet for a boiling point of 111.3 F

Glad you are getting a little feedback from kegland now, kegland are a million times better to communicate with than KegKing.
I received no replies for weeks then the CEO called and said they were very busy and I should have contacted my local supplier not them at all. But local supplier can't get a response from them either.

Temperature errors and discrepancy across the brewing unit are a real nuisance.

My tupence - If you go to google earth and put the pointer on your brew area you will get the height above sea level. In my case here in NZ its 98 M which equates to a boiling temp of 99.7 degrees C

 

[mng8r]

I know 3 or 4 others with the same experience but for some reason they are not contacting Kegland about it. T

I purchased mine through MoreBeer and contacted MoreBeer directly about all of the issues I was seeing and experiencing. MoreBeer was great and exchanged the first one. They also accepted a return of the second one and refunded the purchase price, so I'm out of the game.

The last two straws were that the temp reading never got below 53C and the next morning, there was a puddle of water under the unit. It was difficult to tell where the leak was, but it wan't from one of the fittings. Perhaps it leaked around the sensor bung and that would explain why the temp readings went bad.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

I purchased mine through MoreBeer and contacted MoreBeer directly about all of the issues I was seeing and experiencing. MoreBeer was great and exchanged the first one. They also accepted a return of the second one and refunded the purchase price, so I'm out of the game.

The last two straws were that the temp reading never got below 53C and the next morning, there was a puddle of water under the unit. It was difficult to tell where the leak was, but it wan't from one of the fittings. Perhaps it leaked around the sensor bung and that would explain why the temp readings went bad.

That's a good point. Maybe most customers are reporting any issues directly to their supplier, and the supplier is not lettign Kegland know.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Initially, the temperature was 7 degrees Fahrenheit out, but after the very careful (and time-consuming) 2-point calibration, it was 2.5 degrees out. Thus it is the error that remains after the calibration. The differences at each end were quite significant, and obviously incorrect. I think the boiling temperature was about 117 F! And the freezing temperature was quite below 32! So it did improve, but is still too far out, since I mostly make lagers and need extra special temperature control. Ales are not as demading when it comes to temperature cotnrol.

Tomeorrow I'm going to check the freezing point once again (this wil be the third time), since I'm wondering whether, if you're quite a bit out to start out with, doing the calibrations may just narrow the range in an iterative way. I have no idea how the calibration algorithm works (wish I did) so mayabe this is what I need to do. It's worth a check.

If that doesn't work, I'm going to do a 2-point calibration in the range in which I feel is most important (mashing temperatures). As long as that range is relatively accurate, I don't really care about the rest of the range. So, in case I do more than one mashing step, I might calibrate the range from about 120 F to 175 F. That will also include the mash out temperature.

I'll let you know if either these two approaches work.

So I put the theory to practice. I filled the Brewzilla with ice water, recirculated it, let it run for about 5-10 minutes until the temperature on the Brewzilla stabilized. Then I checked the temperature of the water with two accurate probe thermometers (accurate because both read the freezing and boiling temperatures accurately). I had calibrated the freezing point of the Brewzilla previously, but when I checked it this next time, it was 1.3 degrees out! It should have been accurate at that point which I had alrady set.

So, I assume that the algorithm of the calibration calculation somehow affects the first calibration point when the second one is set. So it is an iterative process. If the initial difference is a lot, then you may have to do the 2-point calibration 3 or 4 times to get it close. If it is only out a degree or two, one calibraiton should likely do it.

I will check it at room temperature later to see what the difference is this time. I haven't set the second calibration point again until I see what difference it has made so far. I assume I should be a little closer, but it will still be out a degree or a degree and a half. That is better than 7 degrees out the first time and 2.5 degrees out the last time.

 

[mng8r]

I had calibrated the freezing point of the Brewzilla previously, but when I checked it this next time, it was 1.3 degrees out!

Same thing that I found. It's accurate at the point you first calibrate, when you calibrate. Next time water temp reaches that point, the reading is not the same.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Same thing that I found. It's accurate at the point you first calibrate, when you calibrate. Next time water temp reaches that point, the reading is not the same.

I think it indicates that the calibration has to be done several times in succession, not just once. Each time you correct one of the points, it changes the other. It does seem to get closer each time, though, so it has to be an iterative process.

Please let Kegland know. They keep telling me that nobody else has ever reported this problem to them, so they are unable (unwilling) to check it out.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Same thing that I found. It's accurate at the point you first calibrate, when you calibrate. Next time water temp reaches that point, the reading is not the same.

Once you change one of the points, it affects the other point that you have already set. Thus you have to do the calibration several times in succession. Each time it gets closer.

Please let Kegland know as they tell me I am the ONLY person they have heard this from.

The person I spoke to is:

[email protected]

[Note - sorry for the repetition - when I checked earlier my message had disappeared so I re-wrote it. Now I see that it's back again]