First time kegging. Keg build completed. Hopefully kegging all 3 batches, currently fermenting, tonight. Question is, what is a good or average setting on Johnson dig. Control. Not fermenting right now, just being used as keg storage/ server. I like cold beer. Set it at 38° before bed to test Johnson controller hooked to keezer. Initial temp was like 75°, in morning, it was as set 38°. This thing is sealed up tighter than a frog's butt! If somebody could simplify the SO,OFS & ASD to drink beer at 38° - 39°.
Good staring temp setting?
- Thread starter gtskinner
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understood other posters throughout various threads, is I do NOT wrap, insulate or tape probe to anything because all I want to know, is what the air temp is in keezer. What I did, was drill a hole in back of collar, jusssst big enough for probe, then I countersunk a 3/8" dia. hole over that hole on inside. I then inserted a approx. 10" piece of 3/8" OD plastic water line in it, ran the probe through it and that enables me to dangle the probe straight down the middle of keezer. It can easily be lowered or raised by gently pulling up or down on probe wire. I hope to get a fan to circulate air inside.
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
Beer tends to warm ~2° from being poured into a room temp glass, so if you want to drink 38-39° beer, you'll want to set the temp to 36-37°.
I'm a proponent of securing the probe to something with some thermal mass. A keg of beer has a lot of thermal mass, and is very slow to respond to temp changes, so tight air temp control is not required. I'm not sure where you got the idea that the air temp is more important than the beer temp, but I disagree. When you dangle the probe, the compressor will come on a lot more frequently during normal use, and every time you open the lid, especially when the beer levels are really low. This can be bad for the compressor, especially if your controller doesn't have an anti short cycle delay (or if you don't have it maxed out). A couple people here have killed brand new freezers by dangling the probe and then letting it control an empty freezer. I tape my probe to a 12 oz bottle full of water, and leave it in the corner on the compressor hump.
I'm a proponent of securing the probe to something with some thermal mass. A keg of beer has a lot of thermal mass, and is very slow to respond to temp changes, so tight air temp control is not required. I'm not sure where you got the idea that the air temp is more important than the beer temp, but I disagree. When you dangle the probe, the compressor will come on a lot more frequently during normal use, and every time you open the lid, especially when the beer levels are really low. This can be bad for the compressor, especially if your controller doesn't have an anti short cycle delay (or if you don't have it maxed out). A couple people here have killed brand new freezers by dangling the probe and then letting it control an empty freezer. I tape my probe to a 12 oz bottle full of water, and leave it in the corner on the compressor hump.
Thanks Juan for the advice and info! Like I said, first time kegger and I don't know any better as far as the dangling probe. I will attach it to a bottle of water. Would it also help, if I fill the cooler with cases of beer or a couple of carboys filled with water just to help fill the empty space? It is a 14.4 and I'm putting 3 kegs plus the 20 lb. C02 tank in it, so it does have a lot of empty space in it.
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
gtskinner said:
It doesn't need to be packed full, I just wouldn't run it when completely empty. You'd be surprised how much just a few gallons of liquid can level out wild temp swings.
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