I've Had it With These POS Traceable Thermometers!

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AnOldUR said:
I have the Traceable and have not had any problems, but the one below is the one I use as a double check to back the Traceable up.

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I've got one of those in my MLT now, works great. I've also got three of the Miljocos that Springer posted, they are REALLY nice, solid instruments.

Then there is this one. ;)

Meat_Tun.jpg
 
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Evan! said:
Oh, no, the dimwit at professionalequipment kept insisting it's fine for brewing, even though the MANUFACTURER had just told me 5 minutes prior that it WASN'T! Makes everything else they sell suspect.
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What I don't understand is that, from what you say, your problem was mechanical and had nothing to do with heat or wet conditions. Even so, Control Company (the manufacturer) say that it has a waterproof case, cable and probe, and that it's good up to 572 degrees. How can that not be good for brewing?



In any case the new one that you linked to looks interesting. Are you planning on trying one?
 
AnOldUR said:
What I don't understand is that, from what you say, your problem was mechanical and had nothing to do with heat or wet conditions. Even so, Control Company (the manufacturer) say that it has a waterproof case, cable and probe, and that it's good up to 572 degrees. How can that not be good for brewing?
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Well, what they said at Control Company was that the reason I had mechanical failure (wire coming loose from the probe) was because of the heat---IOW, the pvc sheathing degraded because I got it warm. Even though, as I said, none of the literature anywhere said that it was PVC, or that it will fail above 122f, or that you should keep it out of warm liquids. I was just supposed to know this (clairvoyance, perhaps?) The worst part is that after I got off the phone with the manufacturer telling me that it's terrible for brewing, the ******* ********* techie at Professional Equipment had the damn nerve to try to argue with me that it was great for brewing. Dude, who'm I gonna believe, the reseller, or the people who made the thing?!

What's worse is that the first unit obviously didn't fail because of anything I did---because it came loose at the connection to the body, which never got warm or wet. So, hey, *********, explain THAT one! Oh, could it perhaps be that you sell an inferior product? But yeah, blame me, tell me I'm an idiot because I wasn't clairvoyant enough to know what the heat rating on the wire sheathing was. We'll see who gets the last laugh. I know that I have already caused them to lose a few sales so far via these threads, and I'm not through, not by a long shot. It's not about the $40 anymore, it's about the principle.

In any case the new one that you linked to looks interesting. Are you planning on trying one?
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Not sure yet. Gotta figure out how I'd install it. I can't do like I was doing before, which was to just put the probe into the mash and then screw the cooler lid back on...because she said you can't pinch the type-K probe wires with the seal. So I gotta think on it for awhile.
 
wfd146 said:
Thermopens are nice, but don't get them wet. It's a sure way to lose $80.
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The CDN is dishwasher safe, top reading (great for taking mash temps), accurate

and with the saving you'll have enough money left to make a couple batches of beer.:ban:
 
Not sure yet. Gotta figure out how I'd install it. I can't do like I was doing before, which was to just put the probe into the mash and then screw the cooler lid back on...because she said you can't pinch the type-K probe wires with the seal. So I gotta think on it for awhile.
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Thermowell? Those that you posted look nice, might have to engineer a solution so I can use 'em too!

IIRC, The Pol used a drilled rubber stopper with the probe running through it. That seems a little treacherous to me, one good bump and that stopper could dislodge.
 
flyangler18 said:
Thermowell? Those that you posted look nice, might have to engineer a solution so I can use 'em too!

IIRC, The Pol used a drilled rubber stopper with the probe running through it. That seems a little treacherous to me, one good bump and that stopper could dislodge.
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I've always had the same reservations about Pol's mod. With my big clumsy smash paddle, I'm bound to knock that thing out of its seat.
 
Well, I wrote them an e-mail over the weekend, and they just called to tell me they're very sorry about what happened and will be refunding me the cost of both of the failed thermometers! Woot!
 
Finally some good news.:mug:

The thermometer that I "acquired" seems like it would not handle the heat/wet very well, hence I only stick it in for random measurements.
 
Evan! said:
Also, Control Company, the manufacturer, gave me a recommendation regarding a good one to use for brewing...and that would be one with a type "K" probe. Here's what she suggested. The unit itself isn't waterproof, but the probe is, and heatproof as well...within reason of course.
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I haven't had any luck finding that thermometer from any online suppliers. Anyone else?
 
I know it costs a lot but I recommend a thermometer and RTD from Auberins Instruments - or any controller manufacturer - be a candidate for "best thermometer" if we are going to start a thread or wiki on this subject. Followed or matched by an armored scientific thermometer from mcmaster-carr.
 
got a link to that Auberins?

Oh, and excuse my tech n00bishness here, but what's an RTD, and why do I need it?
 
Evan! said:
got a link to that Auberins?

Oh, and excuse my tech n00bishness here, but what's an RTD, and why do I need it?
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Auberins sells temperature controllers and straight thermometers for monitoring temperatures. You choose any one of a number of thermocouples to monitor your target temperatures. An RTD is a very precise sensor - here is an explanation of RTD:

RTD Elements and RTD Probes - Resistance Temperature Detection Sensors(RTDS)

You can use these to control the target temp or just to monitor it.
 
Huh...I'm still a little lost as to what I need. I'm not big on the whole automation front, but I just would like a good thermometer for my mash, which I do in a 10 gallon picnic cooler. I don't have any kind of bulkhead where I could install something permanently, but I guess I could do so if someone has any ideas. So what exactly is the best thermometer, under $80 preferably, for what I'm doing?
 
I just acquired a Thermopen that uses a nice, long 9" K-type thermocouple from Thermoworks (ThermoWorks – Plug Mount Thermapen – Use any Type K probe with the versatile Thermapen. Small and Accurate.). I am hoping the extra length of the probe will help me keep the sucker dry. The accuracy is as high as I could get (+/-0.4C) without spending some serious cash for laboratory grade equipment. It still wasn't cheap, but we all have to do our bit to stimulate the economy, right?

I have a wonderfully accurate analog thermometer from Taylor, but it is hard for my old eyes to read the tiny dial and it takes a good long time to reach a stable reading.

I will be brewing with this thermometer this weekend and will let anybody who is interested know how it worked.
 
I like the looks of the thermapens that take the Type K probes. A little pricey but nice.

The thermapen 7 and the probe listed here with the description (3rd from the bottom):

"Use in dishwashers, freezers or anywhere a waterproof thermocouple is useful. Stranded wire cable with PTFE insulation and a cylindrical cap sealed over the junction. Max. Temp 482°F"

Hahaha...just ordered their last one. Sorry.
 
you suck suck suck. That looks sweet. I wonder if you could just velcro the body to the cooler lid, and drill a hole through the lid to slip the probe through.
 
I don't see why not. I use steam to change temps so I may attach the probe to my mash paddle since I have to stir all the time while adding steam during steps and to mashout. I also usually stir every 15 min during the longer rests to make sure the temp is the same everywhere.
 
It arrived today and I did some tests. The remote probe I linked to is tiny and isn't as responsive as my other 2 thermometers. It is very high quality though, I suspect it'll last a long time compared to the others. Besides the slightly slower response time with this probe, the only other complaint is that the display doesn't stay on. Auto-shut off is annoying.

test in ice

test in hot water
 
dstar26t said:
I like the looks of the thermapens that take the Type K probes. A little pricey but nice.

The thermapen 7 and the probe listed here with the description (3rd from the bottom):

"Use in dishwashers, freezers or anywhere a waterproof thermocouple is useful. Stranded wire cable with PTFE insulation and a cylindrical cap sealed over the junction. Max. Temp 482°F"

Hahaha...just ordered their last one. Sorry.
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I had an e-mail conversation with the head of sales for thermoworks and this is what he said:

We do not do any NP threaded type thermometers, but if you want a fairly reliable thermometer that is water proof and inexpensive then I would suggest the MTC along with a cable probe model 113-375-T. The MTC is a thermocouple meter that is not totally water proof, but quite water resistant. It will read any type K TC, and has a list price of $43 which is the lowest I know if for a Thermocouple meter. This unit has a 1 year warranty. The probe is a Teflon coated cable probe which is water proof, and could be put into alcohol or even acid. I’ll provide a link for you. Sorry this isn’t exactly what your asking for, but it’s a good thermometer at a reasonable price.


http://www.thermoworks.com/products/handheld/mtc.html

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/probe/tc_wire.html

Thanks,

Dallen
Click to expand...
 
That MTC is what I was planning on buying until I found this...JMS Type K Thermometer. I can't get the link to work on here so search for ebay item number 230328342811

4605_1.JPG


Other than the color and logo on it, it looks exactly like the MTC and it comes with a 36" thermocouple for half the price. I asked about getting a probe from the company that is selling these and here is the response.

You can use the sensor supplied with the thermometer. All you have to do is get a 1/8” diameter tube and braise the end closed. You can pinch it first and that way it is easier to seal. Use that tube as a well to insert the wire probe supplied with the sensor. If you search for the term thermocouple on EBay, you’ll probably find some probes that will work. The thermometer takes a type K probe with a “subminiature” connector.

The sensors from our catalog are probably more expensive than you would want to pay. They start at about $50 each.

Hope this helps.

I’ve given up drinking for Lent, but the sound of some fresh home brew sounds great.
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I went ahead and sent him the $30.50 instead of waiting on the auction. Hope it turns out to be a good thermometer. :) Sorry to hear that he gave up drinking for Lent. :(
 
I looked at the MTC but it didn't have the accuracy as the Thermapen 7.

+/-.7F vs. 1.8F
 
That Thermapen 7 looks nice. I didn't see it on their website until you pointed it out in this thread. I would probably lean to that if I had to pay full price for the MTC, but since the one I ordered looks to be the same as the MTC and is only $30 it was a no brainer. Even if I invest in a good probe instead of making one with the thermocouple provided I'm only looking at spending around $60 for the whole setup. As far as accuracy goes I'm sure it's going to be a lot more accurate than any of the previous thermometers I have used.
 
MoRoToRiUm said:
large-dial-thermometer.jpg


from northern brewer... Always test within one degree or so (probe is only 9' long, so depends on your setup). Just don't bang them around, and most analog thermometers will last longer accurately then any similar priced digital...
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How can it be accurate within 1 degree if its only marked ever 5 degree :confused:
 
JVD_X said:
I had an e-mail conversation with the head of sales for thermoworks and this is what he said:
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NIIIIICE! Just what I wanted. And I don't feel like getting into a bidding war on eBay, especially not with someone here. So I just ordered the unit, along with the Heavy Duty Wire Probe K 39 L x .09"OD 482F Teflon Tip probe. A little shy of $80 shipped, which is exactly how much I got back from Professional Equipment for the previous 2 faulty ones. Thanks for everyone's help (especially JVD_X!) on finding a type K like this. WOOOOT!
 
Evan! said:
NIIIIICE! Just what I wanted. And I don't feel like getting into a bidding war on eBay, especially not with someone here. So I just ordered the unit, along with the Heavy Duty Wire Probe K 39 L x .09"OD 482F Teflon Tip probe. A little shy of $80 shipped, which is exactly how much I got back from Professional Equipment for the previous 2 faulty ones. Thanks for everyone's help (especially JVD_X!) on finding a type K like this. WOOOOT!
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I didn't bid on the one on ebay, just found out about it there. You can order direct from him and get the unit with a type K wire thermocouple for $30.50 shipped. The thermocouple that comes with it may not be good for immersion readings without some modification. I also ordered a 12" probe thermocoupler that I found on ebay for $10 shipped. So I spent about $40 for the whole setup.
 
Hey all, I see I'm a little late to the party but just wanted to chime in that I think I have found my next thermometer. It's an analog thermometer that's designed for paraffin wax melting. The beautiful thing is that just so happens to be the temperature range that brewers want most, 100 to 180°F in 0.2° increments. Here are the deets:

ASTM No. 14F Paraffin Wax Melting Point Thermometer.
Range 100 to 180°F (subdivision 0.2°F)
Immersion (mm/in): 79mm / 3in
Thermometer Length (mm/in): 375mm / 14.7in
+- 1% of range span span is 80°F


ASTM 14F Paraffin Wax Melting Point Thermometer.

Apparently, any ASTM No. 14F thermometer will have this same range and accuracy. They also sell a metal case to protect it, even when using.
 
ajwillys said:
Hey all, I see I'm a little late to the party but just wanted to chime in that I think I have found my next thermometer. It's an analog thermometer that's designed for paraffin wax melting. The beautiful thing is that just so happens to be the temperature range that brewers want most, 100 to 180°F in 0.2° increments. Here are the deets:

ASTM No. 14F Paraffin Wax Melting Point Thermometer.
Range 100 to 180°F (subdivision 0.2°F)
Immersion (mm/in): 79mm / 3in
Thermometer Length (mm/in): 375mm / 14.7in
+- 1% of range span span is 80°F


ASTM 14F Paraffin Wax Melting Point Thermometer.

Apparently, any ASTM No. 14F thermometer will have this same range and accuracy. They also sell a metal case to protect it, even when using.
Click to expand...
:drunk: $42+ for a glass thermometer....No thanks.
 
I just received one I bought . Tel-Tru brand made in USA Rochester NY. Adjustable head Huge ass dial with 2° increments all i do is get it in between the lines to do 153° .155° etc. 29 $ bucks delivered.

5" face
IMG_04192.JPG


fully adjustable face and calibration set screw
IMG_0418.JPG


going right into my MLT this weekend
 
ooo, I like that. It would be perfect for my HLT so I don't have to bend down to see the temp. Where exactly did you order it?
 
Here's the one I just went with. It is a dial, but it has a 316ss bulb and capillary. It was less than $50.
 

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