Temp probe issue

[ehk089]

i built a pid controller for my 3v eherms keggle system that I’m having issues with. 5500 w element in 15 gal hlt run by an Auber ezboil 320 pid controller. The rtd probe is threaded into a 1/2” npt tee on the out side of the germs coil. I’ve pretty consistently had a problem with the probe not reading...sometimes it reads no probe, sometimes it reads ridiculous temps. The other day after messing with it for almost 2 hours, I got it up to temp...it read -26 degrees lol. Most of the time after 5-10 mins it just starts climbing until it reaches 932 degrees....it only worked once or twice out of the box, but seems to be getting worse. I checked all connections, could it just be a bad probe?

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Do you have the controller set to recognise the correct kind of probe (eg. K, pt100)?

 

[ehk089]

I’m not sure it’s adjustable...it was the probe auberins suggested I thought....do you know how I’d find out if the controller is adjustable?

 

[ehk089]

It’s a pt100 and the controller looks like it says that’s the only type it allows

 

[Vale71]

It's definitely the probe (or the cable). One time I had to deal with the temp probe on my fermenter (also pt100) starting to read lower and lower temps before my very eyes right after I had pitched yeast. Thankfully I had a spare lying around...

 

[ehk089]

Yeah I’m assuming that, the rest of the ezboil controller seems fine, it heats on and off when called for. I tried pulling probe out of tee to read ambient temp and it’s still all over the place. At first I wondered if it was just water moving through the tee too fast to read, but even with pump off it’s malfunctioning....not sure if I should order the probe by itself or the whole thing including cable at this point.