Cheap and easy thermowell

[ong]

Just a quick post about an upgrade I made recently. I wasn't thrilled with the temp control I was getting from taping my probe to the side of one of my plastic carboys -- I tested and got a pretty different reading when lowering the probe into the wort.

So I picked up one of these for $12: https://www.brewershardware.com/Straight-Wall-Thermowells/ I believe I got the 12" length. Then I just froze one of the stoppers I normally used, drilled a hole in it, and stuck the thermowell through until the top was flush with the top of the stopper. It works great, and I can still use either an airlock or my copper blowoff tube.

Maybe everyone does this, I dunno, but it struck me as a pretty nice upgrade from the tape-and-bubble-wrap approach I hear mentioned so often.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I like those thermowells. I use them for lots of things. When I used carboys and temp chambers I would use a carboy cap and put that in one of the tube and blowoff in the other. Worked great.

 

[TennBrewer]

Found a chromed 20" toilet fill tube for 3 bucks. I cut it to length and crimped it for my fermenter bucket and tested it out with the bucket filled with water. It leaked so I had to find a way to seal the end. I found many threads on this suggesting silver solder, or food grade silicone sealer, etc. but I was thinking of cutting a sliver of wax from a safety candle that has no scents, perfumes, or dyes. Then, force the wax to the bottom of the tube and apply enough heat to melt the wax. I think that should seal the crimp and no way is wort or beer ever going to melt that wad of wax. Does this sound like a plan?

 

[thumpersk_a]

Id bet that you will be fine doing it. They use wax for canning. Your crimp might not be sanitary if its all galled marred up. Id just dab it with solder or flux, crimp, drop a piece of solder in and apply heat as long as its lead free. I use silver solder on stainless fittings with acid flux. But wouldnt worry about it in this case.

 

[augiedoggy]

I used jb weld to fill the end of my stainless homemade probe, it is foodgrade and completely inert when cured and easy to keep clean vs crimping. i bought some stainless tubing to make dip tubes for some incomplete kegs I bought and used left over stuff that to make the probe. The tubing is fairly cheap