HELP! I Have Thermometer Questions!!

[jhonda00]

Hey guys whats up? I just racked some Belgian White from my primary to secondary tonight and needed a gravity reading. Well, when I got my thermometer out to check the temp, it was reading 85 F in my house. I know it's not 85 degrees lol. So when I looked at my other regular mercury thermometer, it was reading 74. Now that I know my theremometer is off 11 degrees, I need a new one.

I have a few questions. regarding a good probe type thermometer and I need one for my keggle.

For my mash temps and random temp readings what should I get. I need an affordable reliable thermometer. Should I go regular (analog??) or digital? Any suggestions would help.

Second, for my keggle I need a 1/2" NPT back thread thermometer with at least a 4" probe.

Any suggestions would be great.

Happy Brewing,
Jacob

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

can you not adjust your thermometer? should be a small screw with an allen head on the back to calibrate.


if not, i like Thermapen for digital multi-use thermometer http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/tpen_home.html

 

[jhonda00]

You know, I can adjust this thermometer, but it's just a piece of crap and I'm sick of doing it. I really wish I could get a good inexpensive thermometer. Hmm, Thermapen is beautiful, but too expensive for me. Any other suggestions Berserker?

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

Any of these could work: More Beer's thermometer selection

 

[northernlad]

I just ordered myself an 18" cooling thermometer from Cooper Atkins. About $25, 35-165 degree reading. I also have a Comark 12" espresso thermometer that reads 0-220 that is about $13. both hcome with a handy clip for the side of what ever...
I am sure you already know, but put your therm in a cup of ice water that has rested for a few minutes and see what it says. Inversely, boil some water and see what it says. Then use the nut that I hope is on the back of the dial to adjust.
Both of these ought to be available at a restaurant supply near you. If you are near it.

 

[Stuntman]

Any of these could work: More Beer's thermometer selection

Beserker, thanks for the reply.

I am also thinking of a better therm. If I spend anything less than the 74 bucks (which is a great price for such a good Therm) would not be very fast, right?

I am so tired of holding and waiting, and holding and waiting....shoot I could be grabbing a pint glass and drinking with all that wasted time.

 

[jhonda00]

Thermapen would be great, but I"m just too much of a cheap a$$ to buy one. I think I'm going to go with another analog
thermometer. Do the thermometers get thrown out of wack because the nut on the back moves a little? If so, could i just loc-tite (is that how you spell it?) or solder it?

 

[Catt22]

I have one of these and I am completely satisfied with it. I think it's a bargain at $38.50. It's a traceable and has a replaceable "k" type probe:

Handheld Thermocouple Meters And Cole-Parmer Workhorse Thermocouple Thermometer - Cole-Parmer Catalog

I'm done with any of the bi-metal analog dial thermometers. I had a large expensive one that was considerably off, inconsistent throughout the range and would not stay in calibration. I think I may have damaged it, but I don't know how and it showed no outward sign of damage. The digital one is more precise, easier to read and almost never needs to be calibrated (it can be calibrated, but I've never found it necessary). The digital above runs on a standard 9v battery which is nice in that it doesn't need a special or expesive replacement battery. Run time is long at 150-200 hours continuous.

Mash temperatures are my biggest concern and when several of my beers finished out rather high, I suspected my mash temps might be too high due to thermometer problems and I was right. I calibrated the bi-metal and checked it with a glass lab thermometer. it was all over the place in the 100-200 range, off as much as 10 degrees in some places and right on in others. It is now a paperweight. I don't trust any of them now.

 

[Catt22]

Thermapen would be great, but I"m just too much of a cheap a$$ to buy one. I think I'm going to go with another analog
thermometer. Do the thermometers get thrown out of wack because the nut on the back moves a little? If so, could i just loc-tite (is that how you spell it?) or solder it?

I'm not sure why the analog thermometers seem to go out of whack so much and why they typically aren't more accurate. I have a handful of the turkey fryer ones that are notoriously inaccurate. They are next to worthless IMO. Next up is the more expensive large dial thermometers commonly offered by HBS. These are significantly of better quality, but apparently they are still rather fragile. I think that the probes are particularly vulnerable to damage and the reason a lot of people use thermowells to protect them. I think simply bumping mine with the mash paddle a few times knocked it loopy, never to recover. I didn't bump it that hard, so my conclusion is that the probe stems are fragile. I don't know what's inside of the stem, but I'm guessing it's probably a long, curled bi-metal spring that reached all the way to the tip of the probe. Internal corrosion might be a problem if moisture got inside somehow, whether liquid or vapor. Corrosion inside the probe stem would be the worst I would think. Anyway, I doubt I will ever buy another analog thermometer for brewing purposes.

 

[Sawdustguy]

I'm not sure why the analog thermometers seem to go out of whack so much and why they typically aren't more accurate.

Those types of thermometers are based on the principal of expansion and contraction of metal with temperature. They typically use wound metal springs. They are notorius for inaccuracies and change over time.

 

[northernlad]

All thermometers a delicate to some degree.
The nice thing about "K" type is they are interchangeable between brands so if you need one on the quick you can use whatever a store has in stock.
I think a dial therm is good for someone just starting like me who is going to use it to temp the cool down and maybe the carboy, but Sawdustguy is accurate in his vehement support of digital if you are temping the S out stuff.

 

[jhonda00]

I have one of these and I am completely satisfied with it. I think it's a bargain at $38.50. It's a traceable and has a replaceable "k" type probe:

Handheld Thermocouple Meters And Cole-Parmer Workhorse Thermocouple Thermometer - Cole-Parmer Catalog

I'm done with any of the bi-metal analog dial thermometers. I had a large expensive one that was considerably off, inconsistent throughout the range and would not stay in calibration. I think I may have damaged it, but I don't know how and it showed no outward sign of damage. The digital one is more precise, easier to read and almost never needs to be calibrated (it can be calibrated, but I've never found it necessary). The digital above runs on a standard 9v battery which is nice in that it doesn't need a special or expesive replacement battery. Run time is long at 150-200 hours continuous.

Mash temperatures are my biggest concern and when several of my beers finished out rather high, I suspected my mash temps might be too high due to thermometer problems and I was right. I calibrated the bi-metal and checked it with a glass lab thermometer. it was all over the place in the 100-200 range, off as much as 10 degrees in some places and right on in others. It is now a paperweight. I don't trust any of them now.

Yeah, I have been leaning towards digi, but I've heard bad things about k-type probes getting water damage etc. You haven't had any trouble with this?

 

[Catt22]

Yeah, I have been leaning towards digi, but I've heard bad things about k-type probes getting water damage etc. You haven't had any trouble with this?

No trouble with water at all. The probe tip is 5" long and it's completely sealed. This probe works fine for my purposes, but there are a lot of different probes available if you want something different. I use it to monitor the mash recirc temp on my direct fired RIMS. A longer probe might be useful to those wanting to get deeper into the mash for non-circulating methods. I've seen 12" and longer probes being sold.

 

[jhonda00]

No trouble with water at all. The probe tip is 5" long and it's completely sealed. This probe works fine for my purposes, but there are a lot of different probes available if you want something different. I use it to monitor the mash recirc temp on my direct fired RIMS. A longer probe might be useful to those wanting to get deeper into the mash for non-circulating methods. I've seen 12" and longer probes being sold.

Alright, but you're just using the one that came stock? See, I batch sparge in a cooler. Do you think the probe that comes stock will be sufficient? Also, from all the research I've done, I think I'm just going to not install a thermometer on my keggle. I think I'm just going to stick with the valve and sight glass leaving temp readings to a general purpose thermometer for strike water, mash, and fermentation temp readings. What do you think?

 

[Catt22]

Alright, but you're just using the one that came stock? See, I batch sparge in a cooler. Do you think the probe that comes stock will be sufficient? Also, from all the research I've done, I think I'm just going to not install a thermometer on my keggle. I think I'm just going to stick with the valve and sight glass leaving temp readings to a general purpose thermometer for strike water, mash, and fermentation temp readings. What do you think?

I think the probe will work just fine for your mash tun. It's five inches long, so will reach near the center of a 10" deep grainbed. Any deeper and you might want to get a longer probe, but you could settle for not getting all the way to the center of the mash and call it close enough on the depth, which is what I would do for up to a depth of 14" maybe. Stirring the mash will help with this, but opening the lid and stirring does cause some loss of heat. Those are calls only you can make.

I no longer have a dial thermometer mounted on my MT and never had one on the BK. I have this one for general purpose quick measurements such as the strike and sparge water. It's very accurate, economical, reasonably fast and user calibratable:

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=398796 (Shop around and you may find a better price on this)

The critical temps are in the mash and the fermentation. Plus or minus a few degrees with the strike and sparge water is no big deal. In the mash, it can be. I use cheap digital indoor/outdoor thermometers for monitoring my fermentations. The wireless ones are my favorites and they are surprisingly accurate. Typically they are near dead on or only a degree or so off and I attribute that to round off differences.

That CDN thermometer above is waterproof. I know because I dropped into the strike water once. Fished it out and it's fine. Good enough for me!

 

[rico567]

I've found a long-stemmed analog thermometer (from MW) to be handy for keeping track of boil pot temperatures while chilling. It just clips to the side of the pot.....I've never calibrated it, but it reads 212F at a boil, and when it drops to 70F, it agrees ±1 degree F with my Thermapen. I bought a Thermapen to keep track of strike, sparge, etc. temperatures when I went to all-grain this Summer. It's not cheap, but a great thermometer. I can carry it around in my pocket, it settles down in 3-4 seconds, and is certified & with a great reputation. I got the new "Splash-proof" Thermapen, which was $104 delivered, but you get what you pay for, I guess.

 

[Stuntman]

Amazon.com: CDN Proaccurate Stainless Digital Thermometer: Kitchen & Dining

Anyone had one of these? it says that it is fast, stays on calibration, price is right 20 bucks after shipping.

 

[northernlad]

What you want to ask for in a water proof digital is a dish machine thermometer. They are designed to be sent through a commercial dish machine cycle at a high temp of 180. Some will also give a high/low reading. Comark (Fluke) makes one and I will have to double check, but I am sure Cooper-Atkins and Taylor make one as well.

 

[StunnedMonkey]

Amazon.com: CDN Proaccurate Stainless Digital Thermometer: Kitchen & Dining

Anyone had one of these? it says that it is fast, stays on calibration, price is right 20 bucks after shipping.

Dude. That's the one that I've been using, after going through a couple of lesser ones. No complaints. You can calibrate it at both 32 and 212, and it seems to hold the calibration really well. For an inexpensive thermometer I'd recommend it. I should probably get another one since I inevitably drop my thermometers into a kettle at some point.

 

[Catt22]

Dude. That's the one that I've been using, after going through a couple of lesser ones. No complaints. You can calibrate it at both 32 and 212, and it seems to hold the calibration really well. For an inexpensive thermometer I'd recommend it. I should probably get another one since I inevitably drop my thermometers into a kettle at some point.

I have one of these and I once accidently dropped it into approx 165 F strike water. Fished it out and it didn't even flinch. It's more waterproof than I had expected. This is an excellent thermometer and a really good value for the money. It is also relatively fast reading and the battery lasts a long time. I now use it as a backup as I have the thermocouple one I mentioned earlier. I wanted one with a longer wired type probe.

 

[Stuntman]

Alrighty then...

Thanks StunnedMonkey, and Catt22

 

[BrewBeemer]

Why spend a lot of money on temp probes be it digital that can get wacked and bent with a stir paddle as well even high dollar mechanical gauges that can stick giving false temp readings? I would go with a stainless tube well for the temp probe protection and use a LM34 temp probe potted in transistor heat sink grease for quick temp change measurements. They are accurate to within 1/2*F at room temp, + & - 1 1/2* F at a range of -50 to +300*F.
To repeat at temp is more important than not repeating the same temp at each brewing session to get repeatable results. LM34 temp probes are 0.180" diameter and can operate off 5 to 30 volts DC, hell even a 9 volt battery will operate one as the current drain is less than 90 uA plus calbrated in degrees Fahreheit. In a stainless tube well it can take a beating with no change in the accuracy readings unless the stainless well was smashed as well the LM34
inside it. Make the well any length you wish or adjust to the depth you want to read with a compression fitting to lock it in place and use a digital meter to read +10mV /*F . This is for direct reading off a meter vs 10K ohm probes to a automated system like a BCS 460 controller.

 

[jhonda00]

Why spend a lot of money on temp probes be it digital that can get wacked and bent with a stir paddle as well even high dollar mechanical gauges that can stick giving false temp readings? I would go with a stainless tube well for the temp probe protection and use a LM34 temp probe potted in transistor heat sink grease for quick temp change measurements. They are accurate to within 1/2*F at room temp, + & - 1 1/2* F at a range of -50 to +300*F.
To repeat at temp is more important than not repeating the same temp at each brewing session to get repeatable results. LM34 temp probes are 0.180" diameter and can operate off 5 to 30 volts DC, hell even a 9 volt battery will operate one as the current drain is less than 90 uA plus calbrated in degrees Fahreheit. In a stainless tube well it can take a beating with no change in the accuracy readings unless the stainless well was smashed as well the LM34
inside it. Make the well any length you wish or adjust to the depth you want to read with a compression fitting to lock it in place and use a digital meter to read +10mV /*F . This is for direct reading off a meter vs 10K ohm probes to a automated system like a BCS 460 controller.

Do you have links for any of these thermometers?

 

[Stuntman]

Dude. That's the one that I've been using, after going through a couple of lesser ones. No complaints. You can calibrate it at both 32 and 212, and it seems to hold the calibration really well. For an inexpensive thermometer I'd recommend it. I should probably get another one since I inevitably drop my thermometers into a kettle at some point.

Got a chance to fart around with it. I am going to brew with it today.

I LIKE IT!:rockin:

Twenty bucks to my door, takes about four or five seconds. Just what I needed, fast temp on a budget!

 

[BrewBeemer]

Do you have links for any of these thermometers?

They are just precision Fahrenheit temperature sensors made by "National Semiconductor". I got a couple used ones from a project by Derrin one of our forums members as he moved on with other projects like making stir plates he sells also.. I used them on my fermenters powered of a 9 volt battery which allowed me to keep the BCS 460 controller at another house with the brewery. A home built deep well with the sensor potted in transistor heat paste not a store purchased item. Derrin makes the stainless deep wells also besides welded Tri-Clamp caps with deep wells and vents for locks for fermenters.