How do ya read a Fermometer strip?

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Finn

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Dang, this stupid thing has three different temps lit up in three different colors covering a span of six degrees. How do I know which one is the real thing? It didn't come with any instructions.

Can anybody help me read it?:eek:

Thanks!

--Finn
 
Typically mine will look something like this:

Fermometer.jpg


I just use the middle number. Not sure if it is correct, but it is what I do. :)

Rick
 
You read the green...;)

Don't get them wet or you'll ruin them.

If you ever think you'll have to submerge them in a water bath then do as I do...use tape to hold them in place then remove them for the bath (do not remove the back plastic strips). ;)
 
They are not all that accurate. If three numbers are lit up, just guess that the one in the middle is close. Look again in a couple hours after everything stabilizes.
 
Yup, read the green, or the middle number if they're all brown like mine sometimes go.

homebrewer_99 said:
...Don't get them wet or you'll ruin them...

I got one of mine wet twice now and seems to still be OK if you let it dry properly, but won't work right until it is. Dunno if it's buggered but seems to be working OK.
 
Cool -- thanks! Also thanks for the tip about not getting them wet. Of course, I've got 'em stuck on the sides of my carboys, which are going to need to be washed soon. Anybody tried covering them with heavy clear box tape to seal the water out? Guess it's worth a three dollar an' fifty-cent bet anyway ...

Cheers!

--Finn
 
so that is why mine doesnt work. i just sanitize a spoon, lightly stir and use a normal probe thermometer.
 
they can get a little wet. they can't be submerged or soaked though or the adhesive degrades and the liquid crystal will seep out.

I only clean the outside of carboys with a sponge and towel + cleaner.
 
thanks for the tip on keeping them dry. I would never have guessed this would be an issue. I'll take malkore's advice and just sponge wash the outside of the carboys as needed.
 
bigjohnmilford said:
beyond your home brew what isn't? :drunk:

you have a point, and anyway i have no idea why i posted that or what I might possibly have meant. i was rather druck at the time. :drunk:
 
billtzk said:
you have a point, and anyway i have no idea why i posted that or what I might possibly have meant. i was rather druck at the time. :drunk:

You sure you're still not drunk?!? :D
 
Correction to all from Tkach Enterprises, distributors of the Fermometer.

See this url for instructions and information on accuracy:

http://tkachenterprises.com/Products.html

They are highly accurate and they are not made in China. Multiple crystals being "lit" reflect the variations in air temperature moving around them if not affixed to an object. When stuck firmly to a thermally stable object, they will be stable and only one or two crystals will be "lit."

Reading the temperature is straight forward. If one crystal is highlighted in green, it is that temperature. If two adjoining crystals are highlighted in blue and tan, it is the temperature in between.

They are water resistant not water proof. Do not submerge for extended periods. Keep them out of direct sunlight for prolong periods of time.

I have some of the originals and they are still working after 15 years.

Hope that helps.
 
From the manufacturer:

"If one crystal is highlighted in green, it is that temperature. If two adjoining crystals are highlighted in blue and tan, it is the temperature in between."
 
I soak my plastic fermenter is a storage tub of dilute bleach water to remove organic residues after fermenting (its just easier to leave the tub half full of bleach water rather than fill up my bucket with bleach water everytime).

All of my fermenters have a fermometer on them, and I have never had a problem with them not working after 5 years. I am saying that I get them wet all the time and they still work. They are pretty awesome little magical crystal strips.
 
Yeah, I've definitely submerged mine. Not sure what "prolonged" means to them, but I've had a carboy in a cold water bath for a few days and left the strip on there... pretty sure it still works just fine.

What does a broken one look like - just no temperatures highlighted?
 
What will happen is the top transparent layer will pull away from the backing leaking out the crystals. Had this happen when I submerged mine for a week while fermenting.
 
I see. Yeah I don't ferment in a water bath like that. I just soak my fermenters after brewing in bleach water to remove organic residues. I have had at least one of them for 5 years+!!

They are handy little devices.
 
You read the green...;)

Don't get them wet or you'll ruin them.

If you ever think you'll have to submerge them in a water bath then do as I do...use tape to hold them in place then remove them for the bath (do not remove the back plastic strips). ;)

Before I was aware of this I submerged both of mine off and on again for months while fermenting different brews. Eventually, they turned white/grey and stopped working altogether so I removed them and bought two new ones.

About 6 weeks later I noticed they were black again with some color returning around the ambient temp.

Now they are sitting opposite the newer ones on my fermenter (which were never submerged) and they read the same temp. No variance.

Tough little buggers. Idiot proof for sure.
 
so, since it is reading the temperature of the outside of the carboy, will the temperature of the beer itself by slightly warmer? perhaps its time dependent, the longer it sits the more they normalize.
 
so, since it is reading the temperature of the outside of the carboy, will the temperature of the beer itself by slightly warmer? perhaps its time dependent, the longer it sits the more they normalize.

Yeast are exothermic and plastic is an insulator so I would expect a variant between the bucket outside and the beer inside.

That being said if it was off by more than a few degrees I'd be surprised.
 
so, since it is reading the temperature of the outside of the carboy, will the temperature of the beer itself by slightly warmer? perhaps its time dependent, the longer it sits the more they normalize.


Whatever temperature the Fermometer is displaying, that is the temperature of the liquid. We're not talking about a 1000L vessel here. We're typically only dealing with 5-6 gallons. You're not going to see a temperature difference across a few inches of liquid.
 
You read the green...;)

Don't get them wet or you'll ruin them.

If you ever think you'll have to submerge them in a water bath then do as I do...use tape to hold them in place then remove them for the bath (do not remove the back plastic strips). ;)

I take a wide piece of packing tap and tape over the whole strip so that it cannot come in contact with water. Seems to protect it fairly well for cleaning, etc. I have not kept it fully submerged for any length of time tho.
 
The vertical ones are much less water resistant and left crazy residue when I removed one.
 
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