Inkbird itc-308? $35 gets you wired, 2 stage temp controller.

[LabRatBrewer]

You don't put your probe in the beer. You put the probe in a jug of water that also sits in the fridge.

Lots of people do that. But during fermentation the wort will be warmer than the liquid in a jug.

 

[Electrake]

ordered mine...

 

[Jwin]

Lots of people do that. But during fermentation the wort will be warmer than the liquid in a jug.

Unless you are using it for a kegerator.

 

[Hoppity]

Bubblewrap and painter's tape on the side of the bucket for the probe works great.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Unless you are using it for a kegerator.

Good point

 

[TxBigHops]

You don't put your probe in the beer. You put the probe in a jug of water that also sits in the fridge.

Why would I care about the temperature of a jug of water while my beer is fermenting?

 

[raysmithtx]

My new Inkbird 308 didn't come with any instructions. Can someone point me to a users guide for this thing? I tried Google but came up empty for the 308 (lots of 1000 info though). Thanks.

 

[doug293cz]

My new Inkbird 308 didn't come with any instructions. Can someone point me to a users guide for this thing? I tried Google but came up empty for the 308 (lots of 1000 info though). Thanks.

You should be able to download a user manual here: http://www.ink-bird.com/product/det...rmostat_Temperature_Controller/id/12#download.

Brew on

 

[raysmithtx]

Perfect. Thank you for the link.

 

[Vesteroid]

Been using mine several weeks now. Works fine. No issues.

 

[Tegra]

Love this little gadget! Nice form factor for hanging from a screw on a freezer. They say they are looking to add programable steps.

I complained that the alarms would shut the system down rather than just warn you. And they seemed very open to tuning this to the brewing community.

I have a BlackBox at over twice the cost, but rarely use the profile mode and just adjust as I go.

This has C and F and is one of the simplest to program.

I have 4 controllers now and this is my favourite!

 

[iijakii]

Love this little gadget! Nice form factor for hanging from a screw on a freezer. They say they are looking to add programable steps.

I complained that the alarms would shut the system down rather than just warn you. And they seemed very open to tuning this to the brewing community.

I have a BlackBox at over twice the cost, but rarely use the profile mode and just adjust as I go.

This has C and F and is one of the simplest to program.

I have 4 controllers now and this is my favourite!

Glad to hear the great review. I too have a programmable controller, one of the various STC1000+ builds that is overkill. Would gladly trade it for two of these.

 

[alphaomega]

@Tegra and @iijakii
I sort of take offense at your comments
Nah, I don't... Whatever works for you

 

[CTLABARGE]

Purchased mine today!

 

[sleepy_brewer]

Anyone know which thermowell this will fit into for glass carboys? Would this one work with the Inkbird? Thanks!

http://www.morebeer.com/products/hood-thermowell-3-5-6-65-gallon-smooth-neck-carboys-15.html

 

[Hellosluggo]

I have this thermowell: https://www.brewershardware.com/12-Stainless-Steel-Thermowell-TWS12.html The Inkbird probe fits perfectly, and the end is welded and polished, not crimped. You might think of using a double-drilled rubber stopper and getting the longer version of this one, if needed. Much cheaper all around.

 

[TxBigHops]

Mine arrived yesterday. I have already set up a temp controlled swamp cooler for a beer I brewed last night. So far it's working perfectly and was very easy to set up. I also plan to get the thermowell from Brewers Harware so I can measure my beer temp instead of the water temp. Attached link is a detailed post regarding my new configuration.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=545149

 

[sleepy_brewer]

I have this thermowell: https://www.brewershardware.com/12-Stainless-Steel-Thermowell-TWS12.html The Inkbird probe fits perfectly, and the end is welded and polished, not crimped. You might think of using a double-drilled rubber stopper and getting the longer version of this one, if needed. Much cheaper all around.

Thank you. Can you explain the double drill and reasoning behind it? Never used a thermowell. What would I need?

 

[sleepy_brewer]

.

 

[sleepy_brewer]

.

 

[TxBigHops]

Thank you. Can you explain the double drill and reasoning behind it? Never used a thermowell. What would I need?

http://www.morebeer.com/products/st...NpLCIXu1vv7m-_CVuDmIyGa1iX313TgWSsBoCR87w_wcB

One hole for the thermowell and one for the airlock.

 

[sleepy_brewer]

Sorry for the triple post...the app was being buggy. Thanks so much!

 

[Tegra]

@Tegra and @iijakii
I sort of take offense at your comments
Nah, I don't... Whatever works for you

What I meant was you should buy both!

I would not give up my Black Box for three of these, but it certainly out performs the Ranco and ilk.

 

[Yourrealdad]

So just curious a couple questions about the wire in these. I just got mine and don't want to take it apart if I don't have to.

Is there an easy way to know if the wiring issue is fixed without taking it apart?

Also the power plug is 18 awg just wondering if that is an issue?

Do we know what the gauge is for the wire on the control/oulet side, because I was making mine with 14 awg for the power and either 14 awg or 16 awg (can't remmber) for my outlets because a few members on here said you would want that for controlling a fridge or freezer.

So are these things good to go to control my 22 cft freezer?

Thanks

 

[doug293cz]

So just curious a couple questions about the wire in these. I just got mine and don't want to take it apart if I don't have to.

Is there an easy way to know if the wiring issue is fixed without taking it apart?

Also the power plug is 18 awg just wondering if that is an issue?

Do we know what the gauge is for the wire on the control/oulet side, because I was making mine with 14 awg for the power and either 14 awg or 16 awg (can't remmber) for my outlets because a few members on here said you would want that for controlling a fridge or freezer.

So are these things good to go to control my 22 cft freezer?

Thanks

18 AWG is adequate for 10A. What is the power draw of your freezer (most freezers controlled with this device are much smaller)?

To check the wiring, you need a multimeter or outlet tester. For an outlet tester, follow the devices directions. Any anomalous indication from the outlet tester indicates a wiring error. With a multimeter, test voltage (AC) between the hot slot on the outlet and the round ground opening when the controller has turned the outlet off. If you measure 120 volts when the outlet is supposed to be off, then the device is wired incorrectly.

I believe Ink-Bird had cleared the supply chain of the incorrectly wired units, so your chances of getting one of those is small (unless you are buying from other than a mainline dealer.)

Brew on

 

[day_trippr]

So just curious a couple questions about the wire in these. I just got mine and don't want to take it apart if I don't have to.

Is there an easy way to know if the wiring issue is fixed without taking it apart?[...]

You could use an ohmmeter to figure out if the unit is wired to switch neutral instead of hot.

Otherwise, it doesn't look like a big deal to pop it apart...

Cheers!

 

[doug293cz]

You could use an ohmmeter to figure out if the unit is wired to switch neutral instead of hot.

Otherwise, it doesn't look like a big deal to pop it apart...

Cheers!

Yes, you could use an ohmmeter with the unit unplugged. Test between the hot tang on the input power plug and the ground opening on the outlet. There should be no continuity.

It's easy to open the unit up, but not so easy to unsolder and resolder the required wires. You only need to switch two wires in the main unit, but the outlet pigtail is a PITA. I know because I identified the original wiring non-compliance, and rewired the evaluation unit I received from Ink-Bird. But, you shouldn't have to worry about this for a unit recently purchased from a trustworthy seller.

Brew on

 

[day_trippr]

The certain way to check with an ohmmeter (yes, with the unit unplugged ) is to go from the neutral on the input side to the neutral on the output side.

It must be shorted to be proper; if it's open, it's routed through a relay.

Otherwise, I was suggesting it'd be easy to pop open the unit just to ID whether it was pre-fix or post-fix. While it'd be trivial for me to correct if needed, I don't recommend such efforts to folks whose skills are unknown...

Cheers!

 

[doug293cz]

The certain way to check with an ohmmeter (yes, with the unit unplugged ) is to go from the neutral on the input side to the neutral on the output side.

It must be shorted to be proper; if it's open, it's routed through a relay.

Otherwise, I was suggesting it'd be easy to pop open the unit just to ID whether it was pre-fix or post-fix. While it'd be trivial for me to correct if needed, I don't recommend such efforts to folks whose skills are unknown...

Cheers!

Yes, that check also works.

Brew on

 

[Yourrealdad]

Thanks for the quick replies.

I bought mine through Amazon, so just worried they had a stock pile of the old ones.

My freezer draws 4A, but I have no idea what it draws on start up. Is there an easy way to tell that or do I need some fancy electricians gear?