Kegerator temp?

[dhelegda]

Who uses a freezer chest with an analog Johnson control temp regulator?

My wife tasted my freshly poured beer and said "it's good, but need to be colder" I checked the regulator and it's set at 25. What's do I need to do to get the beer cold with out freezing it?


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[Nuggethead]

It must not actually be 25F or it would freeze. I keep mine at 36F and it's about right for my taste for Pales and IPA's. A normal bottled beer in a regular fridge is usually 38F.

 

[dhelegda]

I cranked it down to 20 last night hoping it doesn't freeze...but if it does will there be a any affect on the beer once it thaws?


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[mvcorliss]

Do you have a thermometer in the freezer? What is the actual temp? The Johnson controller usually works pretty well.... Is your freezer working?


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[dhelegda]

Yep freezer works well, this is the set up!


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[mvcorliss]

If the inside thermometer is saying 34F and your controller is set for that general temp then my next thought is your wife needs to stop drinking yellow fizzy stuff at the corner bar advertising the coldest beer in town! 😄
Seriously, what is the temp of the beer in your glass? My keg orator is set at 39F and I usually let the beer warm a few minutes before it's where I like it. To each his (or her) own I guess!


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[Nuggethead]

In the last picture, it appears that the temperature probe is against and touching the metal wall of the freezer. If it is, it will read that temp. The wall of the freezer will actually freeze when it turns on and the controller will believe that the beer has reached temp and turn it off before the beer is able to chill.
Try to tape the copper probe to the side of the keg as far from the wall of the freezer as you can and cover it with something to insulate it so it only reads the temp of the beer keg and you should be golden..

Don't forget to reset the temp controller to around 38F to start with or you'll freeze.

 

[Nagorg]

Funny... I was gonna lookup keezer temp topics and here is this thread. I'm trying to dial in my keezer and find what is "best" for me. I do use the Johnson A419 controller.

I've had the setpoint at 37 and have thought the beer was a tad too cold, Mainly because the beer, an Irish Red Ale in this case, tastes better after it warms up a little. I just raised the temp to 40 and will see how it fairs..

For the temp probe, I have it taped to a large water bottle with two layers of cut up koozie insulating the probe from the ambient temp. Eventually I'll do a thermo well setup but this seems to work fine so far.

 

[creekrat]

I know this is a few weeks old but have you thought about a glass or bowl of water and placing the probe in there? That would give you the actual liquid temp. As stated above make sure the temp probe is not touching any metal or it will read that temp instead

 

[dhelegda]

I ended up using a bottle of water and a bottle coozie and it seems to be working great!


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[Nagorg]

40 seemed a little warm for my taste so I set the controller at 38. For me, this seems to be just right. The koozie over the probe that's taped to the water bottle appears to be doing a fine job. The ambient temp swings in a 5 degree range (34-39) with the A419 "DIFF" set to 1 and a compressor delay of 10 minutes.

 

[dhelegda]

Mine is set at, and seems to be maintaining 34 degrees


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[day_trippr]

According to my R'Pi logger my average beer temperature is 35.3°F...

Cheers!

 

[froghat]

I drop my probe into a water bottle that is stashed between kegs. Drill a hole through the lid and a little silicone after the probe is through and you don't have to worry about spilling.